Best of Cabarete

i thought it would be good to put together a "best of..." list for us to remember after the fact but also for those readers who are looking to spend some time in cabarete and some other spots here in the DR.

best happy hour spot: eZe cafe! this is a place on cabarete beach, run by a friendly couple, serving great drinks and good nibbles. the music here is always excellent and the restaurant/bar itself is one of the better designed places in cabarete. some day we'll actually hang out in the hammocks on the beach in front of this place that are strung between palm trees. in the meantime, we'll just continue to enjoy their caiprinhas and barflys.

best breakfast: claro! the food here is always fantastic. sandy, our friend who runs it, always makes you feel welcome. while not on the beach, the garden like atmosphere here is very pleasant. if you're feeling like you want to be healthy, get the yoghurt, granola, and fruit salad. it is truly one of the best i have ever had. claro's is off the beaten path and is a spot where many local expats go to. it's located next to the casa blanca hotel and up from el magnifico on the east end of cabarete.

best lunch: eZe cafe! yes, they win in another category! have the blue birds salad or a burger. definitely have a smoothie. and if you need a jolt, their coffee is excellent as well.

best italian restaurant (pasta): toma la luna! they have great pastas and excellent antipasto! a bit on the higher end price wise for cabarete, this is a place to go to celebrate something or to impress the parents. this spot can be hard to find for those not in the know. located down a small street and next to the velero beach resort, this place is run by a sicilian chef and his dutch wife. they also own marabu, which possibly ties with toma la luna in this category.

best pizza: pomodoro! excellent thin crust pizza served right on the beach. they have a new pasta making machine and have now added pastas to their menu. their ravoli is pretty darn good as well! the wine by the glass isn't bad here either.

best german restaurant: bayershof! prior to coming here, i had not eaten much german. i do not think i could name a german restaurant in boston. well, the germans were one of the first expat groups to start settling here. as a result, there is a fair amount of german food, but this restaurant is the best. they serve excellent schnitzel - very much like the hunter style. their location at first, seems undesirable - down a dirt road a little past the turn off to el callejon. however, in the end, it is a nice break from the beach and especially the noisy road.

best steak: ali's surf camp! the churrasco steak is to die for! this steak is so tender. gotta love the baked potatoes and sour cream. it's a bit of a heart attack meal, but every once in a while, it is a nice treat. also like the palapa style interior - has that tropical island feeling. supposedly they have sushi here on saturday nights that is rumored to be quite good. perhaps one day we'll get our nerve up for that. i think you need to make reservations for the sushi night. ali's is tucked away in the pro-cab neighborhood of cabarete.

best mamajuana: ali's surf camp! this is the local after-dinner apertif made out of wine, rum, honey soaked in some special wood chips. lots of places give you a free shot of mamajuana after dinner. i think ali's is the best.

best chinese: restaurant china! i have to be honest and say that i know of only one chinese restaurant here. nonetheless, the food there is pretty good, when you consider that we are on an island in the caribbean that does not contain many chinese people. this place is right on the main road in the center of cabarete. it looks like it could be unsanitary, but is fine! go for the chicken chop suey. another bonus is that it is SUPER cheap!

best dominican restaurant: el tigre! i have written about this place several times before. this is where you go when you want a huge, tasty meal for less than $3.00. it's authentic as it is in the heart of cabarete's dominican neighborhood, el callejon. the woman who runs the place is very friendly and knows how to make a good meal. definitely have the arepita de yucca as an app and the pollo guisado for a main course. her mamajuana is pretty good too.

best bakery: dick's! of course! where else? excellent breads, croissants, and other pastries made fresh daily. (but could you please add muffins to your selection?) dick's is on the main road in cabarete near to the Orange shop and Friend's cafe. ignore all the flies and you'll be very happy here as you watch the world go by.

best sandwich: the kiter sandwich at Friend's cafe! this is a chicken sandwich with curry mayonnaise served on a toasted panini style bread. delicious! we only discovered this sandwich a few months ago, but boy does it rock. Friend's is next to Dick's.

best free internet connection: extreme hotel bar! there's actually a lot of good things about this place aside from the fact that you can plop down with your laptop, while directly facing the ocean and the daredevil kiters out on kite beach. this is a good place to go to for a cheap presidente and chips and salsa. hardly anyone here serves chips and salsa for some reason. theirs is nothing to write home about, but beggars cannot be choosers here on the island.

best bar: lax! while eZe is a more relaxed place, lax is the place where more goes on after dark. this place provides that beach bar atmosphere that you look for when on an island. on the weekends, the DJ spins some excellent music. they serve decent food and drinks (the pitchers are a good thing when made by the right bartender.) the PPP special is a good one - a pizza, pasta, and pitcher. definitely try the lax pizza - pineapple, banana, and curry. yum!

best sunset cocktail spot: on the waterfront restaurant! this is in sosua. the place is a bit rundown, but the view makes up for it. the sun sets across sosua bay with mt isabel de torres in the background. once it is dark, the lights of puerto plata come into sight. but hightail it out of sosua before the seedy hours really rev up!

best surf school: 321takeoff! i only took a few lessons there, but they were good. i think they were the original surf school down at encuentro. they'll give a good deal on board rentals to locals.

best tour operator: iguana mama! the oldest in cabarete. you'll pay a bit more to go with them, but the service is better. less people per tour, so you don't feel so much like cattle. this business recently changed hands, so hopefully it will remain the same. go on the damajagua cascading trip! exhilarating and strenuous! hope that junior is your tour guide. iguana mama is right on the main road in cabarete across from the scotia bank.

best beach (within a short drive): playa grande! located in rio san juan, about 45 minutes from cabarete, this is a white sand beach with turquoise blue waters. sometimes waves, and big ones at that. we've discovered that when it is not windy, it is best to sit on the western end of the beach, reachable via a dirt road. (playa caleton is a gem of a beach out there too.)

best beach (island-wide): playa bonita, las terrenas! this might win not only because of the gorgeous turquoise blue waters and white sand, but also because of the quaint hotels and restaurants along the sandy road here. be sure to have lunch at casa grande there.

best hotel (Cabarete): el magnifico! these are condos run as a hotel. this is where we stayed when we came on that fateful vacation here. the grounds here are beautifully designed with lots of plants. the condos are spacious (except for the studios) and have different styles, depending on the building in which they are in. if you stay for a week, you can choose the unit you want. go for the penthouse unit in bldg #5 or one of the others with ocean view.

best villa: seahorse ranch #83. holy cow, if only this could be our house! among its many defining features, the most compelling are its balinese style design and a living room that is completely open and without doors to the backyard and teak deck pool area. you can just freely walk in and out of the house. i love the use of the mexican terra cotta tiles and just the tones in general in here. all of this makes up for the fact that this home is not on the ocean (but within walking distance). ocean schmocean. i'd gladly take this place....for a mere $1.5 million though, mind you. you can rent it for some crazy rate like $2000/night. take a look at this villa: http://www.sea-horse-ranch.com/eng/rentals_view.php?id=72

best hotel (not in Cabarete): bahia las ballenas (las terranas)! this was the hotel that we stayed at with fiona when we were in las terrenas for the first time. great rooms with colorful designs. fun showers in bathrooms where you can see the stars, as there is no roof. the pool area is also nicely designed and a great place to hang when you feel too lazy to go to the beautiful playa bonita beach that is right in front of the hotel. i could have stayed here for years.

best bar (not in Cabarete): el mosquito bar (las terrenas)! i've written enough about this place before. just go there. you'll see.