República Dominicana
Cabarete
19 degrees 44'59.07 N & 70 degrees 24'40.90 W
Cabarete its located on the north coast of the Dominican Republic. Have
a look for yourself by typing the coordinates above in to Google Earth!
Cabarete twenty years ago was a very small, sleepy village on the north
coast of the Dominican Republic.
Then it was discovered by windsurfers. A beautiful bay with predictable
winds made it a spot to head for. Shortly after that kitesurfing began
to get popular on this stretch of beach. According to an article on
Wikipedia kitesurfing requires...
“...any locale with consistent, steady
side-onshore winds (10 to 35+ knots), large open bodies of water and
good launch areas are suitable for kitesurfing. Most kitesurfing takes
place along ocean shores, usually off beaches, but it can also be
practised on large lakes and inlets and occasionally on rivers. Since
kiteboarding relies heavily on favourable, consistent wind conditions,
specific geographic locations tend to become popular and sought out by
experienced kiteboarders. The Outer Banks of Cape Hatteras, North
Carolina has some of the most consistent and steady wind for
kiteboarding. This is a very popular spot for beginners to come and
learn the sport of kiteboarding.
Because of its excellent and consistent wind conditions, Cabarete Bay
in the Dominican Republic has been a popular site for World
Championships, including the PKRA (Professional Kiteboard Riders
Association) 2008 World Tour.”
One (or two) of the many attractions at the 2007 World
Cup in Cabarete
 With
increasing numbers of tourist coming for the wind, the town began to
awake. Bars were built, guest houses came and went, Presidente Beer got
cold & sold. Soon the town had lots of laid back bars, cool
restaurants and a permanent population of beach guys & girls.
As the infrastructure improved, other tourists, more 'mainstream' than
the early folk, began to flock to Cabarete. All inclusive hotels began
to open. As the Canadians and Europeans decided this was a nice place
to come in the winter, condominiums began to pop up. The Canadians in
particular began to come to escape the whole of the winter. The
'snow-birds' were flocking in to town. The last few years have been a
boom town, with hundreds of condominiums being built. Now, by late
2008, you can expect to pay around US$1,500,000 for a four bedroom,
beach front apartment.
Beach front... not cheap
You will be working hard to find even a one bedroom studio for less
than US$70,000. Hotels closed and more condominiums were built. A
different type of tourist started to come here, looking to rent an
apartment and have freedom to eat when and where they wanted, or to
stay for a longer period, such as the whole winter. As the rough edges
were smoothed off the town, even the kitesurfers who visit at peak
times look like they are a little wealthier than those trail blazers
who went before.
Now catering for a wider audience includes entertainment like the
annual Jazz Festival...
  Cabarete
Beach Jazz Festival, Nov 2008
The town is definitely changing. It has gone 'up market' and while that
will appeal to many, it will perhaps result in a loss of character for
others. As the quality of apartments increases, so does the cost of
renting one. Perhaps we will see the kitesurfers being pushed further
out of town as rich retirees from the US & Canada take over the
town centre, mixing with 'middle-class' families on their vacation?
Now is a great time to visit, as the different types of tourists can
still all mix eclectically. In a few years time, it may have changed
both for the better... and for the worse.
Main Menu Page
|
