Why We Moved to Cabarete / Sosua Dominican Republic – Our Story

Why we moved to Cabarete/ Sosua in Dominican Republic.

Rich and I are often asked about living in the Caribbean and why we decided to move to the Cabarete / Sosua area of the Dominican Republic.

Did our jobs take us here? How do you like living in the Dominican Republic? Would you do it again?

Here is our Dominican Republic Moving Story…

If you had asked us in our 30’s or early 40’s do you plan on living in the Dominican Republic someday, our answer probably would have been “no I don’t think so”. I mean sure who wouldn’t love to live on a tropical island while soaking up the sun and sipping on piña coladas. Sounds pretty good but it really wasn’t in the picture at that time. We had our busy lives in Canada with full-time jobs, a family to raise and honestly there was the question of affordability.

On our 25th wedding anniversary we made a last-minute decision to get out of the cold-winter weather and take a vacation to Punta Cana in the south coast of the Dominican Republic.

We fell in love with pretty much everything.

And So It Begins…

We fell in love with pretty much everything. The beaches, the turquoise water, the friendly people, the food and especially the Caribbean heat. There is nothing better than feeling the warmth of the Dominican sunshine seep into your skin after living in sub-zero temperatures for a few months.

Over the next several years we found ourselves travelling to the Dominican Republic for our family vacations 2 to 3 times a year. It was an easy 4 hour flight from Toronto to the DR and we could usually find inexpensive vacation packages. We stayed in Punta Cana many times and then decided to vacation on the north-eastern coast in Las Terrenas on the Samana Peninsula. Samana is picturesque with hundreds of coconut trees and stunning white beaches. Needless to say our love for the Dominican Republic just kept on growing.

It was after several trips to Samana during our late forties to early fifties our mind-set began to shift. Could we live in the DR? Could we find decent jobs? Is the Dominican Republic the right country for us to live in? Soon Rich began his exploratory phase and began searching on-line (he loves doing this) to find out more information about expats living in the DR. We watched endless episodes of HGTV’s International House Hunters and specifically one young couple from Toronto that moved to Sosua in the Puerto Plata region. Our thoughts were wow if they could do it why not us.

Could we afford to buy real-estate in the Dominican Republic that would meet our budget. Will it be a beach front condo or perhaps a detached villa in a gated-community.

Cabarete – Sosua Beach Front Homes, Affordable Real-Estate, Expat Community, Ocean Sports and So Much More.

Beach front homes Dominican Republic. Seawinds Condominiums.

The next vacation was to Puerto Plata on the North Coast of the DR. Specifically the beach towns of Cabarete and Sosua. Rich’s search results showed that there was a large English-speaking expat-community in Sosua-Cabarete which was important if we decided to start our own business or to find jobs.

Also Cabarete was recognized as the water-sport capital of the Caribbean and because we are beach lovers this seemed to be the right location – close to the ocean. The next important item on our check-list was the housing market. Could we afford to buy real-estate in the Dominican Republic that would meet our budget. Will it be a beach front condo or perhaps a detached villa in a gated-community.

With-in a few days of house hunting we found the gated-community of Casa Linda Residencial (homes started at $150K US) to our liking. Casa Linda felt similar to our North American neighborhood back home in Ontario, Canada. Casa Linda was close to the beach, shopping, restaurants, hospitals and most importantly we could afford to buy a brand new home at a much lower cost than buying in Canada. There were so many benefits. But is it the right decision to move permanently to the DR was still the big question.

In life I have learned that change is constant. After a few months from returning on our last trip to Puerto Plata we both discovered our jobs were changing or no longer. The companies we worked for (15 & 20+ years) were moving and experiencing new ownership. We saw this as an opportunity for new beginnings or more importantly a new lifestyle change. With our daughter successfully living on her own it seemed to be the perfect time to pack up and start a new adventure. We were ready!

Below are pictures of Rich doing a walk-through of our new home in Casa Linda (checking the construction quality and progress) and myslef receiving our new home (of course now the landscaping is lush and far different than in the photo).

Rich checking construction of our new home.

The decision to move to the DR was definitely a process that probably started from our very first trip to the Dominican Republic.

Living in The Dominican Republic For Six Years and Counting!

Rich and I are usually not ones to make split-second decisions. We analyze, decipher and go thru different scenarios until we are certain of the right move. The decision to move to the DR was definitely a process that probably started from our very first trip to the Dominican Republic. So in some ways yes moving to the Dominican was job related.

We have now lived in the DR for over 6 years and enjoy our new caribbean lifestyle. It has been a growing experience and a wonderful opportunity to learn about a new culture, meet new people and start new careers.

Would we do it again….Absolutely!

Cathy