Has anyone been to Puerto Plata, DR?

climbingsingle · February 2015

I posted this on the HM board but got no responses. We're going next month for a long weekend. H's friend owns a house there, and they have a butler, a chef and a driver.

So, has anyone been? Any recs on what to check out? I just bought a new bathing suit for the trip and I'm freaking out. Ahhh warm weather!!! The low tomorrow is 1 degree. Blech.

novella1186 · February 2015

My parents went there and they liked it so much that they went back the next year. From what I hear, the actual local areas are pretty run-down. There's a small market with some touristy little shops, but both my parents (who are avid travelers and LOVE doing local stuff rather than touristy stuff) said they were better off just sticking around the resort. But they also said it was a super relaxing place and the scenery was beautiful.

I'm so jealous that you're going somewhere warm! Ah! I hope you have a blast!

pinkcow13 · February 2015

I have! I went with my parents when I was a kid, and a few years ago, FI and I went to Cabarete which is a town that is about 40 minutes from Puerto Plata. I love it (but I may be biased because I'm Dominican lol). The beaches are gorgeous, the people friendly,and it is a fun place to go to. When you land on the airport, they give you a Brugal (Dominican Rum) and coke! Although I don't remember Puerto Plata as a kid, I know my parents love it there. When FI and I went, we ended up going into Puerto Plata one day, and we went into the town of Sosua. I think that's where we went to go Scuba Diving, actually. The local areas are run down, but it's not anything terrible. That is what most of the local areas of DR are like.

My friend recently went to Puerto Plata with her friends and loved it. I think they stayed at the resort mostly. I know when a lot of people go to DR they tend to stay at the resorts, which are gorgeous. In a town like Puerto Plata, though, I would recommend getting out. From there you can go into Cabarete and spend a day there. They have the world famous Kite Beach, which is one of the best kite surfing destinations. There are beach bars and clubs in Cabarete, which are a ton of fun.

You can try some local restaurants if you venture into Puerto Plata, and will have awesome Dominican Food. We went Scuba diving, and I believe that was based in Puerto Plata, and we also went zip lining in Monkey Jungle which is actually in Sosua. That was an amazing experience, it is basically a sanctuary for monkeys, and they rescue and care for them. You can go and meet some of the monkeys (they all have names!), and they have an enclosure with squirrel monkeys, where you can feed them, and they jump all over you - it is amazing. You can also zip line there, and the lines are pretty long and high. The last line is a free fall into a bat cave.The best part is that they run a local clinic, and all funds made at Monkey Jungle are used to provide free medical and dental care to the locals. I highly recommend this place, we LOVED it.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g317146-d2043433-Reviews-Monkey_Jungle_and_Zip_Line_Adventures-Sosua_Puerto_Plata_Province_Dominican_Repub.html

There are so many things to do, or you guys can just relax on the gorgeous beach all day. If you go out to the town, I recommend getting a Cuba Libre, which is basically a Dominican rum and coke. If you go to a local spot, that really means Rum with a splash of coke

Feel free to ask me any other questions!

climbingsingle · February 2015

Thank you @pinkcow13!

teddygirl9 · February 2015

I'd be careful about venturing out w/o a local. If you have a local with you (even if you ask the butler to be a tour guide or something) then you should be fine. The beaches are not as white as punta cana, and the water is a bit rougher/not as warm, but its much less busy! Have so much fun!

climbingsingle · February 2015

teddygirl9 said:

I'd be careful about venturing out w/o a local. If you have a local with you (even if you ask the butler to be a tour guide or something) then you should be fine. The beaches are not as white as punta cana, and the water is a bit rougher/not as warm, but its much less busy! Have so much fun!

One of the couples we're traveling with was born and raised in DR. The guy who owns the house travels there frequently and the driver will be accompanying us on all outings. They also have armed guards that work 24 hours on their estate.

teddygirl9 · February 2015

Oh yeah, then that's perfect. My boyfriend is darker skinned and everyone thinks he is a dominican, so we were fine, but I've heard of other folks getting hassled because they have the flashing tourist sign above their heads haha.

pinkcow13 · February 2015

teddygirl9 said:

Oh yeah, then that's perfect. My boyfriend is darker skinned and everyone thinks he is a dominican, so we were fine, but I've heard of other folks getting hassled because they have the flashing tourist sign above their heads haha.

I mean, they'll hassle you most places you go. Even if you're latino/latina, you will still have a flashing tourist sign. It definitely helps if you speak Spanish, but honestly you'll be fine. Puerto Plata in my opinion is a place you can venture out on the town without needing a local, unlike maybe Punta Cana where there isn't much in the local town.

climbingsingle · February 2015

pinkcow13 said:

teddygirl9 said:

Oh yeah, then that's perfect. My boyfriend is darker skinned and everyone thinks he is a dominican, so we were fine, but I've heard of other folks getting hassled because they have the flashing tourist sign above their heads haha.

I mean, they'll hassle you most places you go. Even if you're latino/latina, you will still have a flashing tourist sign. It definitely helps if you speak Spanish, but honestly you'll be fine. Puerto Plata in my opinion is a place you can venture out on the town without needing a local, unlike maybe Punta Cana where there isn't much in the local town.

Well, you know, I did take 5 years of Spanish, and aced my Spanish Regents exam.

teddygirl9 · February 2015

pinkcow13 said:

teddygirl9 said:

Oh yeah, then that's perfect. My boyfriend is darker skinned and everyone thinks he is a dominican, so we were fine, but I've heard of other folks getting hassled because they have the flashing tourist sign above their heads haha.

I mean, they'll hassle you most places you go. Even if you're latino/latina, you will still have a flashing tourist sign. It definitely helps if you speak Spanish, but honestly you'll be fine. Puerto Plata in my opinion is a place you can venture out on the town without needing a local, unlike maybe Punta Cana where there isn't much in the local town.

I find the opposite. PP is less touristy than PC. In PC they have much more catering specifically toward tourists. I think both are great, and prefer PP BECAUSE there are less tourists, I wouldn't feel comfortable walking around myself without a local. But that is personal preference, and something that OP wont have to deal with.

pinkcow13 · February 2015

teddygirl9 said:

pinkcow13 said:

teddygirl9 said:

Oh yeah, then that's perfect. My boyfriend is darker skinned and everyone thinks he is a dominican, so we were fine, but I've heard of other folks getting hassled because they have the flashing tourist sign above their heads haha.

I mean, they'll hassle you most places you go. Even if you're latino/latina, you will still have a flashing tourist sign. It definitely helps if you speak Spanish, but honestly you'll be fine. Puerto Plata in my opinion is a place you can venture out on the town without needing a local, unlike maybe Punta Cana where there isn't much in the local town.

I find the opposite. PP is less touristy than PC. In PC they have much more catering specifically toward tourists. I think both are great, and prefer PP BECAUSE there are less tourists, I wouldn't feel comfortable walking around myself without a local. But that is personal preference, and something that OP wont have to deal with.

Yea I get you. I also prefer PP over PC. The thing with PC is that you have no choice but to stay in the resorts, unless you book excursions. There is really no leaving the resort there, you can't just walk off the property and decide to get a drink or meal in the town. And that is what kinda annoys me about PC. Sometimes it's nice to leave the resort and just walk around the town. The beaches there, though, are GORGEOUS.

It definitely is personal preference. The last time FI and I went to Cabarete, we spent much of the time either at the beach bars, where tourists hung out, but we also hung out in the town. It was a different experience and a ton of fun, but it is definitely a matter of personal preference.

Has anyone been to Puerto Plata, DR?

Re: Has anyone been to Puerto Plata, DR?

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