Cabarete Beach, Dominican Republic

Cabarete is a small, laid-back Caribbean beach village located only 20 minutes away from the Puerto Plata International Airport on the northern shore of the Dominican Republic. It's a perfect tropical vacation spot, especially for the young traveler seeking fun, new friends and sporting adventures. With its charming, hip ambience and a combination of relaxed and adventurous lifestyles, most visitors can barely resist the spontaneous temptation of extending their stay and just hang around the place for another while.

The village is spread out across the center of a gorgeous, semi-circular beach of golden, sun-soaked, sand. Just behind, limiting its size lies a tranquil lagoon, backed up by richly verdant hills overflowing with luxurious tropical vegetation.

The perfect blend of the surrounding physical elements of nature such as the location of the offshore reef at the entrance of the bay, the direction from which the trade winds usually blow, and the low-lying hills behind the village, which cause a unique thermal effect, form a beautiful layout. They create an unusual synthesis of outstanding wind and wave conditions. These make Cabarete's bay an exceptional location not only for water-sports such as kiteboarding and windsurfing, but for regular surfing at El Encuentro beach as well.

Surfing at Encuentro in Cabarete, Dominican Republic

It's also the perfect place to just lay back to work on that perfect tan. It's the best thing to do when you're not out gliding over warm Caribbean waters, or participating in some other fun adventure sport such as mountain-biking, scuba-diving, wakeboarding, cave exploring or canyoning.

Another great alternative to pass time is chilling out in your swimwear while sipping a cool Piña Colada or sampling the great local Presidente beer at one of Cabarete's beach-bars. Time goes by quickly when casually mingling with the locals or other interesting international travelers from every corner of the globe.

Party in Cabarete, Dominican Republic

The beachfront also hosts several restaurants, which serve diverse menus. Tasty dishes of both local and international cuisine are available at very reasonable prices. Diners can choose from a wide selection of dishes, including fresh, delicious seafood such as dorado, lobster or shrimp, or - for a change of pace - the Dominican specialty of Creole chicken with rice and beans.
Many young-at-heart vacationers play hard at night in Cabarete, partying late until the wee hours of morning. Most beach bars are really cool places to just hang around and put down a few Cuba Libres before hitting the sack, since the locally brewed rums are quite high quality.

Those with lots of energy who want to swing the night away to the dynamic sounds of Latino-flavored and local music should never forget that this is the land of Merengue. The dance floor is always jam-packed, especially just after midnight, with both locals and visitors showing off their stuff or just learning how to master the steps of both Meringue and the occasional Bachata or Salsa. Bars also throw in some modern techno-music every now and again for variety.

Visit ActiveCabarete.com for more info about Cabarete.