Where have you stayed in Dominican republic

[rocktor]

I am looking for a kite trip to get out of this cold east coast weather with my girlfriend. I am thinking about booking an all inclusive vacation to the DR. There are so many options on the internet so I am not sure where to stay. Help me out folks. I am basically looking for flat water kiting.
Thanks.

[yojimbo]

Stayed at this place http://www.naturacabana.com/

Not really near Kite Beach, or downtown Cabarete.

I highly recommend if you are looking for high-end eco-tourist chic lodgings. Rented a motorbike to get back and forth from this place to Kite Beach. They offer yoga classes, massages and what not.

Kite Beach is all flat water kiting inside the reef, and wave riding on the outside. There is a bay nearby that has even more flat water. Tons of much lower cost lodging available on and around Kite Beach.

Enjoy.

[Toby]

Cabarete is a great place. Good kiting if the wind is up (best time in summer though).
Surfing, SUP, and great dining, some nightlife.

Good all inclusive resort is the Viva Wyndham.

[rocktor]

Thanks guys. Where else other than Cabarete? How about Punta Cana? What good hotels/resorts are close to a kite spot? Did you say now is not a good time for DR in terms of wind?

[deniska]

Cabarete is the place for wind in DR. Summer is the best time, but now should not be bad either. I was there last year from Feb 10 through Mar 10 and got 25 kiting days out of 30.
My advise is not to go all inclusive.
Check out places like Millennium, Ultravioleta. All brand new, ultralux hotel/condos. There are plenty of dining options 5-10min away, and also decent nightlife.. Not as crowded as Wydham and much more exclusive. Needless to say, you can rig your kite just 50ft away from your room
There is also Seawinds, Watermark and many less fancy but good places, to fit any budget.

[Toby]

after February Cabarete will be cheaper...pretty booked out until then.

Wind is best in Cabarete, due to thermal effects. Punta Cana and Samana area has nicer water colors, but the wind is not as good.

Cabarete has the best winds during summer June/July.

This winter is really bad. Lots of rain in Feb, which is unusual.

I am here since about 2 weeks and had two good wind days, and two lighter days.
Skipped two days with average 12 knots, others were riding.
And forecast is really bad...

But might get better for March.

Cabarete has very nice food...breakfast, lunch, dinner...all good and the price is ok. Great place for sure when the wind is up.

[TheJoe]

I stayed at the Millinium when I went. It is really nice and only paid 90 a night for non-view room. If you want wind you might want to look at La Vantana or Punta Chame Panama. They have better wind this time of year.

[Staatik]

Someone knows something about Buen Hombre? A place near Haiti border. Wind, life, kiting?

[fernmanus]

I would not go all inclusive if you are going to stay in Cabarete. There are no mega resorts with multiple dining options located in Cabarete. Find a hotel near Cabarete and you can walk to plenty of inexpensive and good dining options.

Unless you like staying up all night long, avoid the week of Easter. All the locals flood the beach and party until dawn.

I personally would not stay at Natura Cabana because it is a ways from kite beach. However, I can tell you that the yoga instruction and setting is the best in Cabarete.

[rocktor]

I would not go all inclusive if you are going to stay in Cabarete. There are no mega resorts with multiple dining options located in Cabarete. Find a hotel near Cabarete and you can walk to plenty of inexpensive and good dining options.

Unless you like staying up all night long, avoid the week of Easter. All the locals flood the beach and party until dawn.

I personally would not stay at Natura Cabana because it is a ways from kite beach. However, I can tell you that the yoga instruction and setting is the best in Cabarete.

Thanks fernmanus. I am leaning towards not going for an all inclusive trip. Looking at all the recommendations posted above. I will most likely book a hotel near Cabarete and dine locally as well. Highly appreciate all the input so far.
How about airlines? I see that JetBlue has direct flight from JFK. But what I am worried about is that teir website says that Checked bag dimension cannot exceed 62 inches (157.48 cm) (length+width+height) on flights to DR. So no body brings their boards when travelling to Cabarete?