$54 A Night Airbnb near Acropolis Center in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

This Airbnb is near the main street  of Abraham Lincoln Avenue so it is pretty easy to find and also is located near  supermarket Nacional which is very convenient. The balcony view isn't the most spectacular, but it is still pretty nice.  

Overall everything functioned very well in the apartment and is definitely very well equipped for short term stays or long term stays. I wasn't there for very long, but while I was there the internet worked very well. 

One important factor to keep in mind is that they do ask you to send a photo of some id of yourself and whoever you may be staying with you. I completed that process so I didn't have any issues, but if I hadn't I don't know what would have happened. 

So if you are interested you can check out the link for the airbnb here.

Should You Stay in Puerto Plata or Sosua?

Recently a subscriber of mine asked me about Puerto Plata, which is the capital of the province with the same name and is the third largest city in the Dominican Republic. 

Personally I love Puerto Plata because it's a proper city, but it still has a very local and coastal vibe unlike the very Americanized Santo Domingo. 

Also the beaches are great and  there is a mountain the can be visited via a cable car. So just overall for a long term stay I always advise people to consider Puerto Plata.  

However the subscriber that messaged me said that he would only be visiting for a week and definitely wanted to get in to some action, but also try to start some meaningful relationships. 

If you have a similar vacation agenda and timeframe and you want to visit the north of the Dominican Republic, then I'd recommend just going to Sosua instead of staying in Puerto Plata. 

There you will definitely be able to get in to all the action that you could ever want and do it very easily without any hassles. 

It's not as easy to find women in Puerto Plata, because it's more of just a regular city. When women go to Sosua they go there with the intention of finding foreigners and putting on their best face. 

When it comes to meaningful relationships with Sosua women that's almost like a contradiction in it and of itself.  

A meaningful relationship with a chica that you meet in Sosua isn't so much about being exclusive at all or some romantic love, because that is a long shot. 

But if you can build a relationship of trust and respect with a chica in Sosua then that's pretty meaningful because that is not easy. 

Flying To The Puerto Plata Airport ( POP )

When I left the Dominican Republic in November  a part of me really thought I would never come back. At the time my confidence was really low and I was suffering a lot of anxiety attacks. 

Fortunately with time and a lot of mental and emotional work, I am flying back out to the Dominican Republic. 

One of the reasons why I love the Dominican Republic is that they are all about tourists visiting the country. 

When I got to the airport the American Airlines front desk lady asked me if I had taken the vaccine. I told her no. And she started to look through her database to see if the DR required it. 

The country does not require any vaccines to enter the country so that is a blessing because there are some countries that are still requiring foreigners to have it. 

Now one thing you do need to have before you fly to the Dominican Republic is the E-Ticket that you can print off or download on your phone. 

This is actually my second time flying into the Puerto Plata airport. I would suggest flying into this airport if you know you are going to be in the north coast of the country for the beginning of your trip. 

Typically flights to the POP are more expensive than to Santo Domingo (SDQ), but if you are going to be in Puerto Plata, Sosua or Cabarete anyways, might as well skip the four hour Caribe Express bus ride. 

The Puerto Plata airport is only 20 minutes away from Sosua and about 25- 30 minutes away from the city, Puerto Plata.  

Why I Haven't Made Videos Outside Of The Dominican Republic?

A lot of people know me from my videos on Youtube about the Dominican Republic. I have made an extensive amount of top tier content about different cities in the DR such as Santo Domingo, Las Terrenas, Puerto Plata and especially Sosua. 

But a question I get often when I am doing a live video on Youtube or from my comments section is when I am going to do videos about another country. 

That makes sense because my channel is a travel channel, but I don't really travel outside of the Dominican Republic that much. (Even though I did make a video in Tijuana, Mexico not too long ago.) 

There are three main reasons why I haven't travelled outside of the DR to make content which are: still so much more to explore in the country, desire to invest in the DR, continue to create deeper relationships in the country. 

Dominican Republic Is So Much More Than Just Sosua  

A personal goal of mine is to show more than just Sosua or the popular places in the Dominican Republic. 

Even though the country is 202 times smaller than the United States as a whole and only 39.8% of the size of New York, there are enough beautiful places and intriguing cultural aspects of the DR that could last a lifetime of discovery. 

I'm not the type of videographer or Youtuber that hops from one country to the next making videos here there and everywhere. I really enjoy the DR as a place to live and also as a place to make content. 

Obviously the beautiful women of Sosua help draw views and subscribers to my channel, but I really want to show that there is beauty all over the country and not just in the northern province of Puerto Plata. 

Investing In The Dominican Republic  

If I could visit three countries in Latin America today it would probably be Colombia, Brazil and Costa Rica. Even though I have been to Costa Rica before, but there are some people there I want to see again. 

However one of the main reasons why I haven't gone to some of those places yet is because I have a goal to buy real estate in the Dominican Republic. 

Being able to own property in a country that is the most visited nation in the Caribbean and has an extremely high ceiling for growth in regards to business is a great opportunity. 

Relationships In The DR  

Outside of the beautiful beaches and different fun activities there are to do in the Dominican Republic, one of the main reasons I enjoy going back is because I have begun to build different type of relationships. 

With my style of content being able to work with a core group of people is everything and even more importantly, being able to trust those people to a certain extent is even more crucial. 

When people think of a travel channel, most will think of exploring many different countries. But also a part of travel is exploring the culture and the people in that culture. 

Fortunately I have been blessed to have enough time to get to know locals in the Dominican Republic in a way that I am able to share a part of their story and opinions on topics that other wise people may not see or hear. 

 

Apartment Hunting In Sosua, Dominican Republic

Recently I got back from my two week trip to the Dominican Republic. I was really happy to be able to make videos again and get into that mode. 

But what I'm even happier about that I was able to get done on the trip was checking out some apartments that I had previously been looking at online. 

I visited three different physical properties in Sosua  and one realtor who had two projects that would be completed in 2025 in Puerto Plata. 

During those visits there are a couple of noteworthy things that I learned and observed. 

African Americans Run Sosua 

The first property I visited was called Carnival Apartments located right across from Hotel Europa.  

I was attracted to that place because the prices were very low. They had apartments between USD $25,000 - $45,000. 

But when I saw the apartments I realized why they were that low. They weren't really bad necessarily, but it lacked a certain quality. They almost seemed like man caves, which is fine, but something about it I just know I wouldn't want to invite any chicas back to that spot.  

Something that I did take away from that visit though was a conversation with the real estate agent and the owner of the property. 

For whatever reason we were talking about the diversity of Sosua and the real estate agent commented that some 20 or 30 years ago there were more Europeans pumping money into Sosua, but that now it's the black Americans who are really keeping Sosua afloat. 

Having lived in Sosua for 7 months in 2022 that statement didn't really surprise me, but was reassuring in the sense that as a black man it is a great time to invest in Sosua and Puerto Plata, because it is becoming more of a haven for African Americans everyday. 

25k - 40k For A Nice One Is A Wobbler 

The second property I visited was Hotel Plaza Europa. When I met the real estate agent she informed me  that the apartment that she was going to show me just had been sold that day. 

The place she was going to show me was basically like a room more than a studio or apartment, but the asking price was USD $45,000. 

However there was another studio available in the same building for $55,000. So I checked it out and it was way better than the first property mostly just because it was cleaner, put together better, and I'd definitely feel okay having a chica or two come over.  

Now the price of 55k in the Dominican Republic is high for a studio apartment. You can definitely find a two or three bedroom place for that price, but that's more of in the real local areas. 

Overall just from what I learned from the real estate agents I talked to the cheaper apartments for purchase in the Puerto Plata and Sosua area are going to be around the price range of 45 - 70k. 

 You can find some great places under that price range, but those properties will probably be in more local areas. 

Personally, if I was looking to buy a place because I want to live in that property for a long time it wouldn't really matter if it was in a local spot or near more foreigners. 

But right now I am looking for a spot that can eventually build some passive income so location is everything. 

Playa Dorada 

The last bit of noteworthy information that I gleamed from one of the real estate agents is that Playa Dorada is definitely the place to buy in Puerto Plata. 

She told me the market was kind of stagnant two or three years ago, but that right now properties are selling like hot cakes. 

I didn't exactly ask her why that was the case, but I imagine with other real estate markets around the world and particularly in the US not looking so great, there are more people looking to purchase quality property for a cheaper price abroad. 

Playa Dorada is a great spot, because it's its own great and gated community in one of the best cities to live in in the Dominican Republic. 

Airbnb in the Malecon of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

This Airbnb definitely feels very exclusive as it all the way up on the 28th floor of a 30 floor apartment building. The view of the Malecon definitely makes the room worth it if you are into photography. 

In general everything functioned properly in the apartment. The water was very hot and the internet worked fast. The only negative I can think of is that there is no AC in the apartment. In the bedroom there were two fans available to turn on. 

Overall I would recommend this place for short or longs stays. Another important aspect of my stay was that I was able to bring in at least two chicas into the apartment as long as they had the cedula numbers. So that is definitely a plus. 

If you are interested in staying at this airbnb you can check the listing out here: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/53654480?source_impression_id=p3_1679834495_8R0NE8gmOZmpF9oE

Should You Take Your Vacation in Santo Domingo or Sosua?

We all know that Dominican Republic is a great choice for a vacation destination. But if you only have a weekend or a week to be there where should you go? 

I get this question a lot from guys who are strongly considering visiting the country.  And it's not an easy answer, because it really just depends on what you want to accomplish during your trip. 

Obviously guys who know me from social media know about my adventures in Sosua and ask me about that city, but also with Santo Domingo being the capital and the biggest city in the country I also get asked if it's better to visit Santo Domingo or Sosua for vacation. 

I could talk about Sosua vs Santo Domingo for days, but I am just going to break down the basic of what you need to know.  

Santo Domingo is the biggest city in the Dominican Republic so if you want to catch a sporting event you can do that in Santo Domingo, if you want to see something theatrical you can do that in Santo Domingo, if you want to explore many museums you can do that in Santo Domingo and so much more. 

The amount of options are really endless in the capital juxtaposed to that of Sosua. In the small town in the state of Puerto Plata there are some really beautiful beaches, nice restaurants and that's really about it. The amount of entertainment in Sosua is much smaller, so if you are a type of a person that likes to do a lot of different activities then Sosua may not be the best option. 

Now it would be ignorant of me not to mention that a big draw of Sosua are the chicas. If you are about that action then Sosua could be better than Santo Domingo. 

Not to say that there aren't beautiful women in Santo Domingo, but because it is bigger and a lot more traffic it can be much more difficult to link up compared with Sosua, where everything is in a walkable distance. 

Fortunately I have the opportunity to go to Dominican Republic for about a week and actually live out this question that I get so often. 

I will say I am not going just for pleasure, but to discuss investment opportunities in some apartments in Sosua. 

So I will be splitting my time for three days in Puerto Plata and 4 or 5 days  in Santo Domingo. 

Going from Puerto Plata to Santo Domingo is a cross country trip, but fortunately cross country in the Dominican Republic is only 4 hours in a bus unlike going from LA to New York.  

I am happy I am able to split my time between the two cities, because to be honest I know a lot of ladies in Puerto Plata that I want to see and also in Santo Domingo. 

Outside of the ladies, it will be fun to enjoy Playa Pueblito which is a lesser known beach in the province of Puerto Plata and also get to experience the riveting heartbeat of the nightlife in Santo Domingo. 

When I was 19 years old I went to a bar called Onno's. I believe it is still there so I am definitely going to check it out again. 

So in general you can have a great time in either Sosua or Santo Domingo, you just have to know what your priorities are for your vacation because the two spots are definitely very different.