Pleasing the cool crowd of Cabarete

It's cheap, informal and the windsurfing's great;
a young, hip traveller's dream Caribbean vacation

CABARETE, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC -- Like a perfect margarita, sweet and sour and salty, this small town is a blend of pleasant extremes, where vacationers party into the wee hours then shake off hangovers to rise with the sun and play hard by day.

Cabarete is attracting a steady stream of adventurers surfing, hiking, mountain-biking and rock-climbing. It's a beach town for tourists who think lying on a beach all day is boring.

"The people you meet here are as likely to be Peace Corps volunteers as international bankers," says Steffi Schultz, an international banker from Hamburg, Germany.

"But both will have tattoos and wear Tevas," she adds, referring to the popular sport sandals. "That's what I love about Cabarete."

It's the young, hip version of a Caribbean vacation. No activities directors, aerobics classes or plastic bracelets to differentiate paying guests from others.

People come here to find their own fun.

"In Cabarete, you'll see people in the bars until 3 in the morning and then, at 7 a.m., those same people are off to go mountain biking or surfing," says Rich Weber, general manager of the adventure tour agency, Iguana Mama.

Ten years ago, this was a quiet little fishing village just being discovered by windsurfers. Cabarete's population of 15,000 swells to about 45,000 with visitors a year.

Now, the British magazine Boards calls it one of the top 10 windsurfing beaches in the world. It has hosted five Professional Windsurfing Association World Cups and has an amateur windsurfing competition every June that attracts about 2,000 people.

It's been popular with young Europeans for years, and U.S. Peace Corps volunteers based in the Dominican Republic know it well. But, like the rest of the country, it's beginning to attract North American tourists as well.

"Windsurfing changed it all here," says Cabarete native Carmen Guzman. "Ten years ago, my sister and I started selling food to the windsurfers from a table on the beach. Now there are restaurants all over the beach. Windsurfing has been good for Cabarete."

Now, she and her sister are planning to open a second restaurant and their 19-year-old nephew is a windsurfing instructor.

"Windsurfing is a healthy, pure sport that gives a lot back to Cabarete without doing any harm," says Paulino Martinez Guzman, his dyed orange hair and baggy shorts indicating just how much the surfing scene has influenced Cabarete.

Iguana Mama has been offering action tours since 1992. On a typical day, half a dozen people will set out on bikes for a downhill mountain bike tour -- a van takes the group to the summit -- while another group will hike through the hills and caves of El Choco National Park, the Dominican Republic's newest national park, named for the chocolate-coloured mud that takes days to wash out.

"This stuff won't wash off your skin for a couple of days," says Jackie Pearsons, a Canadian massage therapist, bartender and Iguana Mama tour guide.

When Pearsons isn't behind the bar at the popular Onno's or guiding tourists, she's surfing at Playa Encuentro, a few kilometres west of Cabarete. Some say Encuentro is the best beach for surfing.

There are, of course, plenty of places to just sit on the six-kilometre beach. The most popular ones are near the beachfront restaurants and bars.

The restaurants are laid back, catering to a beer and sandwich crowd that also likes an occasional lobster with wine. Shorts and flip-flops are acceptable just about everywhere and it's not uncommon to see bathing-suit clad diners at candlelit tables on the beach, enjoying salmon, carpaccio or escargot. Musicians roam through the restaurants playing Dominican bachata (love songs) for tips. Night life centres on New Wave, a beachfront bar that has live music almost every night.

Another attraction is cheap lodging. With modest hotel rooms starting at $10 a night and beds in dormitory-style hostels even cheaper, Cabarete is one of the cheapest places in Caribbean.

The beachfront hotels on the commercial strip can be a bit like New Orleans' Bourbon Street, noisy all night long. But for instant access, they can't be beat.

If you go

Getting there. Cabarete is a 20-minute drive from Puerto Plata. A number of Canadian tour operators offer charter flights and package tours to Puerto Plata.
Lodging. Rooms range from the Cabarete Surf Camp at $7.50 (U.S.) a night to the Hotel Paraiso del Sol at $85 a night for each person. At $20 a night, the Hotel Casa Laguna, across the street from the beach, is quiet and comfortable, with air conditioning and hot showers.
Dining. Don't miss the crab and dill sandwiches at Onno's. For seafood, Casa del Pescador is a good choice, with tasty paella and rock lobsters cooked just right. Miro's is a good bet for just about anything. On special nights, such as New Year's Eve and during the windsurfing competition, you may need a reservation.
Windsurfing. Race Week, the amateur windsurfing competition, is June 18-23 this year. Book early if you'd like to attend.
Nightlife. Las Brisas plays Dominican merengue while the rest of the bars generally play American and European music. New Wave is the centre of it all, but the Tiki Bar, Onno's and all the other beach bars are laid back and fun. Check out the Green Room for an afternoon drink away from the crowds.
On the Net. For information about activities in Cabarete and around the island: http://www.drpure.com.