Langostinos a la Papi

The little beach town of Cabarete is an unspoiled gem. It doesn't get the massive amount of tourists that flood into Punta Cana or some of the other resorts towns. However, it's just as beautiful. For the most part, Cabarete is free of major developments and maintains a local vibe (have the recession to thank/blame for that). There is one large hotel further up the beach and some of the bars can get a bit noisy... however, if you want to experience a relaxing Dominican beach town with local flavor, Cabarete is the place to go.

On this particular evening, I got a tip about a little seafood restaurant that specialized in langostinos and camarónes: La Casita De Dom Alfredo Papi. I was warned that the prices would be a bit high and it's the one place that will be filled with tourists... however, the langostinos a la Papi were supposed to be "to die for". Plus, the ambiance of eating on a beach (during winter) with the sand in your toes was worth a few extra dollars. My parents and I decided to give Papis a try. The food was great and the service was extremely slow (which was perfect since we had no where to go!)... got to enjoy our surroundings all evening.

(sorry, the langostinos were gone before I could take a photo)

Life After People

Just next to the condo I was staying at in the Dominican was this giant abandoned property. Walking around it made me feel like I was in one of those post-apocalyptic sci-fi movies... kind of expected zombies to jump out from one of the rooms.

After asking a few locals, I figured out that this building was meant to be a plastic surgery hospital. Apparently, millions of dollars were invested in this project... and the engineers in charge of it decided that they liked money more than building things. Therefore, before the project was even halfway finished, they bailed with the money and were never seen again. The abandoned building has now been sitting here for over 5 years. According to the locals, it has found a second life as a sanctuary for homeless people and drug addicts. 

Fresh Fruit While You Wait

If I had not been in the midst of drinking an ice cold Presidente, I might have enjoyed some fresh fruit juice from one of the women balancing baskets on their head. They were not successful selling to me this afternoon, but the business seemed to be thriving with the other tourists on the beach. 

"Ice Cold" Presidentes

In the Dominican, when they say that the beer is "ice cold", they literally mean it... the beer is kept buried in ice and is served just above freezing temperatures. It's a great refreshment after spending an afternoon in the hot caribbean sun. 

"Widescreen Views" at Playa Encuentro

The widescreen views at Chez Arsenio Restaurant in Playa Encuentro are much better than the widescreen televisions at most bars in the US... the programming is much better as well. 

Playa Encuentro - Surfing "The Left"

These photos give the illusion that I kind of know how to surf.
Photos taken by a local photographer in the Dominican Republic. This is the end section of "The Left" at Playa Encuentro. I had just come out of a hollow section and was cutting back to the curl.

La Playa

The beautiful beach of Playa Encuentro... in front of the Hideaway Beach Resort.

Playa Encuentro - "The Right"

Looking further down the beach on Playa Encuentro at a spot referred to as "The Right". Can anyone guess how this spot got its name? This wave was "bowly" and offered an occasional barrel... but mostly the kids liked to launch airs on the many ramps. It was a lot of fun (but no airs for me). The only issue with this wave was that there was a constant rip pushing you away from the peak. You had to constantly paddle to stay in position.

Playa Encuentro - "The Left"

Just in front of the resort I stayed at in the Dominican Republic was Playa Encuentro. Playa Encuentro is a beautiful and quiet beach on the northern coast of the island... and it just happens to have one of the  best waves in the Dominican. Most people I spoke with referred to it as "The Left". There was another wave further down the beach referred to as "The Right" (They're not very creative with wave names in the Dominican). The wave starts with a steep/hollow takeoff and is followed a fast/long wall. On the best sets, you could get rides up to 200m long. The bottom seemed to be a mixture of sharp coral and rocks (which I was lucky enough to not come into contact with even though I had some pretty epic wipe outs). This was definitely one of the most fun waves I've surfed in a long time!... and this is how I spent my Thanksgiving (have much to be grateful for!)

Hideaway Beach Resort - Dominican Republic

Hideaway Beach Resort - the grounds

When I first started looking for a place to go during the Thanksgiving Holiday, I did a google search for "best place to surf November". A lot of the options were far away (Fiji, Morocco, Indonesia) or during the midst of their cold season (France, Northern California, Ireland). However, one search result I kept coming across was Puerto Rico. I had already been there and had a good time... but many of the breaks were rather crowded. Therefore, I wanted to try something different and I knew that the Dominican Republic picked up the same swell as Puerto Rico. I did a bit of research on the various surf spots on the north side of the island and found a little condo resort on the beach that looked nice: Hideaway Beach Resort. I wasn't too sure where it was (google maps had it in the wrong location), but I thought it was relatively close to one of the surf spots: Playa Encuentro.

I arrived at the resort very late at night (took about 20 hours of total travel time to get there from Santa Barbara) and could hear the surf pounding in the background. After getting the luggage in the room, I almost immediately passed out... and when I woke up the next morning, this is what I saw!! (see 2nd picture) I really couldn't have gotten more lucky... the resort was literally right in front of one of the best waves on the Dominican coast.

The resort itself was very nice... beautiful surroundings, good food, and friendly people. However, the only issue is that the power would occasionally go out and the sink in my bathroom kind of exploded and almost flooded the condo... but these are the kind of things you expect when traveling in the Dominican. You just have to accept them and think of it as part of the adventure!

View from the condo... looking at one of the best waves on the Dominican Coast.

Careful for the coconuts!

I loved the texture on that tree

The resort pool and the bar/restaurant. Serving ice cold Presidentes all day! (and they had some decent wines as well).