Recommendations for a digital nomad living in DR part-time

I'm looking for suggestions on a good place in DR to invest and live part-time for my wife and I. We are in our 50's with kids all moved out.

I want to move retirement money out of the US into safer real estate in other countries as I see hard times coming to the US. $200-400K would be an ideal budget range for a 3 bedroom place. Our home base is currently in the wine country in California, where we would like to still spend time from May 1st until November 1st. My wife is Brazilian and speaks Portuguese, English, and Spanish. Last year we bought a condo in Buzios near Rio de Janeiro to be close to her family. Love it there. Small (34K population), charming very safe resort community with friendly people, amazing beaches, hundreds of restaurants and lots of live music entertainment.  It would be nice to find something similar in DR.

From my DR research so far the Punta Cana, Sosúa, and Las Terrenas areas seem like good possibilities but open to ideas.

My priorities:

- Car free as possible. Close walking distance (within a mile or so) to a nice selection of decent restaurants and basic groceries
- International variety of cuisines is really top on my list. Indian, Thai, Mexican, Sushi, etc. along with local cuisine. We are just too spoiled by the diversity of the SF Bay Area.
- We enjoy live music a lot. We don't mind tourists resort areas and enjoy the slow times as a resident.
- As digital nomads we need decent reliable fast Internet and hopefully multiple providers to make sure we can stay online.
- A generally safe area to walk around day and night, keeping in mind typical 3rd world risks.
- Most likely being in a small sized condo complex for security and ease of living.
- Nice areas for walking our dog (beach, downtown, esplanade, etc.)
- It should have a desirable location and amenities for Airbnb renting when we are not there.
- Close to a nice beach would be a great bonus.
- Celebrating ocean facing sunsets with a nice cocktail at a lovely bar or restaurant every night would be a double bonus but probably only in Sosúa?
- We plan to stay 2-3 months per year in the near term but could make it our primary place if we bail from California in the future, so a friendly expat community would be wonderful.

I thought that Punta Cana had some of the most amazing beaches anywhere, but that was 15 years ago when I was last there staying at an all inclusive resort with my family.

Thanks for the help
Like

@lesdk Welcome Lesdk, sounds like an ideal plan! I am sure you will get lots of great advise in the forum!.

Like
Spicy food will be the challenge, otherwise Las Terrenas greater ticks most boxes with westward vistas over water as the bonus.

It is a multi cultural small town yet broad resort with expansive undeveloped super beaches east and west discovered by French and Italian expats and now growing in popularity with north americans and Dominicans from the capital.

Many members live there so let them update you.
Like

@lennoxnev I have not found a good Mexican restaurant yet in DR I hate to say. I have been to a few with my expert Mexican food wife ( she is Mexican!) and nothing has compared to what we find here in the western part of the US. Hopefully once we are there we will find one to our liking! In the mean time we will continue to import our own tortillas!

Like
Where do you get your tortillas from. I live in San Diego We have great Mexican food here. My daughter says Good Mexican food is the only thing she will miss once we move to DR.   
We went to Santo Domingo and were told of the so called best Mexican Restaurant I kid you not I ordered the entire menu just to try and I was not pleased. The Posole was not posole I think the spices are different so they can not get the right flavors.
When you find the spot let us know.
and please share  the tortilla connection. 1f604.svg
Cheers!
Linoska
Like
LOL yes I think I may have tried that restaurant in SD also! The food was terrible, the waiter brought me out a few dishes but they were all bad. Gathered all the plates and took them to the door man at the Airbnb! There is a little tortilla shop here in Las Vegas we go to and pick it up home made tortillas. I am sure you can find some in San Diego! There are like 4 or 5 so call Mexican restaurants, so far have not found one i liked. But we will keep looking lol
Like
I've noticed in Punta Cana for example that using Google maps it might appear like there is a lot of restaurant cuisine variety but when you dig in a bit you find that many of the restaurants listed with tons of reviews are located in all inclusive resorts that are only available for hotel guests.  It sure seems to me that Google should either not list them at all or have a filter for "open to the public" or something.
Like
We find el burrito in Punta Cana village has good food all the time (last 8 years at least).  I am not a Mexican expert but I always enjoy their food.  The Burritos are huge and very tasty.  Great tacos etc.  also the best Margarita's I have had in the DR.

Give it a try, you won't be disappointed
Like
@DominicanadaMike

Agreed Mike...Have you tried Wacamole?
Like
@DRvisitor:  Yes I have tried Wacamole.  It was some time ago and I don't really remember what we had but I also don't remember anything bad...
Like
I agree with Lennox that Las Terrenas will cover a lot of your criteria. There are tons of new developments just getting started, and my guess, although I haven't been shopping, is that because of all the new construction, existing apartments will be well priced.

No Indian or Thai restaurants, but we do have someone who offers Indian take-out every few weeks. She posts on an LT facebook group what she'll be preparing and when orders need to be placed and picked up. From what I've heard, the food she makes is great! We have La Catrina, owned by a Mexican family, which is good!
Like
We find el burrito in Punta Cana village has good food all the time (last 8 years at least).  I am not a Mexican expert but I always enjoy their food.  The Burritos are huge and very tasty.  Great tacos etc.  also the best Margarita's I have had in the DR.

Give it a try, you won't be disappointed
- @DominicanadaMike

That's the best Mexican I've had in the DR. I always enjoy one of their churros for dessert.
Like

@lesdk I have been going to the DR for 8 years and have travelled the entire country. I finally decided to build in Sosua just because there is a lot more availability of most things. I have an apartment outside of Las Terranus, and I have land in Sosua and Las Terranus. There are good restaurants in both places. I think the beach is nicer in Sosua and they are going to put  eleven million dollars into redoing the beach area. Cabarete is also a nice place. The traffic in Las Terranus is heavier than Sosua or Cabarete at least in my experience.

Like

Articles to help you in your expat project in Dominican Republic

Food and shopping in the Dominican Republic
Food and shopping in the Dominican Republic

It is well worth exploring the Dominican cuisine and shopping options, and note what they buy and where they shop ...

Leisure in Santo Domingo
Leisure in Santo Domingo

How to keep yourself busy during your free time in Santo Domingo? Find in this article all you need to know about ...

Working in the Dominican Republic
Working in the Dominican Republic

If you are looking for a job in the Dominican Republic (DR), here are some tips and suggestions. Job hunting can ...

The healthcare system in the Dominican Republic
The healthcare system in the Dominican Republic

If you are moving to the Dominican Republic, one of your primary concerns is likely to be the healthcare system ...

Dating in the Dominican Republic
Dating in the Dominican Republic

Just like anywhere else in the world, people in the Dominican Republic want to find love, their significant other ...

Driving in the Dominican Republic
Driving in the Dominican Republic

What is driving like in the Dominican Republic and how do you obtain a driving license? Find out all about it in ...

All of the Dominican Republic's guide articles
Choose the best health insurance
Protect your health and get easy access to treatment for expats in Dominican Republic.
Open a bank account that suits you
Discover the best international banks to manage your money securely.
Plan your international move
Facilitate your move to the Dominican Republic by getting a quote from our top rated movers.
Send money overseas at the best rate
For fast, safe and secure money transfers to and from the Dominican Republic.