Dominican Republic For Late April - Windy?

[Havre]

https://www.windguru.cz/station/289

I would say it has looked decent. Typically slightly better wind at Kitebeach vs. Bozo.

I always prefer to stay just east of kitebeach. Less crowded than kitebeach, but not as choppy as it is in front of Millennium.

When the wind is 15 knots at Bozo at that station I can at least kind of kite with my 17m. So not bad for end of March I would say. And for people smaller than me you can definitely kite.

[8712kiter]

Hi guys
it might not directly contribute to the topic, but how do you get to Cabarete?
All those wind discussions and all sound great, but all I can see is 2 options: fly to Punta Cana with an 8-hour drive or to Santo Domingo with a 4-hour drive. None seems very appealing after a long flight.
Thanks for your input!

[Toby]

No flight available to Puerto Plata (POP)?

Or maybe to the airport close to Las Terrenas? Don’t know the name of it.

[Havre]

I flew to Santiago once. That works - if there are any flights of course.

Not a huge deal coming from the South either, but the roads I have been on there aren't brilliant- and you basically will be losing two days doing so.

[elguapo]

POP is the primary and closest airport... but also the most expensive. taxis will ask for $40 USD but you should be able to negotiate it down to $20 to cabarete
STI is about a 90 min drive away.. usually cheaper a cheaper flight.. but about a $100 taxi to cabarete.
my preference is to arrive in POP and then catch the early flight back to miami from STI

if there for a quick trip or unfamiliar with playing chicken/driving in a developing latin country....don't bother renting a vehicle.
..just use a taxis or hire the driver.

also traveling between longer distances on the those motoconchos is a death wish (dont' do it)

[TimG]

I’m flying in to Puerto Plata. I live in Houston so flights are cheap from here.

Just FYI, after doing all of my research, for April the best wind is probably in Corpus Christie (I go there every other weekend as I live in Houston) for North America. Cape Hatteras is a close second since it doesn’t get as much wind as Corpus, but I would still prefer it as a vacation spot over Corpus because Corpus’ flat water spots are gross when it’s warm. May-August Hood River is definitely the place to be. Cabarete gets consistent wind, but its top end is 25 knots during the summer while Hood River blows just as frequently but has a top end of 35 knots.
What Cabarete has over Corpus and Cape Hatteras is other things to do besides kiting. Both Corpus and Cape Hatteras do not have much to do other than kiting. Hood river, though, beats all locations in every category in my opinion. I’ve been to Hood River, Cape Hatteras, and Corpus, so I am curious how Cabarete will compare. I fly out in two weeks.

[dracop]

DR is not the most reliable Spring spot, not where you should be aiming for April.


From S Fl, Spirit from FL to STI was always super cheap.

POP is closer to Cabarete but flights were always like $700 from S Fl whereas STI was $80 each way. Cab fare from STI to Cabarete is about $120 one way; cab fare from POP is like $40.

Note that is deal dependent and if you find a cheap flight to POP that can definitely be easier. The flight prices in the past had extreme differences that made STI dramatically more economical.

If you like ai can refer you a taxi driver bases in Cab who will pick you up at either airport; he is reliable and well known on the main Facebook expat group (Everything Cabarete) that the expat community in Cab uses to communicate.

[Toby]

True, forgot about Santiago STI !

Good and cheaper alternative to POP.
Taxi ride is easy and beautiful through the mountains.

[handy]

Take care with STI, most of the time they do have a boardbag embargo.

[Havre]

Take care with STI, most of the time they do have a boardbag embargo.

Interesting. Had no issues. Some years ago though.

Who decides on the boardbag embargo? The airport or the airline? I would image the airline?