Review Lies, Yvette and Leontine (vacation March 2006)
We were very curious at how it would be in the Dominican Republic. We counted the days already two months ahead and finally the day was there.
We would like to let you know that we had a very good time and that the apartments are fine: large, clean and every day fresh bread. Spoiling.
Especially the fond of laughing and friendly Dominicans stole our hearts: no rush, relax and most of all a sense of humour!!!!!!!
Also nice is that Cabarete still has beaches where it is really quiet and you can enjoy the beautiful nature. Getting up early and walking to the beach to see the sun come up was really great; a wonderful experience. On the way we were welcomed by a couple of loose walking horses with a young foal.
In the centre of Cabarete are many stores and affordable restaurants and going out was really nice and pleasant with the rustle of the ocean at the background.
We tried out several ways to transport ourselves; taxi, little bus, scooter and motorcycle. Most of all it was a real experience to sit with more than 20 people in one small bus! Bargaining became easy for us!
Because we are homesick to this beautiful place, we are already planning our next holiday to Hooked Cabarete. The first time we most of all relaxed, walked, went surfing and swimming. Next time we want to see more of the surrounding. Moreover we want to stay longer; 9 days is way too short.
Review Sandra & Geert-Jan
We spend 12 days in the Dominican Republic last winter and those 12 days were all good! Our main goal was (wave)surfing and relaxing. We certainly reached that goal, but much more: we discovered what a great country the DR is. Dominicans are very friendly, open people with a great sense of humour. The landscape varies from lush green mountains where a.o. tobacco, bananas and coffee are grown to paradise beaches with white sands and palm trees. But, I say all this without wanting to sound like your guidebook, but with a strong advice: step out of your all-inclusive and stay in a place like Hooked Cabarete.
You will have all the comfort ánd the breakfast, but so much more opportunity to explore and discover all the possibilities the DR offers. Set in the middle of a green environment with lots of space, Hooked Cabarete is an excellent base to set out to your journeys and activities, like surfing, kitesurfing or just walking and sunbathing.
Is everything paradise? Uh, yep! Well, as a wavesurfer you have to get up early to catch some waves without the wind spoiling all the fun. As any other tourist staying there you have to get up early too, because the bread will still be warm.. But, walking with your board, short and slippers along the dirtroad, your head still sleepy, sun rising, passing some wild horses standing under the palmtrees, greeting the friendly locals to check the waves a few minutes later: that’s pure happines!!
Meet Bill and Bob, your devoted guards who will bark to the uninvited and eat your spiders. Meet their keepers, Chantal and Ybo, who will help and tell you everything you need to know or show you nice places. Meet Lucy and Carlos who will keep your rooms and the garden in clean shape.
I guess it’s clear: we had a really good time here. We also rented a car, spend a few days in Samana and drove around parts of the island, wich I can recommend stronly! We will definetely be back and stay at Hooked again. There’s a relaxed atmosphere, room for your equipment, it’s clean and friendly. You can reach lively Cabarete easily every day for dinner, drinks or whatever, but you return to the nice and quiet Encuentro..
Sandra Gossink en Geert-Jan Middelkoop, Februari 2006.
Review Elze and Jeroen
We decided to spend our summer holiday (July/August 2005) at Hooked Cabarete and it turned out to be an excellent choice! The very friendly and helpful owners, Ybo and Chantal, are glad to show you around Cabarete. The transfer-service (transport from and to the airport) offered by Hooked, makes your trip so much more comfortable; no need to make a fuss about finding transport, but door-to-door service, which makes is very suitable for those carrying lots of kiting equipment!
Our clean and roomy apartment at Encuentro, was situated on a beautiful and quiet location, on walking distance from Encuentro Beach, which is not only great for wavesurfing, but also terrific for bathing and/or a days stroll.
A great start of every day was with the daily fresh bread (we can definitely recommend the bread-service from Hooked) and real Dominican coffee at the pool of the accommodation. Perfect to start your day ‘the Dominican way’ and wake up from the long Cabarete-night….
The kitecentre was located at only a 5 minute drive by scooter, which can also be rented at Hooked. The centre provided in all our needs; great shakes and sandwiches, super lessons kitesurfing and terrific material and storage! Although the kitebeach can be (depending on the weather conditions) sometimes somewhat crowded, it is always a great place to hang out, and practice or learn kitesurfing, even for beginners. Cabarete town, which is on about a 10 minute drive from the apartments at Encuentro, has also enough to offer; great meals and drinks for a good price, nice bars (especially those at the beachfront) and plenty of shops to meet your other needs (of course, always try to negotiate for a bargain!). Also make sure to visit the ‘Bon’ ice salon, Lounge bar ‘Lax’ and the very low budget ‘Blue Bar’!
Concluding; Cabarete has more than enough to offer, in particular for those who like, surfing, wavesurfing or kitesurfing; you will definitely enjoy your stay here!
For those who still want to see more of the beautiful Dominicans; you can easily rent a car up town and drive around yourself. Although Santiago and the waterfalls of Jarabacoa are all one daytrip away, a visit to the eastern shores (Las Terrenas, Playa Grande and the peninsula Samana) are probably more worth your while.
All together; our 2 and a half week stay in Cabarete was one to remember; also thanks to all the great people we’ve met. So; thanks, you guys! Hope to see you all again!
Kind regards,
Jeroen & Elze, The Netherlands
PS A final note; unfortunately the gap between the rich and the poor on the Dominicans is still often very present, so, if you do not want to attract unwanted attention to yourself, make sure not to wear any excessive ‘blingbling’ and/or wave around your money/camera’s a lot…
Review fam. Bouckaert: Bruno, Essi, Saimi & Telma
Chantal and Ybo, many thanks for a great stay at the Hooked Cabarete Appartements. The relaxing environment out of the busy Cabarete center was great for a Christmas holiday (2005-2006). The beautiful beach of Encuentro at a 5 minutes walk got me back into surfing on those windless days. For surfers, Hooked must surely be the best place to stay around cabarete, as one can have 2 or even 3 sessions a day without having to hop on a motorcycle or minibus all the time. For kiteboarding, I did prefer to go to Kitebeach after my encounter with the reef at Encuentro on my first kiting day. But also that's just five minutes away by motoconcho and you can leave your gear there.
The appartements are basic, but very convenient and fully in line with the carribean style inside-outside living. The children (1 and 3) also loved the vacation, but Saimi (3) found the water in the swimming pool at little cold.
Telma (1) couldn't be kept away from it though. With small children, an appartement is so much more convenient than a hotel room, but they are often hard to find from tour operators. Glad you guys filled the gap for Cabarete.
When we come again to Cabarete, we'll sure stay at Hooked. Wish you all the best with your business and don't forget to go kiting and enjoy Cabarete yourselves!
Tip1: for surfboard rental, I would recommend Surf's Up. I got a better price and much better service than at Take Off for a few days.
Tip2: for families with small children: Take a backpack-style babycarrier and a fully foldable stroller (paraplu-buggy). They are easier to get on the minibuses which get you to Cabarete and Sosua (it was about 1 euro for four persons). Take a cheap stroller which you can drag through the sand without a guilty conscience.
Tip3: tickets without hotel from Brussels to Puerto Plata can also be found on www.jetairfly.com
Groetjes!
Bruno, Essi, Saimi & Telma
Review Bram
Hooked Cabarete 02/11- 10/11/’05
It was Thursday 27/10 and since a while I was in de mood for a sunny surftrip but my money let me not a lot of space so I went looking for a cheap last minute solution and BINGO…!! 330 Euro back and forth from Brussels for one week sun , zee palm threes and great waves… to La Republica Dominicana…, next step was searching for the right place to stay near the surf spot, and also this was BINGO Hooked Cabarete…. Apartment with pool in the yard, fresh bread every morning, and transportation from and to the airport. It is situated a few min. walking from the best waves of the island (Encuentro) and with a taxi it’s like 5 min. to Cabarete-City. So this choice was really easy…
6 days later I was on the plane with destination Hooked Cabarete, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic.
Cabarete:
Is a nice small village where the people are really friendly and where you can find everything to make you stay ideal, little stores, nice restaurants, relax bars and enough possibilities to have a really fun evening/night… The people are all very relaxed and the most of theme speak or understand English. The only hassle you have is choosing what you want to drink on the beach, a cold beer or a Cuba libre… and this with some relaxing music on the background. One of these places was called LAX…after midnight everybody moves to one of the places where you can dance on the beach, Party…
Hooked:
The people from Hooked are really helpful and friendly with good advice for you stay, such as restaurants, places to go and many more…
The apartments are as good as new, all with a shower, kitchen, bed and couch. The pool in the back is great after a surf-session it’s great to chill over there. Every apartment has its own terrace so the evenings with the neighbors can be a lot of fun…
They have also some rooms at kitebeach, that’s the place to be for kite-surfing, they invited me to come and see this, it was a really great experience, they have learned me how to handle the kite and after 1 hour I felt me already confident with the kite in the air so It was a pitty that I had not enough time otherwise I had took some kite lessons, this will be for a next time…
Encuentro:
The surf spot of the Island where most of the good swell is picked up. It’s a reef break but it is flat reef so no sharp one, which makes it less dangerous en gives you never the less really good waves. There is also a sandbar for those who find reef not a pleasant thought. The best period of the day is before noon, so I always went from 8 AM in the morning till I was tired or the waves became sloppy. From noon of the wind is becoming stronger and the waves become shoppy and less clean. So this is Kite or Windsurf time… Once a year there is a really big contest at this spot but I was just a week too early for this…
The locals are very nice and friendly, they are very open and it’s great to hang out there.
Antonio runs a surfshop and school Take Off over there, where you van rent all kind of boards from short till long in all kind of sizes, he also gives you some advice and is so relax.
There is also a photographer on the beach, which takes really nice surfing pics from you and if you are interested you can buy this…really fun.
Hooked Cabarete = Nice, Fun, Relax, Surf, Kite, Exotic….nearly paradise for me
Hasta Luego Chantal en Ibo,
Bram
Hey Florian,
Just wanted to thank you again for an excellent stay. I had a total blast. I left a couple bars of wax on your door for you, also, left the guest feedback form in my room on top of the white binder. Thanks for such a warm welcome. If I ever come back to DR, I'll definitely be at Hooked.
Brian
Review Arjen, Diana en Jaap (Nov. 2005)
After a long and very boring flight, we finally arrived in our apartment. We were welcomed by Chantal, Ybo and 2 super enthousiastic puppies, with cold drinks and some food. The apartments are nice and clean and you can sit nicely in the garden (sun or shade) and cool of in the pool.
Early in the morning we always went surfing and when we came back, there always was the bag with fresh bread on the table; very nice!
The surfbeach is really close and has several surfschools with rental possibilities. It is advisable to compare the prices the first day. They want to teach or rent, so it can save you money….We had good experiences with 3, 2, 1, Take Off (the same school as Hooked works together with). The school makes a lot of efford and also has the largest stock of boards. Another advantage is that they own a small bar for a drink or snack. And you can leave your things safely there.
Cabarete is small, but pleasant on the beach. You can easily get there by taxi or an overfull bus. Stand at the side of the road and within 10 minutes you got a lift.
The food is good and safe, so we didn’t need the norrit this holiday, thank god.
If you are Dutch and book your holiday at Hooked Cabarete, don’t forget to bring a pack of hageslag!
Ybo and Chantal, good luck with your apartments and surfschool. We had a good time.
I had a great time in Cabarete, thanks to Hooked! Starting with a pick-up service at the airport and a nice welcome by super bueno Florian at hooked. When we arrived everything was showed and possibilities were explained. We decided to rent scooters, this gave us a lot of freedom and is really worth the money. Cabarete is very small, but all Dominican people are very friendly and helpful. We did a three day course of kite surfing at EH, this was GREAT! Very good and nice teachers, equipment and service! Hooked also arranged a trips like eating Thai food and jump and slide waterfalls, which were also was fantastic. The atmosphere at hooked was very good!
So, now I look back, I had as Florian said a Super Bueno time!!! (and will come back, alone or with friends for more kite surfing)
Tamara from Netherlands April 2009
I just wanted to pass along a thanks from myself and Jen for your hospitality while we there last week. Hooked is a wonderful place and it was both a fun and very relaxing vacation for us. I have already recommended Hooked and Cabrete to some friends of mine here in Boston who are looking to get away from the ice and snow this winter. Jen I and hope to get back sometime soon as well. The surf was great, the weather was perfect, and there was nothing more enjoyable than spending our time out of the surf at the pool or in our patio hammock.
Thanks again and we hope to see you in the not so distant future.
Matt, December 2008
I just wanted to let you know that Matt, Jen, and I had a great time at your place! We will recommend your property to all our friends and family…have a great 2009!
Cheers, Stephen Varraso
Jen, Matt & Steve, December 2008
Hi, just wanted to write a quick message to say thanks for a great week staying at Hooked. My girlfriend Rebecca and me had a great time and everything went smoothly. Special mention to Florian who was really friendly, helpful and a great host. we could only stay a week but because of Florian's info we knew where everything was from the first day. Great location, great people, great Holiday, thanks again. We're already looking into when we can come again. Russ
Russel & Rebecca, December 2008
I stayed at Hooked the first week of November and I wanted to say I had a great time and the room was very nice. Florian was managing the hotel and he was very helpful and very nice. He made sure everything was just right. I would definitely stay again.
Billy Hale, November 2009
We have settled back in to London routine (just about). We wanted to say thank you for making our stay so relaxing and pleasurable - we have lots of wonderful memories.
Alex and Kat
(17-31 March 2008)
Grant, Luzita and Emma Kennedy"
Dec 2007 - Jan 2008
Toronto
" If you are looking for a place to reconnect with life,
To hear the waves crashing in the distance,
To see the palm trees playing in the breeze,
To lie lazily in a hammock, where time is of no consequence,
Hooked Cabarete is the place to be.
I would highly recommend Hooked Cabarete over any 5-star all-inclusive resort. The place is immaculate, the gardens beautifully manicured, warm bread is delivered to your doorstep every morning, and Ybo and Chantal are charming, warm and hospitable hosts.
Hooked is a stone's throw away from the beach, is a great spot for both surfers and kite-surfers, and is a 10-minute drive into Cabarete where the most delectable restaurants are to be found.
You will be hooked!!!
I needed to let you know that we had a more then great time at Hooked. Ferry and Dion did a wonderful job (so did Bil and Sita). We are checking their blog on regular base. You also congrats with your hotel. For us it was a paradise on Earth for 2 weeks.
We liked the surf and surfing very much and definitely will continue. We are Hooked...
Willem en Liesbeth, Nov 2007
Review Marino and Marije, August 2006
We had a great time at Hooked Cabarete. The small-scaled set up and friendly owners Chantal and Ybo make it a charming place. Most guest at Hooked come to wave/kite or windsurf; from advanced riders to beginners. Frequently everybody chatted around the pool about the daily experiences. We took kite lessons at the Kite club in Cabarete. You can book them at Hooked and the lessons are very professional and the atmosphere at the school is relaxed.
The best thing is that besides surfing there is also much more to do in and around Cabarete. At Hooked you can rent a scooter or motorbike and Chantal and Ybo can recommend many nice restaurants; also on locations that you don’t find in the travel guides. This makes you experience the real Dominican atmosphere and of course the fine Dominican dishes. We also did two excursions which Chantal and Ybo organized. Both days were definitely worth while and it was especially great to see more of this wonderful country. The most beautiful beaches at the beach trip and the canyoning trip from 27 waterfalls are definitely trips to recommend.
Hooked is a great location to do active things, but definitely also perfect to relax.
Review Daan en Ferry, summer 2006
After hearing many stories and reading a lot, Ferry and I were doubting about several destinations for our holiday. Every spot on this planet has its own charm, which doesn’t make it any easier.
Cabarete/the Dominican Republic has been know for a bit longer, which makes that there is more information available to focus on the kiting and the country. Cabarete has waves, flat water, wind, strong wind, downwinders, culture, nature and rum.
When we arrived we first both had to get used to how things go around here. And you realize that Europe is absolutely not comparable in any way to how things go around here……terrific!
We loved the concept Ybo and Chantal set up with Hooked! Because of the small setting, you automatically more or less hang out with everybody and get to know all the people staying at Hooked. On a super relaxed way.
The trips are unforgettable; you experience the country on a way that gives whole other vacation pictures than any other person that went to the DR.
At Encuentro you are away from the noise, but with one of the state-of-the-art motorbikes/scooters (rent one - rent one - rent one!!!!) you are close to everything and you are definitely the most flexible in traffic.
A great mixture for any surfer or non surfer
Recommendations:
- the caves of Cabarete (sounds boring, but is really cool)
- one of the trips with Ybo or Chantal (or like we did, several trips!)
- downwinders!!!!!!!!!!
- eating in Dominican restaurants
ciao!
Daan and Ferry
Review Jacco, September 2006
Sunday morning 5.30 feels even for me terribly early and above that my taxi driver has an over natural interest in ITC. And let ITC just be the last thing I want to think about the next 2 weeks. Actually I don’t want to think about ANYTHING, and with a surftrip to the Caribbean this might be a possible mission.
My morning mood is not ready yet for all the activity at the airport and I decide first to take a coffee. Armed with a ‘Jurassic size’ cappuccino I try to arouse some holiday feeling. It doesn’t work. Worse than that, the local soccer team from ‘Swifterband’ is standing at my gate with bottles of beer and conversations that don’t go further than “Heeeey, Hoooo”. An inspecting look at my fellow passengers teaches me that on first sight there are no other surf-dudes or babes on this flight to the Dominican Republic. What have I started?
Luckily the phenomenon ‘Comfort Class’ from Arkefly also means a qualitative separation of passengers. The department ‘Swifterband’ is nicely stored in a for me not viewable part of the plane and I have three seats only for me available which with a little fantasy easily can be seen as a single bed. So time flies.
The Dominican customs ask every incoming tourist a fee of 10 US dollar. Nobody can tell me what this is really for. I figured it is some sort of refined parking money. After a kind of friendly welcome of the customs I step into a hall with a temperature of over 36 degrees Celsius. The combination with the humidity that is at least twice as high, brings my thoughts back to the ape house in the Zoo. Only there you didn’t have a beeping luggage thing. My backpack looked a little bit lost in between some pink samsonite suitcases, beauty cases and chequered bags. I took it quickly and walked to the exit. Which easily could have been the entrance since walking in and out from different people doesn’t really matter.
Before I left I had frequently e-mail contact with Chantal. She and Ybo were my oracle for all sorts of questions and my entrance to waves, surfing, flip-flops, sun, rest and everything you expect from a holiday. Ybo is picking me up and pointing a blond Dutch guy out of a group of coloured Dominicans on the airport of Puerto Plata seems to be the least challenging thing of this trip.
It is comfortable staying at Hooked. The apartment appears to be larger than I thought, serves all needs and is properly cleaned every two days. I definitely recommend the optional hammock; nice to escape in with a book when you are tired of the salt water. The atmosphere between the other guests is friendly and informal and has something that reminds me of the pilot of Big Brother. Not because the walls have ears and also not because the sad goodbye I had to say to the inhabitants of apartment 1 after a few days. No; it is above all the shared hobby that gives me the feeling of having a ‘Hells-Angels’ kind of connection; the all-exclusive choice for an active holiday. Surfing creates a connection. A fridge full of beer, a clear blue pool and a panic fear for cockroaches also, but that aside.
Surf's up !! ...The local surf school is only a few minutes walk, but with the scooter you are even faster. It is a friendly hangout, located under big mangrove trees that serve as a giant sunscreen. The amount of relaxation I experience here is best compared to a combination of Valium and Morphine. My lack of surf experiences makes that this relaxation is transformed in no time to an exceptional work out. The apparently friendly ocean with its sweet breakers is taking the living hell out of me! The fact that the 5 feet high Dominicanitos are riding the waves almost careless and apparently without any effort proves to me that surfing practically and anatomically should be possible. And when I measure my strengths again with the white swirling foam, I hum with full glory my favourite mantra: “Don’t get mad, get even”. And yes, practice does help, but it is a heavy delivery. But I do progress!
In order to prevent a session of acupuncture done by the Stonefish alias sea urchins, it is wise to wear surf boots. A rash vest works against sunburn and/or wax in the hair on your chest. The reef is flat and depending on the tide about 3 to 5 feet deeper than where you are floating. The height of the waves varies in September from at least 4 to over 12 feet high. Left and right handers. Rides of 30 seconds are definitely possible. The first light when the sun is rising offers the best surf and most peaceful pictures of this paradise island. After 11 am, the wind picks up and the spot turns into a cake without cream. Pretty good, but not perfect.
With good conditions you can easily find around 30 to 40 people in the line-up. Which is perfectly okay considering the available space. Respect your local surfers and the Dutch proverb ‘who treats well, is treated well’ totally works here. It is a friendly bunch of Dominicans and people who think they are Dominican because they live here that long already.
In summary the biggest danger of this trip is: It asks for more and longer!
Review Andy, Martin and Chris (vacation December 2005)
Cabarete is the most amazing place, it has a great atmosphere and staying at hooked was a great way to enjoy it! Being able to wake up and walk down to the beach from the front door and surf every morning is the best, especially when its an uncrowded surf break with really cool locals. The weather was awesome and the trade winds blew meaning the kitesurfing was awesome in the afternoons and the hooked locker made it so easy to rock up and kite as soon as the wind blows.
The apartment was really cool and the apartment block itself looks beautiful in the cabarete sun the surroundings are really peaceful. I had some of the best parties of my life within in my time staying at hooked, the bars are right on the beach and the drink is cheap but the nights sat outside the apartment doors watching the sunset in the surrounding fields were equally satisfying. Hooked gave us an awesome experience and staying with Chantal and Ybo is like staying with family they are so friendly!!
Andy, Martin, Chris UK (stayed at hooked dec 2005)
Surfholiday Theo & Gré, summer 2006
Wavesurfing has always been a dream of me and this year we were under the lucky circumstances to make it possible to go to the DR to learn it. I became a member of the Dutch surfforum www.surfholland.nl. One of the tips I received came from Chantal and Ybo from Hooked Cabarete in the Dominican Republic. After e-mailing back and forward, this seemed like the right place for us. Including wavesurf lessons, accommodation with bread in the morning, board rental and a scooter. My girlfriend does not (yet) surf, but the surroundings of the D.R. have so much to offer that you don’t have to be bored. Also we are both sea & beach people, so it should be fine.
We fly for the first time with Arkefly, which was perfect. After landing at the airport in Puerto Plata, which has for my feeling the size of a post stamp, buying the visa (bring US$ 10 for the visa), and paying US$ 1 for a “faster suitcase check”, Ybo was waiting for us at the airport. Great because after a long flight and many impressions, we didn’t really feel like negotiating about transfer and destination. We arranged it in front with Hooked. Better because you are insured of transfer to and front the airport and a nice chat on the way. While talking we drove a bit stunned through the busy Sosua; everything that has wheels drives, with accompanying smoke plumes, and all of them honk enthusiastically. For our standards a bit messy, but we forgot that the D.R. is a 3th world country.
The apartments of Hooked are right near the beach and reef of El Encuentro, where they also teach how to surf. The location is a living area with a few houses and as far as I know, they can’t build hotels there. The area is about 4 km from the centre of Cabarete and a fantastic place, a peaceful oasis. Drinking coco from the palm trees in the garden (Carlos, the gardener, can make the coconuts ready; drink them also with Dominican rum!), quiet and relaxed and pleasant other wave- and kitesurfers in the other apartments. Ybo and Chantal are always ready to help, give advice about where to eat or what to see, or for a new watertank.
The apartments are fresh, cool, large and clean. There is hot and cold water and through the door and screens there is almost always a refreshing breeze. In front of our apartment there was a pool and large yard with some laying chairs. Really nice to lay there in the evening musing, watching the stars, listing to the crickets and talking on about the day. Especially after a few hours of surfing, you only want to chill.
With the scooter it is easy to go to the centre of Cabarete for shopping or groceries. You can also take a cap wit more people for a small price. Getting money from the cash machine is possible in Cabarete.
The nature is like a picture. We made long walks from the surfbeach to many other beaches where you hardly see anybody. Great beaches, reefs, rocks, contrasting colours of the ocean and overgrowings. Pure picture postcards!
I booked the surf lessons with Ybo and Chantal. Antonio is my surf teacher; perfect and also relaxed lessons. You are guided well and they keep an eye on you after. There is no hurry and if you take your time and persist, you will get there for sure and be confronted with the surf atmosphere, forces of nature and almost meditative moments if you’re floating in the line up with the other surfers at 7.30 in the morning. All part of surfing and even more beautiful than I thought. Finally you take your wave; the feeling is hard to describe when you fasten and stand on your board on that wave and ride…..
Enjoy the feeling afterwards, deep breading at the beach, the wind blowing through your hair. Laughing and shuffling through the sand. Talking on with Antonio about the experiences of that day.
It is best to take your own surf shoes. There are a few sea urges here and there. Tweezers (pincet) and needle are also advisable if you have bad luck. A lycra/rash guard and waterproof sunscreen factor 30 where a must for me. Burning in the sun on the water goes really fast. And bring a bottle of water to the beach. We did not use Norit or Imodium or other medicines. Maybe it is good to bring some vasiline if you have painful places on your belly or bones from the board.
The last day I caught some nice waves in the morning; another beautiful day. I had to see goodbye to all the surf dudes and from Antonio I got his personal key for assembling fins. Another look at the ocean (gulp) and back to the apartment to pack. Than saying goodbye to all the peeps and up to the airport. While sitting in the plane, I could see at the end of the airstrip the ocean…
This trip and experience changed our lives in many ways. The homesick feeling to the holiday is more strong than the happy feeling to be home. For sure I continue surfing. Probably we will come back to the D.R. and I will try to stay at Hooked again.
Theo
