playa bonita, mosquito bar, bullfighting

we had a great time in las terrenas with sara and german. this was our second trip out to that part of the island. we stayed in the playa bonita area of las terrenas -this time at casa grande (last time at bahia las ballenas). both of these are wonderful small hotels right on the beach there. sara recommended both of these places to us. we know to follow whatever she says now because both of these hotels were great!

casa grande is on playa bonita, which is a long beach with turquoise blue waters and soft white sand and lined with palm tress. it is the quintessentially perfect beach with picture perfect views, crystal clear waters, and warm water temps. running between the beach and the many homes and small hotels here is a narrow sand/dirt road on which mostly you see quad 4x4 bikes (the defacto method of transport out there) go by occassionally. then the gardens of the homes/hotels begin. these are usually bright green lawns with tropical plants set amongst many palm trees. the home is set off to the back a bit. the result is that you have a lot of green space just off from the beach versus homes/hotels right up on it. these beautifully architected, tropical homes have large open terraces so you can see in and admire the styles in which the homes have been decorated. i would take any of a number of these homes there to be my tropical home.

las terrenas has a reputation for being a bit snobby and the people not being nice. this is so odd because both times that we have been there we have met some very friendly people. last time we met some a french couple who had moved there with their 2 kids and were doing real estate. and another couple (also from france) who had moved there from africa and were also doing real estate. they clued us in on the best restuarants to go to for fish.

speaking of fish, unlike in cabarete, there is a lot seafood to be had in las terrenas! in cabarete, finding fresh fish is like trying to find a surfer in the south end of boston. it's just not around. in las terrenas, it is all about seafood, probably because this was and still is a dominican fishing village. we've had some great seafood in las terrenas - fish, clams, ceviche, calamari - that probably came in off the boat that day.

one of the other things i love in las terrenas is that at the beach, you can get these bed-like cushions for lying on. the cushion lies flat on the sand but also as a wooden frame just for your back. you can lower the cushion fully if you want - then it is REALLY like a bed. why don't we have these in the US?

one of our favorite places in las terrenas is the el mosquito bar. this bar is located on the beach in a former wooden fishing shack. many restaurants and bars have now populated these little shacks and been turned into hip places to eat or have a drink. the decor of the mosquito bar is african safari - leopard skin pillows, zebras ashtrays, ivory colored walls with lots of dark wood. the place is probably only 300 square feet, including a wooden deck that if you fell off if it, you'd land on the sand or in the ocean.

the mosquito bar was happening on friday night as many people showed up in costumes for halloween. we also learned some bull fighting moves that night from sara and german (they are from madrid). apparently "veronica" is a bullfighting move.

i have attached a few photos - sara & german; bullfighting moves, mosquito bar, and grounds of casa grande on playa bonita.