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SOSUA
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Sosua
Sosua is located in the Puerto Plata province of the Dominican Republic. German Jews settle this little pueblo in the early 1940s. Many streets are named for Ashkenazic Jews.
Get in
Caribe Tours can get to you Sosua from Santo Domingo in about 5 hours. It takes this long cause it stops along the way in all the major cities and towns (about 5 Stops). Buses are comfortable super modern, air conditioned with Movies and Restroom. Cost is about RD$200 pesos for the one way ticket. Sosua is a last stop on the SDQ - Sosua Route. The Caribe Tours bus station is along the main highway just at the entrance to the Charamicos section of town. Buses currently (3/07) leave every hour on the :20's, beginning at 5:20 am.
Get around
Town is relatively small, you can walk around it all. Very safe with the Tourist Police around at all times. You can also get around using the "motoconcho", where you are basically hitching a ride on the back of someone's motorcycle for around 20 or 30 pesos (roughly a dollar or less at current (3/07) exchange rates).
The cheapest way to move between Sosua and the surrounding cities and towns of Puerto Plata, Cabarete and Rio San Juan, as well as the tourist resorts in between, is by "guagua" (pronounced like it sounds), which are small mini-vans operating on the main highway between Puerto Plata and Rio San Juan. At peak hours they pass every five or ten minutes. Short distances (i.e., Sosua to Cabarete) should cost no more than twenty to thirty pesos (less than a dollar at current exchange rates), more for farther distances. They will pack in up to twenty-five people per mini-van (this is not an exageration), with passengers almost in each other's laps. You may even have someone's cage of roosters deposited on you lap (again, this was an actual experience of a friend). Then the merengue starts up on the radio and half the passengers pitch in, singing from memory. Nothing like it for some local flavor.
See
There is a fun, colorful and lively beach which is approximately one kilometer long, with a row of shacks along the back, selling food, drinks and souveniers. At one end of the beach is the El Batey neighborhood, which the small Jewish community founded when by a community of about 600 Jews exiled here from Eastern Europe during WWII. It contains the small synogogue, still occasionally used by Jews from the surrounding communities, and a small museum documenting the history of the Jewish community in Sosua. The synogogue has services on Friday evenings about once per month - check with the museum whether there are services the week you are there. Batey no longer has an active Jewish community and is currently the tourist section of town, containing several all-inclusive resorts, as well as a number of smaller hotels and guesthouses.
At the other end of the beach is Los Charamicos, which is the local's neighborhood and somewhat more...
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Hotels in Sosua
 | Celuisma Paraiso Tropical Beach Hotel - All Inclusive  |
Score 0 from 0 reviews | | Camino Del Sol |  |
| The hotel resort houses three a la carte restaurants which offer Mexican, Italian and Thai cuisine. There is a restaurant close to the beach which serves buffet meals and there are bars next to each pool.
El Caney:
Poolside buffet.
Breakfast from 7:30 am until 10:30am.
Lunch from 12:30 until 2:30pm.
Snacks from 4:00pm until 5:30pm.
Dinner from 6:30pm until 9:30pm.
Mama Mia:
Italian. Open three days a week. Reservations required.
7:00pm until 9:30pm.
Jalapeno's:
Mexican. Open three days a week from 7:30 to 9:00pm. Reservations required.
Teppan Tai:
Oriental in an outdoor beach environment. Open six days a week from 6:45pm to 9:15pm. Reservations required.
Merengue Bar:
Bar with drinks and music. Open from 11:00am until 2:00am.
Bachata Bar:
Beach bar with shows and drinks from 7:30am to 9:30pm. ... more | | |
| | Blue Bay Villas Doradas-All Inclusive  |
Score 9.25 from 14 reviews | | Playa Dorada 538 | |
| Tastefully refurbished in 2006 and boasting a range of facilities in a stunning location, the hotel offers an ideal base for over 18s to relax or enjoy an activity break.
Situated just beside the 18-hole Playa Dorada golf course, it boasts an impressive range of facilities and comfortable accommodation. It boasts 3 pools, 3 tennis courts, a gym and a spa with jacuzzi, sauna and beauty treatments. Venture to the mixture of restaurants which are renowned for the quality of the international cuisine, which amongst others include specialist seafood and oriental dishes.
It is situated on the seafront next to a long beach and the local area is buzzing with things to do including horse riding, aquatic activities such as windsurfing, sailing, diving and water-skiing, a variety of shops, a casino, nightlife and even a cable car, which takes you to a spot for panoramic views of the bay. The hotel is located just 5 km from the city centre of Puerto Plata and only 15 km from the international airport.
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 | Hotel El Colibri - Sosua |
Score 7.6 from 16 reviews | | Calle Pedro Clisante 141 | |
| For those who want to learn Spanish in a tropical environment, hotel El Colibri also has its own Spanish language school. ... more | | |
 | Lifestyle Residence Crown Suites |
Score 0 from 0 reviews | | Cofresi Beach | |
| The hotel offers a full daytime activities program which includes games, live music, Spanish lessons, dancing lessons and more.
There is also evening entertainment and live shows at the ampitheater.
The hotel has its own swimming pool plus guests can use the 2 large pools (including one with children's section) at a nearby hotel.
The supervised Kid's Club is open daily from 9am-5pm and offers an activities program for children aged 4 to 12 years. There is also a Mini-Disco for kids.
Baby-sitting can be arranged by the hotel (reservations required).
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 | Celuisma Tropical Playa Dorada |
Score 5 from 1 reviews | | Playa Dorada, Puerto Plata | |
| Guests do not have to be 21 years old to stay at the hotel.
The hotel restaurant and public areas are wheelchair accessible. There are special room types for the disabled with adequate bathrooms and beds. 2 adults and 2 children can stay in this room.
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| | | More hotels in Sosua |
| Catalina Island and River Cumayasa |
9 - 11 hours |
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An adventure to remember!
A combination of bird watching along the River Cumayasa and snorkeling with the tropical fish on Catalina Island.
Catalina Island is renowned for her exceptionally clear waters and wide variety of colorful marine life. Traveling along the coast you will find isolated beaches, idyllic coves and rugged cliffs. An abundance of wildlife may also be spotted on the Island, including buffalo and mule deer on the hillsides, and bald eagles crossing the sky. Whales, dolphin, flying fish and sea lions can also be spotted when traveling around off the coasts of the Island.
The trip along River Cumayasa will put you among some wonderful riverbanks, where you will enjoy spotting the various species of birds in the trees. You might even be lucky enough to spot other wildlife amongst the beautifully fringed riverbanks!
A delicious buffet lunch is served at a typical Dominican ranch and in the afternoon some Wild West activities are on offer, including horse back riding or carriage riding.
Click here for more information and Booking Details
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| Combination Dolphin, Shark and Stingray Encounter |
Varies |
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Combine the Dolphin Encounter Program with the Shark and Stingray Encounter Program for a truly memorable experience!
Although not a swim program, the Dolphin Encounter offers an up-close-and-personal opportunity for guests of all ages to meet these incredible mammals in the safety and comfort of waist deep water.
While gentle animal trainers supervise, guests and dolphins will share kisses, hugs, and 'dances.' Participants have the chance to touch the dolphin's smooth, rubbery skin and feed their new people-loving friends some fishy treats.
You will enter a warm sandy pool where a dozen or more gentle stingrays sweep the bottom with their velvety wings. Glide across the surface of the pool with a mask and snorkel, and touch the backs of these beautiful, friendly sea creatures. Because these gentle creatures no longer have their powerful stingers, you're perfectly safe to swim and enjoy the sensation of their graceful bodies moving around you.
Of all marine creatures, none is more fearsome or more fascinating than the shark! Ocean World is the only marine encounter park in the world to offer guests the chance to hold, to touch and to explore the deep sea secrets of the nurse shark. Under the careful supervision of trained staff members, participants will touch, hold, feed and ultimately swim with a small school of adult nurse sharks. These magnificent creatures will amaze you with their sandpapery skin, their fearsome teeth and their relaxed attitude towards human visitors, giving you an understanding and an appreciation of this beautiful and awe-inspiring creature that very few people will ever share! This is truly the adventure of a lifetime and a rare opportunity to meet nature on its own breathtaking terms.
Have your picture taken by the professional photographers - you'll want brag to your friends back home!
Admission is included when you book this interaction program.
Click here for more information and Booking Details
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| PADI Discover Scuba Diving Puerto Plata |
Varies |
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When you discover scuba diving, you discover excitement and adventure, freedom and serenity. Nothing compares to the 'weightless' exhilaration of breathing underwater. Only a diver knows the feeling!
The PADI Discover Scuba Diving program lets you experience the thrill of diving under the supervision of a PADI Instructor in ideal conditions, such as those found at a resort.
During your adventure, you'll master some basic concepts and scuba skills before heading off to an open water dive. Your open water dive takes you to a maximum depth of 12 metres/40 feet! Additionally, one free local dive!
Click here for more information and Booking Details
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