One Week in Cabarete Bay, Dominican Republic

I never really imagined traveling to the Dominican Republic - I don’t know why, but it was never on my radar. But in 2022, the World Surf League has finally restarted the Qualifying Series contests (which my husband Shaun competes on) and they announced a contest in Cabarete, on the north side of the DR. I started to do some research, and even though flights were a bit expensive, I thought why not go spend a week in the Caribbean sunshine?

Getting There

Flights from California to the Caribbean are pretty brutal. The only options seemed to be either take a red-eye or have an overnight layover. We opted for a red-eye, and flew from San Francisco, California to Newark, New Jersey overnight with a quick layover, then just a 4-hour direct flight to Puerto Plata, DR. I had seen some cheap flight alerts from (shoutout Scott’s Cheap Flights) for the DR as low as $200-300s, but of course we lagged on booking this trip and the flight was more than I wanted to spend at $600+ per person. Oh well! It’s hard to snag a cheap flight when your dates are completely inflexible (we couldn’t leave earlier, or return any later, due to work and other commitments).

Our Airbnb

We booked a studio apartment in the Cabarete area. The Airbnb listing looked okay, but reviews were wonderful, so we decided to give it a try. At less than $100/night with an ocean view, it seemed like a good deal, and I’m glad we did! The reviews were right - the photos don’t do it justice, and it was better than we expected! With two patios, a pool & ocean view, a comfortable design, and basic kitchenette capabilities, it was all we needed for the quick trip. The condo is affiliated with the hotel next door, El Magnifico.

Cabarete Area

Geographically, Cabarete is a tiny little beach town, but the restaurant/bar scene on the beach is pretty bustling. Upon first arriving and driving through town on the main road, it seemed pretty minimal with a few shops/restaurants here and there, but when we explored Cabarete by foot on sand, we discovered where everything and everyone was (read: a lot of tourists and ex-pats). Restaurants offering dining in the sand and bars blasting music line the Cabarete bay, all offering essentially the same menu. Further down the bay, it turns into the mecca of kite surfing. Kite surfing schools, lessons, and rentals take over the shore and in the distance all you can see is kite surfers for the foreseeable distance. One day we did a quick visual count and there were at least 150 kite surfers out in the ocean. Luckily we didn’t see any accidents, but it’s amazing to wonder how so many beginners are not getting their wires tangled.

Food & Drink

I’ve realized that my travel experience to new places is heavily dependent on the local cuisine. For example, Japan, Hawaii, all of Europe, Mexico… amazing food! But I’ve never had an amazing culinary experience in the Caribbean. In the past, we’ve gone to Martinique and Barbados for surf contests, and while the food is okay, it’s fairly expensive! A basic meal (like a burger or a pizza) in Barbados for example costs $20+. In the Dominican Republic though, we were able to find more ‘cheap eats’ options with actually pretty tasty food. If you just go to the tourist spots, you’ll still be paying $20+ per meal, but if you do a little research you can find the local favorites with more affordable (and yummier) options. Here were a few of our favorites places to eat:

Fresh Fresh

We love this place! In fact, it’s the only place we went back to multiple times. Fresh Fresh is on the main road in Cabarete and offers a range of healthy options, including wraps, salads, smoothies, sandwiches, and breakfast options. I’m obsessed with salad wraps and all 3 I had at Fresh Fresh were delicious! It’s super affordable with a meal around 250 - 450 DOP (= $5-8 USD). There’s a really nice back shaded terrace/patio with lots of greenery and free wi-fi!

Gordita’s Fresh Mex

Gordita’s reminded me of a Chipotle, in the way of semi-bland Mexican food, but the cheap price and options of what I consider “comfort food” (tacos and burritos) made up for it. A burrito was around $5 USD and a margarita only $2.50 (and it was by far the strongest drink I had during this whole trip!).

Sunset Grill

The Sunset Grill is part of the Valero Resort, which is basically next door to where we were staying at El Magnifico. It looks like it’s a 4-star restaurant in Hawaii, but the prices for an entree start as low as less than $10. You could splurge for a lobster dinner at $36 USD, though (still much cheaper than USA prices!). We ordered tuna tartare ($17 USD) with piña coladas, and both were delicious. The dining area is right on the water, with the waves crashing right next to the tables.

Coconuts

Coconuts is part of the Hideaway Beach Resort - which is where the surf contest was being hosted, at Encuentro Beach, so we spent a lot of time in this area and ate there a couple of times. The menu is huge with pizzas, pastas, entrees, salads, appetizers - lots to choose from. We had dinner one night and shared a pizza and pasta; another day we had a light lunch of a salad, calamari and bruschetta. Prices were average and food was great. It’s also a beautiful view here, set overlooking a lawn leading directly to the beach. It’s in a somewhat remote area, down a private road, and it was nice to get away from the busyness of central Cabarete.

Mojito Bar

Okay, this is the one place I’m including that’s on the main tourist strip of sand on the Cabarete bay beach! Our Airbnbs hosts recommended it and it seemed like the most popular place on the beach. We only had drinks (mojito of course), and during happy hour (4 - 8pm) they’re only like $2 USD. We never had food here, but I would’ve come back from dinner or lunch - however, our last couple days were super stormy.

In Summary

Our trip to the DR was enjoyable and I’m always excited to explore new destinations, but I wouldn’t mark it as a place I’m itching to come back to. I absolutely love tropical weather and a relaxing beach trip, but everyday in the afternoon stormy clouds would come in and the winds would pick up. The last two and a half days of our trip were actually entirely rainy with thunderstorms. In a beach town that thrives on sunshine, I felt a little bored towards the end of the trip with most activities deemed unenjoyable with unfortunate weather.

But, regardless of the weather towards the end, it was a fun trip to experience another island in the Caribbean.

One Week in The Dominican Republic