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| Caribbean Property Magazine Home / August 2010 / 'Caribbean Gems : Sybarite Guide to DR Beaches, Pt 3' | SEND THIS PAGE TO A FRIEND  |
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A U G U S T
 2 0 1 0 Issue 43
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| CARIBBEAN GEMS : SYBARITE GUIDE TO DR BEACHES, PT. 3 By: Guitze M. Messina We have taken a nice tour on the most visited beaches of the Dominican Republic, we are now going to take a look at a region with enormous potential for its diversity and natural beauty: The south west of the Dominican Republic. To have a great feel for the best beaches in the south of the island we need to start early in the day and head out to Bani from Santo Domingo. This region is not as famous because the beaches have different types of sand from grey to black to pearl white and because until very recently the roads where not as good as the ones to Samana and Punta Cana. The new road being completed will make it a very pleasant and fast trip where we will make different stops to enjoy the authentic flavor of the region before we arrive at the different beaches that we want to visit. We will make our first stop right on the main road in the small town of Paya famous for its Dulce de Leche¨or milk candy, but to me it is really more of a desert that is out of this world with the consistency of a pudding or flan. There are two places where we can stop depending on where the crowds are: Las Marias or Las 3 Rosas, they are both great and you will find many tourists in one or the other, Las 3 Rosas is closer when you are coming from Santo Domingo and most of the time it has less people. Delicacies that a sybarite must try: 1) A bar of plain Dulce de leche, it is soft creamy and easy to enjoy since it does not have too much sugar. This is the typical desert of the zone and it is what started its fame. 2) Fig-filled with Dulce de leche: If you are on a diet, try one and give the rest away since the temptation is just too great. But if you are lucky like me and can eat 5 or 6, you will remember my recommendation with every bite. This is a great combination of a natural desert with the creamy texture of the Dulce de leche, simply to die for. 3) Leche con coco: This is the most decadent of all 3 and the last to be invented, but it is almost an ice cream with lots of coconut chunks in it. I am sure that you will love it and think of a thousand other things to accompany it (apple pie, cheese cake, etc.) but the speed at which you will finish it all will kill any idea that had a chance to be experimented. After some experimentation and some great conversation about how wise you were to stop and try these, buy some extra for the remaining of the trip. Once in Paya you need to continue to Salinas a very small fishing village located close by the Naval Base in Matanzas bay. Before we arrive in Salinas we will find a small town called ¨Quija Quieta - literally translated into Still Jaw. This must be because some funny guy was sarcastic since the people of Quija Quieta never stop chewing something, and shortly you will know why. The small road into Salinas will have many signs and vendors along the road, you can stop anytime and buy some great fruits (mangos and cashews are fantastic in this area). We will look for the sign on the left of the road that says Quija Quieta and stop right in between the two speed bumps where they sell the best corn on the cob in the world. Dominican corn has a very different characteristic than South American or US corn. It has a small bid and it is not sweet and they prepare it in a very particular way. Once the corn is boiled, they have another pot with salt water where they submerge the warm corn to get salty. They do not boil the corn in salted water as it would get hardened by it, tricks of the trade I guess, but I always have a couple of cobs of this delicious treat before I arrive at Salinas. If you like corn products they have many other treats to try, but nothing beats the corn and while you are standing in the warm sun next to the road enjoying your cob, ask for a cold coconut with a straw, just the perfect combination. THE MOST AMAZING SAND DUNES IN THE CARIBBEAN. THE DUNES OF BANI ARE A NATIONAL PATRIMONEY AND MAKE YOU THINK THAT YOU ARE IN A DESERT When you resume your trip within 10 minutes you will see at both sides of the road, the most amazing sand dunes in the Caribbean. The dunes of Bani are a national patrimony and it makes you think that you are in a desert. This area of the south is very dry and has a very low yearly rainfall, but the dunes are just incredible, stop and walk over them, admire them, take some pictures and caress the very fine sand. We must continue with our journey and we should be arriving to Hotel Las Salinas a couple of hours before lunch. This is a small hotel and the only place with accommodations in the area, but they have many of the requirements that we will need to enjoy Salinas to the max. Take a seat in the grassy area next to the beach and just enjoy the view of the bay and the warm breeze. The sand is gray and the water crystal clear, the reason is that the darkest the sand the clearer the water. If you enjoy scuba and fishing Salinas is the place for you. I happen to know the area well since most of my weekends where spent at a small beach house that my parents owned just steps away from the location of the hotel. My father went fishing all night long and always came back with tons of fresh fish and great stories. His fishing counterpart was a famous fisherman that still lives in Salinas called Gallo Loco by all of his friends. I like fishing but not so much as to spend all night at it, but at the hotel you can rent a boat and fish all you want, I rather rent it to see another beach close by. After you spend an hour or so at the beach of the hotel, rent a boat to go to playa ¨El Derrumbao¨, which translates as the drop off, since it has a very steep decline between the beach and the water.This beach is not easily accessed and a boat is the best way. The beauty of being all alone with just a boat, some sand dunes and some vegetation proper of the dry areas of the island is a super treat.You will get tired quickly since you have to keep afloat all the time, so if you are there with kids you will need floating aides and it would be better to tie them to the boat so they cannot go far.There are no heavy waves or tides, but it is always good to keep it safe in a very lonely place. After you have enjoyed your natural solitude, get back into the boat and go back to the hotel for a great meal. I highly recommend the conk in vinaigrette and a fresh fish fillet always with a cold Presidente beer and with your feet touching the grass at the beach. This is the only beach restaurant that has a grassy area just before the beach, and I just love the feeling on my feet and so will you. For dessert I hope you kept some of your treats from Paya and share them with your friends. Then just sit at one of the chaise longs and take a great nap. If you love to have a nap with your feet in the water, this is the place to do it, remember this is true beach freedom at its best. I have never stayed at this hotel overnight, and since we want to go to Palmar de Ocoa, I truly recommend to rent a villa there and spend a night or two in Palmar. Most of the rich families in Santo Domingo have a villa here or know someone who owns one. So speak to your DR friends or with a realtor and rent one right in front of the ocean. The morning views and the sunsets are to die for since the sun sets right in front of the bay. Palmar as locals call it, is quiet, different and non-pretentious. There are no resorts and no developments, only people with great taste who got a piece of beach front property and developed beautiful homes with superb views and amenities. If you can rent a boat or jet sky do not miss the opportunity to take a look at the great houses from the ocean, especially in the morning when the sun is not so strong. If not just walk along the beach and enjoy the views.
When you are hungry go to town and buy freshly caught fish or lobster and hire one of the fisherman’s wives to cook it for you, as naturally as possible, since these where caught hours or minutes ago. After a day or two in wonderful Palmar de Ocoa, we are ready to resume our trip to Barahona, a frontier estate and almost forgotten, with its slow pace and great natural attractions you will wonder why it has taken so long for people to appreciate all of this beauty. |
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| We will start to take a small detour at a place called ¨El Polo¨ its translation would The Pole, this place has become famous since it has an optical illusion, where you leave your car in neutral and i would go ¨uphill¨ yes this is not a typo, the car would move against gravity. I am sure you will not be alone at this place as daily dozens of curious people stop by to see if this is true. It’s fu and even in youtube.com you find videos of this phenomenon. Unless you are traveling with a DR friend or with a guide it would be difficult to notice that along the road there are many places where the rocks have drawings made by the aborigines back in the 1400s to 1500s. These are truly amazing and if you are lucky enough to see some guys climbing a mountain next to the road, stop by since they are certainly looking at these drawings. As we continue our trip we will find that the natural scenery turns out to be really dry and almost deserted, but in the middle of these dry lands we find a ¨natural oasis¨ called El Hoyo de Pelempito.This is truly a whole of green pastures and low temperatures, a natural phenomenon not present anywhere else in the world and now a national park. Pelempito has great flora and fauna only found in this specific place. It is certainly worth a small detour for an hour or two before we arrive at the town of Barahona. The cooler temperature alone will be worth your while; the natural beauty is a great plus. When you arrive at the town of Barahona, you will need to travel 15 minutes away from town to arrive at hotel Casa Bonita www.casabonitadr.com <http://www.casabonitadr.com> one of the small luxury hotels of the world and a true gem for its location, its service and amenities. From a great body massage, superb cooking and splendid views with a natural décor, here you can count on being relaxed and it will be very difficult for you to come up with the strength to leave. The rooms are nicely decorated and the hotel is located away from the ocean into the forest, but with superb views from the top of the mountains into the blue bay. After you have rested all your traveling pains away, take some time to enjoy the place and its surroundings since I have two great adventures still to come. THE “POSA DE LA FALICIDAD” …A VERY MAGICAL PLACE ONLY KNOWN BY LOCALS, SINCE IT’S A RIVER THAT FLOWS WITH UNDERGROUND WATER SO CLEAR IT LOOKS ALMOST BLUE Adventure one, ask the people that serve you at the hotel how to get to the ¨Posa de la Felicidad¨ this is a very magical place only known by some locals, since it is a river that flows with underground water that is so clear that it looks almost blue. The water is refrigerator cold, but with the high humidity and heat some great DR rum and some valor you will feel in heaven. The natural pool is formed with some trees that were torn down by a hurricane and the water becomes about chest deep. The current is not very strong and the trees are gigantic. This is one of those times in life when you say, wow I am a lucky guy and like I said at the beginning of the first article, this is the real life my friends, there is a cheaper one, but that is no life at all……… Enjoy every minute at the pool of happiness which is a close translation of this place. After a couple of hours you will not be able to resist the cold water and your appetite will make your stomach guide you. As you depart take some pictures and take the moment in, think of all the stories that you will tell your friends as I am telling you now. Get back to the hotel and have a great meal with fresh vegetables and sea food and just relax for the rest of the day since tomorrow you will need all of your strength a great camera and great company. In preparation talk to the hotel personnel and make sure that they prepare one blanket, towels, ice, beverages, beer, water, some sandwiches and fruits, since the adventure that we have prepared is in one of the most beautiful National Parks of the DR, but you need to bring everything since there is nothing for sale there.
Early in the morning get set to go to Bahia de las Aguilas, located at the Jaragua National Park, this is one of the most beautiful beaches in the world with a unique natural setting not found anywhere in the planet. You will need a 4x4 in order for the guard to grant you permission to come in. There is a very steep mountain as you arrive that only 4x4 vehicles may clear. There is a small fee to pay of less than US $5/pp. If you are not in a 4x4 then you can rent a boat at the fisherman’s town, and they will gladly take you. The town will make you think that you are in the set of the movie ¨1,000,000 years BC¨ since most of the houses are in caves and some are even nicely painted, surely something to see. As you arrive by sea or land you will notice that they have about 100 species of cactus with flowers of different colors, thorny rocks and trees of every shape and size. I have never seen so many flowers in a deserted environment in my life and I am sure you will think the same way. As you look away from the sea, you will see caves and rocks that make a plateau that stands higher that the rest of the park, almost orange in color depending on the sun. Further you will start to see a lightly green grass that grows towards the ocean; this resembles a climbing tree but on the ground and the tone of green is almost impossible to find in any other plant in the world. This rare combination of light green with pearl white from the sand and clear blue from the water makes the view from the ocean simply awesome. Park wherever you wish, you will never find more than 10 people here at a time and do not be surprised to be the only group there. Make your camp close to a tree, place your blanket on it since there is not enough foliage on the trees to give you the right shadow and the sun here is very tough. Get in the water, walk on the sand and take a look at the most beautiful dry vegetation that you can find. Make sure you are not captivated by the beauty, since you can forget to protect yourself from the sun and later pay the consequence. Besides that, this is true paradise and without a doubt this will be the best picnic you ever had and probably will ever have in your life.
A true Sybarite cannot complete his beach exploration without coming here and in all fairness, there is nothing to see that will ever top Bahia de Las Aguilas, so we will not even try. Just enjoy the moment and make sure you end your trip with this visit and this beach since just as you arrive back at the hotel you will feel that only going back to this specific place will make your sybarite heart feel like it has arrived at the right place. With all of these great stories, I feel the beach is calling, so enough writing for now, it is time for action, I hope you have enjoyed our stories and our recommendations, so see you all soon in the DR. |
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Author : Guitze M. Messina. Born in the Dominican Republic, Guitze is an industrial engineer by vocation and has worked in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic in that capacity. In 1996 Mr. Messina became a management consultant for various Dominican companies. In 2005 he joined Diesco Group, a new manufacturing facility that produces and markets plastics for the construction industry. These products save time, energy and money for builders and clients of large buildings and hotels. His work in this area has given Guitze the first-hand opportunity to work with the exploding luxury development real estate industry in the Dominican Republic. |
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