Trip to Sousa, Cabarete for househunting from STI

Welcome to the forums. I will suggest not buying right away. It appears you have not been to these areas before. You are much better off renting for 6 to 12 months first. You don't want to buy, find its not quite right for you, and be stuck with your purchase.

Renting a vehicle and driving in the middle of the night is not recommended. The road is not great and if you have not driven it before middle of the night is asking for trouble. Pay for a taxi, get there safely!

Others will chime in about the areas!

As stated by Planner, renting for awhile is recommended. My wife and I have been doing that for about a year and a half (moved here from Tampa). We started off in the Punta Cana/Bavaro area for a few months then went to Juan Dolio (south coast close to capital), then in February moved to the north coast (Sosua). All areas have their pros/cons. Each area different than the other. Even on the north coast many different communities (vastly different in price and amenities). We've spent a lot of time exploring from Puerto Plata to Cabarete and probably only saw a small sample of the communities.  Take some time to look around before you buy. Always remember there may be a lot of room on asking prices.

As far as driving at night from STI to Sosua/Cabarete - I strongly suggest you do not make this drive. The shortest route is through the mountains, no lighting, hairpin turns, pot holes and tons of pot holes (not an easy ride even in the day. Other route not much better when it comes to night driving. If you have to fly into/out of STI  use a taxi.  It will be costly but you should arrive safely.

Be careful on agents (they are not licensed here). Rely on referrals not what you see posted by "agents". Best deals come through word of mouth.

Lots of expats in the north coast - the most we've found in our journey. Lots of places to meet up at for coffee and or drinks.

Good luck, will follow this thread and see if there's anything else I can add.

jgolac & his wife are two of the people that I mentiond, Very, very good people, & there are many others. Take your time & use the three "Ls".  Look, Listen, Learn. After being here for a spell, you will see the areas that you may look into.  We know people who jumped too quickly & are learning that patience & a sense of humor will take you far.  When are you planning to visit this tropical isle?  Read the diffeent threads & many questions will be answered.  Any particular reason for STI airport?  A taxi will run about $100 U.S..

Hi,

You can take an Uber from Santiago to Sosua but not from Sosua to Santiago because it isn't available in Sosua/Cabarete. You may wait a little for a driver willing to get this long ride to appear but it is definitely more secure than driving yourself and less expensive than taking a taxi. If you prefer a taxi, the rate is normally around 150USD.

Real estate agents here represent both the seller and buyer, not like in the States. The commission they get in Sosua/Cabarete is 10%. So if you decide to do homehunting on your own, that gives you some room for discount negotiation with the developers directly.

Most real estate developments offer Fly&Buy programs (Casa Linda is one of them). You don't pay for accommodation and/or airfare or they applied as a discount to the property price, if you sign a promise of sale.

There is one nice place in Sosua, called Margot restaurant where you can find many expats, then there are more Canadian places like Jolly Roger, Britania Pub, etc.

Hey guys. Why not fly into Puerto Plata, it's much closer to your house hunting location.  Anyway, talk to "Taylor made dreams" from YouTube.  He's an expat with a wealth of information. He'll point you in the right direction as far as realtors are concerned.   Go on YouTube and watch a few of his older videos. And good luck.  Tell him "quad comparator" sent ya.

I private messaged you.

There are several things ...... You never buy quickly anywhere where u do not the the Territory ( THERE ARE MANY UNSAFE FOR EXPATS  ) .... You need to get to know locals that u may consider buying in and trusted realtors ( there are few )  you need min 1 year of renting to see if u like the lifestyle and area that you are in .... On another note You can take a bus from Sosua ( almost ever hour that would take you Santiago when you leave ( last one is 10 or 11 pm  taking about 1-5 to 2 hours if traffic is light ).  Arriving i. The early morning no bus however you can take a trusted Taxi ( you need a connection for this ) check dr1.com website..... Dont make an Adventure or new life a NIGHTMARE  CAUTION AND COMMONSENSE  are essential to this .... PUERTO PLATA ( Pop) better if u could land there as it is just 30 min to Sosua and 1 hour to Cabarete.

EVERYTHING CABARETE And COCONUT TELEGRAPH     WEBSITE WOULD BE another EXCELLENT  PLACE TO GET TRAVEL AND HOUSE HUNTING POINTERS ! You need excellent lawyer ( YUAN PERDOMO in Sosua to ensure legalities of properties ( take no agents word , do your homework!!!)

THere is a small hotel in Cabarete called the Casa Blanca Hotel. The owner is Canadian and a Real Estate agent. Seems to be a good guy.......but I have no other dealings with him except to rent a room form him...

thanks so much for all the great information.  STI is the only direct flight I can find in Florida.  If we fly out of Tampa we need to go to New York or San Juan to get into Puerto Plata.  We are using Amex membership miles for our trip.
We are planning on coming in November.
Will keep everyone updated.
So excited

Wimbleton wrote:

There are several things ...... You never buy quickly anywhere where u do not the the Territory ( THERE ARE MANY UNSAFE FOR EXPATS  ) .... You need to get to know locals that u may consider buying in and trusted realtors ( there are few )  you need min 1 year of renting to see if u like the lifestyle and area that you are in .... On another note You can take a bus from Sosua ( almost ever hour that would take you Santiago when you leave ( last one is 10 or 11 pm  taking about 1-5 to 2 hours if traffic is light ).  Arriving i. The early morning no bus however you can take a trusted Taxi ( you need a connection for this ) check dr1.com website..... Dont make an Adventure or new life a NIGHTMARE  CAUTION AND COMMONSENSE  are essential to this .... PUERTO PLATA ( Pop) better if u could land there as it is just 30 min to Sosua and 1 hour to Cabarete.

I'm sorry, Wimbleton. But there are no buses at 10, 11PM from Sosua to Santiago. The last Caribe Tours bus leaves at 6.20 PM. Besides, the distance between Sosua and the POP Airport is about 15 minutes and another 20 minutes more to get to Cabarete.

AnellyM wrote:

thanks so much for all the great information.  STI is the only direct flight I can find in Florida.  If we fly out of Tampa we need to go to New York or San Juan to get into Puerto Plata.  We are using Amex membership miles for our trip.
We are planning on coming in November.
Will keep everyone updated.
So excited

There are daily direct flights from Miami to Puerto Plata performed by American Airlines and also by Iberia, British Airways. November is the beginning of the high season so there should be more options available.

I wondered why it costs so much more to fly to POP than STI. Then I looked at the POP website and saw they only have 10 gates, and can only handle 3 large planes at a time.

How are those of you from the U.S. planning your flights in and out of the Dominican?  (for the north coast)

STI shows several incoming flights from New York, one from Newark, and only 1 from Miami. Tough sledding from the midwest....

That is the toughest part of living on the north coast.  Few flights out of Puerto Plata,  and expensive.  More out of Santiago and cheaper,  but a pain to use the airport if you live in Sosua or Cabarete.  Hope more options come to the Puerto Plata airport.

POP is a lot more expensive than STI.

We have two plans. Done one twice, trying the other in January.

#1 we are in Indiana. Indianapolis to Fort Lauderdale via Allegiant. Spend the night. Next morning, Jet Blue to STI. Reverse back. We have done this twice. Allegiant charges for carry on, JB does not.

#2 South West to Fort Lauderdale. Spend the night. American from Miami to STI, reverse back. Trying in January 2019. Neither SW or American charge for carry on.

Flights are quick. Florida is a great layover. We are lucky and have a car in Santiago and can drive to Sosua. We lose a bit of time in our beloved Sosua, but we save at least one ticket worth of money. And, you can use credit card points for the Florida hotel nights.

ChristieE - thanks for the detailed info. That is exactly what I had come up with on paper. Allegiant to Ft. Lauderdale, Jet Blue to STI.
Saves a bunch of money, but then I still have to get myself, wife, and son from STI to Cabrera or whatever our north coast destination ends up being. I've seen cab fare estimates on here from $100 to $150.
Looks like a choice between save some money, or get there with less hassles.

Mark and Al: You can do a one-way rental or a taxi from STI to POP...from there you can get a longer-term car rental from a couple of sources. PM me if you are interested.  Good new...with a grain of salt as always...is that Cabrera might get a small general aviation airport and/or a private airport for the swanky resort at Playa Grande. Maybe there will be little commuter flights...maybe we will offer them to/from Cabrera...so far proximity to airports is the greatest detractor for Cabrera...but, then that's how it's remained off the radar more...trade offs.

The ride really isn't too bad. It also allows for a stop at the Jumbo in Puerto Plata to stock up before you get to Sosua. And, there is a great quipe/empanadas place in Puerto Plata too.  Check Eduartaxi on FB. I hear he is reliable and offers good rates. Depending on when you get in, the bus is not a horrible option. At least for one way. It is nice, cheap and comfortable. Not sure if it goes to Cabrera. But it would shorten your taxi ride.

Flights to STI can be a good option if the arrival and departure time is during the day. Metro Tours and Caribe Tours Buses that go from Santiago to Sosua are really cheap (about 5 USD) and comfortable.

And freezing cold!!!!

Yes, lots of A/C & not so new movies, but very comfortable way to make the trip.

Talking about flights to POP, there are some good news. Allegiant Air will perform a direct weekly Friday flight from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to POP starting from this month.

Also the low cost carrier Jetairfly is now connecting Brussels in Belgium with Puerto Plata on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Aerodom-Vinci, the airport management company, announces that coming soon is a direct flight from POP to Warsaw, the capital of Poland, bringing thousands of European tourists from northern Europe.

Interesting. I'll have to see if flying from STL to Pittsburgh for a direct flight to POP makes sense.
I'm really struggling with the transportation details of getting to the North Coast for a vacation\retirement research trip.
My wife is pushing me to go the easy way and just go back to Cancun or Riviera Maya again. Cheaper and easier, but all I think about anymore is getting to the DR to see if we can end up there on a permanent or semi permanent basis.

That Allegiant flight is through Apple Vacations, a charter flight tied to package vacation booking. I don't believe it is a flight just anyone can take.

As an example, flying from Indy to POP 4/17-4/25 is $1,125 pp. Indy to STI is $846 pp. Ft. Lauderdale to STI is $360 pp. Getting to FLL on Allegiant is less than $100.

I think it depends on if your are vacationing or visiting or making a trip back and forth to another home. Your goals are different in regards to time utilization, transportation, logistics.

That Allegiant/Apple hook up will be good for vacation destination property owners but it really won't benefit others right away.