Well, what can I say about Cabarete? In short, I'd consider it to be the perfect beach destination. There's only one all inclusive resort in the area, all other accommodations being unassuming condo buildings backed by local residences and businesses. The majority of restaurants are located along the long strip of beach, open air and just steps away from the ocean. We ate and drank with our toes in the sand every day under the shade of canopies which draped from palm to palm. This spot is popular with kite and windsurfers, and the ocean is filled with colourful kites that float like giant butterflies over the surf. I think I would find it hard to find a cooler spot than this in the D.R. It's not the most popular one, and I hope it won't ever get too developed. I like our little beach home just the way it is.
One of my favourite parts about this trip was that we got to hang out after the sun set together, on the beach, enjoying a drink and listening to live music. Sometimes it's hard to get a night out when you have a young family, and that's still true while on vacation. A booming resort evening is way too over stimulating for a two year old past their bedtime. A very quiet secluded one means you pretty much go to bed when the kids do. Sitting on bean bag chairs, playing in the sand, we were able to get our fill of the evening with happy kids who got a treat of staying up late. Luke had a non-alcoholic pina-colada in a pineapple - how great is that? Eve had many opportunities to get her hair braided. You can see her browsing the catalogue. I speak from experience, NEVER get that done. I did it in 2001 and my hair and scalp hated me for days. On the last evening of our trip we discovered that the bassist for a band we watched was from Winnipeg. A few of us got our barefoot dance on in the sand and my trip was complete. What a hidden gem this place is. I'm pretty sure we'll be back again for round 4. Sometimes you just get it right the first time, and that's ok.
If you have a question for me about this or any other trip I've shared on the blog, please tweet it to me @lunevintage , or email me at lunevintage@gmail.com . I'll share my answers on the blog in a Q & A post in the future.
