CabareteBars & RestaurantsHotel Alegria If you walk through Cabarete on the main street, going east, just before you get to 'Janet's supermarket', turn left towards the sea. Almost as soon as you turn, turn left again. You should now be walking along an un-made road in a semi-residential area. About a hundred yards along here, on the right hand side, is the entrance to the Hotel Alegria. Blink and you've missed it, so watch carefully! If you end up on the beach, you definately walked too far! For those of a nervous disposition (and you've no need to be nervous in this area, but it may 'feel' a bit different), you may be more comfortable walking along the beach. In which case, walk all the way past Eze. Keep going towards the reef area. Past those very expensive apartments that are right on the beach front and a couple of traditional style, wooden houses. Almost directly before the reef, there is a small gate with Hotel Alegria written on it. Up a couple of steps and along a narrow path. Once at the hotel, walk 'anti-clockwise' around the hotel buildings. Ignore the dog (or fuss him) when he announces your arrival via this route. As you work your way around the building, you come in to a small 'bistro style' restaurant. A third option is to ask a local taxi driver to take you there for about RD$100! Now if all that sounds like a bit of a kerfuffle just reading about how to get there, it isn't really and when you try it, it all becomes clear. And once you sit down, you will realise why it was worth the effort to get there, as cool jazz or gentle South American music relaxes you, and a very warm welcome from Sylvia makes you feel like you belong. If the welcome you'll receive makes the little extra effort you put in to finding it worth while, that's nothing compared to the actual food! I ate here twice (not counting the breakfasts) on my January '09 trip. A decent sized steak (I like my steak!) with a blue cheese sauce was excellent and for a price that I felt was reasonable. It was cooked exactly as I'd requested it (to me "medium-rare" means I'm asking for it to still be a reddy/pink in the middle, it doesn't mean I'm saying "anything on a scale from blue through to cremated"!) I can't remember what I paid for it but I think it was around RD$550, so about £10 or US$15. That steak inspired me to return on another evening (when I'd not already had five Presidente beers!) so I could enjoy the food that bit more. On the second visit, I had the daily special, a steak kebab with shrimps, served with rice and a decorative tomato. Ignoring the tomato as an inedible piece of art, I tucked straight in to the meat. And it was good. Then I tried a shrimp. And it was good too. Mmmm... Okay, I'd perhaps have liked a few more shrimps, even if that had meant the price was a bit more, but they tasted great, offered far better value than you'd get on the beach and I certainly didn't feel hungy by the time I'd finished. I'd highly recommend that you stray away from the beach at least once during your visit to Cabarete... even if you are only there for the weekend, because 'yes' it is that good. Non-beach places review menu below. Some images required. Click on text for links.
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