Cabarete Centre is the main beach strip running along the North Coast highway, 20km east of Puerto Plata. Kite Beach is 100 metres from your front door. Restaurants, bars, kite schools and surf shops line the road. The expat community here is one of the largest and most international in the DR: Americans, Germans, French and Canadians who came for the wind and stayed for the lifestyle. It is louder than anywhere else in this index. The bars run until late, the motos keep going, and the road noise is constant. In exchange, you get a walking-distance life that most DR locations cannot match. Everything you need: food, internet, community, sport, within 500 metres.
Pros
- One of the world's top kitesurfing and windsurfing locations, with consistent trade winds year-round
- International, English-speaking expat community: easy to meet people and build a social life quickly
- Strong digital nomad infrastructure: cafes, coworking spaces, and reliable fibre internet (Claro and Altice)
- Walking-distance life: beach, restaurants, nightlife and kite schools all within 500m
- Regular expat events, community gatherings and wind-sport competitions throughout the year
- Good restaurant and cafe scene for a town of its size, with international cuisine options
- 20 minutes from Puerto Plata: hospital, airport, banks and full city services
Cons
- Loud at night: bars and music on the main strip run until 2am or later
- More expensive than nearby Encuentro or Sosua for rent and food due to tourist premium
- No international hospital in town: nearest is Centro Medico Bournigal in Puerto Plata (20km)
- Heavy traffic and moto noise on the Carretera Cabarete throughout the day
- Tourist pricing in many beachfront shops and restaurants, locals shop elsewhere
- Limited public transport: most residents use motoconchos or rental vehicles to get around
Who lives here
American, German, French and Canadian expats dominate, many of them wind-sport enthusiasts who arrived for a holiday and never left. The community is genuinely international and welcoming to newcomers. English is widely spoken across the strip. Longer-term residents tend to settle on quieter streets behind the main road or move to nearby Encuentro. The strip itself is more transient — kite instructors, visiting surfers, digital nomads on three-month stays.