Beachside Vacation Condos at World-Famous-Cabarete's Vecinos

• Perfect getaway

  Perfect getaway

  • Guest GeneW
  • Date of stay 12/24/09
  • Review Submitted 01/06/10
  The property is very well maintained, and ideal for independent travelers. I came to Villa Vecinos with my wife and children, and the owners went an extra mile to accommodate our needs. Lynda and Les provided us with all necessary info about the environment, and gave a lot of insider's tips on traveling around. The place is serene and very relaxing, rooms are clean and spacious beyond expectations. We enjoyed many walks on the beach and around Cabarete (it takes only 20 minutes to get there on foot, or 5 min in a cab). The beach is virtually across the road, with very decent bar and restaurant nearby. Since there are only 4 units in the villa, you hardly feel presence of other guests and can quietly relax at the big pool, which is very clean and refreshing. The kitchen is well equipped and fully functional; groceries may be easily purchased in Cabarete and fruits (amazingly tasty!) from street vendors. We would be happy to come there again, and recommend Vecinos to all our friends.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, tourists without a car, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, families with young children.

  Owner response: Eugene + Sonia + teenagers were great guests who are welcome to come back to stay with us anytime! They're well traveled, so very flexible when dealing with any challenges that can come up unexpectedly. It was great to see them enjoy our place, making themselves right at home, making good use of the pool and spoiling our pets with their affection! They took full advantage of our proximity to the beach and often set off in the morning on family walks, returning before dark, tanned, sandy and happy - great to see them take advantage of our Cabarete area and all it has to offer, so close by. They're great at maximizing their vacation time - by spending minimum time cleaning our easily maintained condo - and maximum time enjoying relaxing by the pool, reading for hours, and exploring our vicinity at length. It was wonderful to see them bonding with our pets and treating them like their own. Our 2 dogs and 3 cats accepted them and made them feel right at home.......then checked out their door after they left, as if to say, "When are they coming back?" When our land power went off and the back-up inverter ran out of battery power, we had to start up our generator. They were fine with the sound of it running, and glad to have electricity again. We so appreciate guests with that understanding attitude and they make our job so much easier. They made the best of whatever weather came along - rain or shine - they carried on with their family outings and activities and had a great time regardless of a bit of rain. With something to do for everyone, it was nice to see Dad take the kids out to give Mom some "me-time" relaxing by the pool or whiling away the hours with a book. All in all, they were a real joy to have as guests, and we'd love to see them come back to stay with us anytime !

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/3

• Beware.Beware.Beware

  Beware.Beware.Beware

  • Guest Garry
  • Date of stay 04/11/13
  • Review Submitted 05/07/13
  Just returned from Cabaret.We unfortunately booked three weeks at Vecinos based on pictures shown on this site and after e-mailing back and forth with the owners.The facility is nothing like the pictures,it is run down,dirty and in need of major upgrading and cleaning.The rooms are in poor shape with cupboards askew,drapes and curtains that don't open or close properly,furnature so dirty that we wouldn't sit on it without putting a cover on first.The yard is in disrepair,the pool is dirty and you could not read the writing on the bottom.The pool furniture is like the room furniture,not something that you would be willing to sit without a cover. The location is poor,to far from Cabarate to walk and to and in convienent to take the local taxis especially at night.We tried to get our deposit back as we could not stay there,no luck.the owner wanted the rest of the payment as soon as we arrived because I'm sure not many people stay after seeing the place.We lost our deposit and our respect for the owner.As we found out there are lots of nice places to stay in Cabarate that are cheaper,cleaner and closer to town.Our short (2 days) stay at Vecinos was the only stain on an otherwise great holiday in Cabarate.I would not recommend that anyone stay at this place.

  Owner response: We welcome feedback from all our guests - giving us the opportunity to improve in our weak areas, as well as hearing the positive aspects. Over 80 % of our guests have cash in hand + pay on arrival, when they get their keys, as agreed upon in our contract. Some don’t travel with cash + need to go to an ATM + pay their balance the following day, which is no problem. When I reminded Garry on the second day that he hadn’t paid, he said that he had paid half + would pay the second half after 10 days . I said that wasn’t our agreement + that no resort on the planet does it that way. The following morning he came out with a litany of problems starting with the vehicle (2000 Pathfinder) I had used for their complimentary airport pick-up wasn’t clean + also that their rooms were filthy but that they would “put up with” our place for 10 days + then find a different condo. We're a mile from the center of Cabarete. In my opinion, they wanted to be in town, closer to the touristy action. Personal preference, no problem. After denigrating our facility + then saying he would “put up with “ it for 10 days, I simply said he had a decision to make. Either pay the remaining balance as agreed upon or leave. After he left I asked 2 ladies to inspect the rooms with me. There WAS a broken cupboard hinge that needed replacing, the room mirrors + bathroom chrome could have been more polished, + one of the balcony curtains didn’t close smoothly. The only other thing missing, as one lady said, were the chocolates on the pillows. Dealing with the public for many years I've learned you can’t control what people do or make all the people happy all the time. We do however get a 5 of 5 approval rating from over 90% of our guests! Many of our return guests do so because of our ideal location - away from the noises, while conveniently close to Cabarete. We are 5 minutes from everything downtown [motoconch or public transportation is about 50 cents per person -25 pesos] Our weekly Sat Market shoppers + vendors compliment us on our gorgeous gardens, how they are maintained , + generally how peaceful + relaxing our place is. I’m glad Garry enjoyed the remainder of his stay in Cabarete as I feel it's a unique town, providing vacationers with a wonderful insight into our local culture! I’m always disappointed when there is an unhappy client, + we strive to correct any areas of our rental business that need improvements. Thx for your help in that regard, Garry.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Humanitarian Student Group...PDC

  Humanitarian Student Group...PDC

  • Guest SAMMIE
  • Date of stay 03/18/12
  • Review Submitted 03/29/12
  We have just completed our third student humanitarian trip with a group of 39 high school students,parents and teachers.Our stay was Great...safe,secure,clean, comfortable and homey... hospitality provided by Les and Lynda was the best...food was super...gracious hosts...pool was refreshing and always very clean and the ocean just a short walk away....a great and relaxing resort at the end of a long day of working at a girls's orphanage in Puerta Plata...the participants with no hesitation identified Vecinos as our destination again next March... JaB and Sam

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, people with disabilities, tourists without a car, age 55+, families with teenagers, pet owners, romantic getaway, families with young children, girls getaway.

  Owner response: This is our third year of hosting Jean + Sam's humanitarian group, and it gets better every year. It's so refreshing to see the next generation's empathy and enthusiasm in pursuing their humanitarian work with the local underprivileged kids. Our accommodations are ideally located for a base of operations like theirs, both for getting to their voluntary jobs easily, and we're also close to shopping options and our gorgeous beach for catching rays on their time off. They thoroughly enjoyed time in our beautiful pool - with lots of room for all 40 guests. They dined in style in our elegant dining room, surrounded by elegant white columns, on buffet-style meals prepared in our commercial-sized kitchen. Our condos and 3-bedroom suite in the house are ideal for group accommodations, as everyone can stay on site and be together for meetings and meals. With 9 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms in total, we can easily accommodate groups from 24 - 36 for sleeping and even greater numbers for meals. Also, being located on the main road, Calle Principal, it's easy to get around by the numerous economical public transport options that pass by us every few minutes. We look forward to hosting them again next year, and would also like to host more groups like theirs as we find it so rewarding :) We wish them all the best in their year of fund raising efforts and anticipate their return next year.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/1

• positively amazing stay in Cabarete

  positively amazing stay in Cabarete

  • Guest jameswp
  • Date of stay 03/10/12
  • Review Submitted 03/19/12
  Being the first place out of three that our group of 5 decided to stay at in our trip across the Dominican Republic, Lynda and Less and their home definitely take the cake for the best place we stayed in the DR. The property itself is a well gardened and gorgeous place a bit outside of the main part of a city (a 2-5 minute cab or motorbike ride in) with a wonderful pool, common area, and our suite even came with an amazing bar and kitchen right by the pool where we spent most of our time when at home there. Lynda and Less were a great help in figuring out the culture and the people in the DR for us and were always around to answer any questions for us about what to do, where to go, how to act, and how to get the best out of our trip. If your in your trip for the nightlife, definitely strike up a nice long conversation with Less. He was accommodating enough to even take us out in his back of his car to the bars one night and show us around the city (hope your alright riding on the back railing of a Suzuki Samurai and the driver joining in on the drinking, its commonplace down there) Less took us out one day to some caves he knew about, it did turn out that our car broke down up in the hills and he didn't quite know as much about the caves as we at first thought, but we were in this trip for the adventure and it was definitely there. Lynda and Less are hands down the most accommodating and personable owners I have ever stayed with and them and their place made for an unforgettable experience that I would not have wanted any other way. If your trying to decide between an all inclusive or just hotels on your own (like Vecinos), do make sure you think carefully about how much you just want to sit on the beach and be catered for or really get out there and experience the people and the culture (which will require more effort, planning, and DEFINITELY at least phrasebook Spanish)

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, families with teenagers, pet owners.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Excellent Stay at Vecinos during Christmas week of 2011 - strongly recommen

  Excellent Stay at Vecinos during Christmas week of 2011 - strongly recommen

  • Guest Sunny
  • Date of stay 12/24/11
  • Review Submitted 01/09/12
  We stayed at Vecinos with our two children for the Christmas week of 2011. We had a fantastic time. We came to the Dominican republic for windsurfing. We had booked the vacation with friends, who ended up canceling their trip due to safety concerns. I was full of concerns myself but pleasantly surprised -all was safe and clean. The apartment was very nicely built with a gorgeous open floor plan for the the kitchen, living room and with huge upstairs bedroom with nice high ceilings. The masterfully maintained tropical garden surrounds the balcony and is reflected in smartly placed mirrors to give a feel of a tropical paradise - and also some shade. The children enjoyed the pristine pool by the garden. We ate fresh picked passion fruits! Best of all were having Les Lynda for hosts. They were extremely helpful, gave us a ton of information and even lent us a Spanish dictionary to help get around. At the end, I felt as if this was a visit to friends, because they were so nice. Useful hints for going around and things to do. 1) It is best to fly to Puerto Plata (POP) if visiting Cabarete – otherwise the drive from Santo Domingo is 4.5 hours. If you fly through Santo Domingo, it is best to take a cab to the north shore, ~$200 USD, very well earned by the Dominican drivers. 2) We rented a car for $32 per day all insurance included at Cabarete It is best to drive short distances, because many of the roads are narrow and the local driving customs are somewhat strange. Actually similar to Rome and Naples with the thousands of motorinos driving around. 3) Vela has a great windsurfing, kayaking, Stand UP Paddle Boarding , boogie board equipment., etc. If you windsurf, make sure you work out before the trip. 4) We did horseback riding (first time for me!) at Luisa and Tommy horse ranch. It is well worth it, on a horse back one can go in places of magnificent beauty that are otherwise hard or maybe even impossible to reach. 5) The zip-line at Monkey Jungle is an experience of a lifetime! 6) The caves are amazing with stalactites, stalagmites, and sometimes silk-feeling fresh water natural pools. If you go to the state park, there is no wait and the price is more than reasonable for what you see. 7) We did not have time to see the waterfalls, others say they are also worth seeing. 8) Restaurants are something I don't normally talk about, but the ones at Cabarete are superb. There is a wide variety of local, often organic fruits and vegetables, the chick

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, tourists without a car, age 55+, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, families with young children.

  Owner response: It was a true joy to meet Svetlin + Milena with their wonderful sons, Michael + Daniel, and host their family Christmas vacation with us at Vecinos! We were so impressed that they didn't let others (who had not even visited the DR) discourage them from coming with warnings about it being unsafe. Instead they followed their own plans, and had a great time here! Their main goal was to windsurf, but even when the wind didn't co-operate, they made the most of the myriad of other fun activities around, exploring and learning about our diverse island country. They embraced a positive, open-minded attitude, and found new experiences they hadn't even thought of trying before. Following their spirit of independence + adventure, the whole family went ziplining at the near-by Monkey Jungle. Adventurous + open to trying new things, they went horseback riding and really enjoyed it. They talked about discovering the natural beauty of backwoods trails and mountain streams in our National Park reserve. We've been extremely lucky in having the most wonderful people find, choose + trust us to host their holiday stay! Invariably, kids staying here have a great time - which helps their parents do the same :) Plus there's the added benefit of Les + I getting our "grandparent-fix" - great fun. With so many activities to choose from available close by, "kids-of-all-ages" are sure to find something they enjoy, making great memories to bring back home. Svetlin, Melina + family are very welcome to come back and stay with us again anytime - and all their friends + families too! :)

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Peacefullness at Vecinos

  Peacefullness at Vecinos

  • Guest Martha and Jón
  • Date of stay 11/06/11
  • Review Submitted 11/26/11
  We had a wonderful time at Vecinos. Les and Lynda are so kind and nice and loving people and it felt like we had known each other for years when we first met them. They just embraced us but at the same time respected our privacy. For us it was nice to stay among the Dominican people to mingle with them instead of staying at a tourist place and hardly meeting the domestic people. We felt very safe and secure and Les and Lynda educated us about the country and its inhabitants so now we feel like we are connected to this country and its people. We loved to run and relax at the beach and by our "own" pool at Vecinos. We will definitely recommend to our friends and family to stay at Vecinos if they are travelling to the DR. And the price is very fair. Thank you so much Les and Lynda and Les thank you for your special trips to the mountains and we will always remember visiting the people where we got the coconuts straight from the tree and the avocados. Love and light greetings from your Icelandic friends, Martha, Jón and our son, Dagbjartur

  Owner response: Thanks for the kind comments Martha, Jon, and Jr.[couldn't quit get my tongue around his name]. You were our first guests to come from Iceland, and it was great to have you stay with us. We're glad you enjoyed meeting some real Dominican people and although these people live in a one room shack with a dirt floor and are quite poor, they are the most open-hearted and honest people you can meet as they are usually not involved with any tourists and are happy just to show you the plants they use, and how they live. They are happy just to have visitors up in the hills, and show them their home. I was fortunate to run into them a few years back on one of my motor cycle adventures and they always welcome any guests I take up to see them. The coconuts that they climbed up to get were by far the largest I've ever seen [must have been 10 pounders] and I was surprised to see them bounce 8 feet in the air after they dropped 60 feet. The swim into the back part of the caves was also a first time adventure for me and I was glad to have you along to share it. That whole area is full of caves that few tourists have ever seen as it's definitely "off the beaten path". I enjoy sharing these unusual "non-touristy" tours with our guests, who invariably return with memories of a unique adventure. Each trip is different, so the new experiences interest me as much as you find them informative - a good win on both sides - fun :) We really appreciate the accolades we get from our guests - and welcome the friends + family they send our way to enjoy a stay with us at Vecinos!

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1

• Wonderful Vacation

  Wonderful Vacation

  • Guest Mirella B.
  • Date of stay 08/06/11
  • Review Submitted 08/25/11
  Thank you Les and Lynda for the wonderful time we had at Vecinos. We loved the peaceful, relaxed environment, the flora and fauna. We had a great apartment with plenty of space for the five of us. We all enjoyed being outside and enjoyed the pool for hours. It felt like we had a private pool since we were practically the only ones using it during the day. Where can you find a pool for yourself and no difficulties finding a lounge chair either? We should not forget to mention how awesome it was being able to pick fruit from your trees and enjoying fresh local fruits when we wanted. Les, thank you also for the exciting adventures you took us on. The children still talk about riding on the jeep with the wind going through their hair. We definitely recommend Vecinos to anyone interested in a peaceful and quiet environment.

  Recommended for: Adventure seekers, people with disabilities, age 55+, families with teenagers, pet owners, romantic getaway, families with young children.

  Owner response: The best part of running Vecinos is the great variety of people we meet + your family was especially fun. I remember you arrived right in the middle of Saturday Market but made yourselves at home right away. Thanks to lax driving rules, you can still put 4 or 5 people in the back of a jeep + drive down the highway while standing in the back. My tours are definitely not touristy. It's great to see an adventurous family that enjoys bouncing down some potholed secondary roads to find an out of the way, true Dominican bar, that just happens to have a small stream running next to it where you can climb the muddy banks + drop 10 feet into the river......I think the biggest kid in the water was your husband...showing your sons how to flail their legs in a water fight ...something I'd never seen but he used to do it growing up in the DR. I'm not sure how impressed your kids were when the locals started cooking an enormous cauldron of sancocho [Excellent Dominican soup]...+ they saw several chickens which had just been relieved of their heads..you just don't get see that in New York...haha.. Living in Cabarete, Lynda + I don't get to see much of OUR grandkids, so it's a treat for us to hear kids [+ adults] splashing, laughing, + playing in the pool. As we only rent 4 condos, even if we're full, our pool feels like your own. Since you were here I've completed the second water feature which is a cascading 20' waterfall behind the pool which goes well with the three pools connected by the babbling brook we added last year. Glad you enjoyed the bananas, guavas, + chinola that were ready, as well as the coconuts that Sammy picked + opened for you...there's nothing like fresh coconut water right off the tree. You did miss avocado season, which began this week + it's "raining" aquacates so there'll be lots of guacamole for awhile..... I'm sure all the pets miss you too. I'm always surprised how many people seem to bond with the cats + 2 dogs...(actually 3 now) as we found a 6 wk old starving perrita that someone must have thrown into our yard a week back. Now we have Vida, Muerte, + Bitsi [like ITBIS]...translation - Life, Death, + Taxes! I still haven't found where the naked neck chicken is laying her eggs but I'm sure we'll see a clutch of them come out shortly. Several pairs of lovebirds continue to sit on eggs but so far there are no new babies. Thanks again for the excellent review . Pleasure to meet you and your family - come back + see us again, anytime.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1

• Three month winter rental

  Three month winter rental

  • Guest Georges and Ghislaine
  • Date of stay 01/06/11
  • Review Submitted 05/15/11
  Vecinos is for us like an oasis. The condo is very nice, spacious,clean and modern; freshly painted, beautifully landscaped. We stayed for 3 months. After awhile we started to feel like a member of the family of Less and Lynda, the owners. Every Saturday was "Market day" where we purchased delicious home made lasagna. pastries, etc. while meeting lots of tourists and Dominicans. Of course, nothing is perfect. Kitchenware needs upgrading and a microwave oven would have been great. Supermarket is a bit far but walk-able. My husband did go to Janet's supermarket on foot and taxis are available for around 3$. Also, folding chairs and beach umbrella were missing. Luckily we had brought our own folding chairs to bring to the beach. The sea is very rough close to Vecinos, but the beach is quiet and good for walking in both directions. The condos were very safe and secure. There is a wall that surrounds the property as well as a gate that is locked overnight. They also have three dogs for added security. They are friendly to us but not to intruders.

  Recommended for: Sightseeing, adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, pet owners, romantic getaway, families with young children.

  Owner response: The 3 months we had Ghislaine, George + Francoise as guests did create a great bond with them, and they contributed so much to our Vecinos community! It's wonderful to have fellow Canadians spend time here - almost as good as taking a trip back home - :) It was fun to see them going on some of the numerous day trips available to see the great diversity of our island. George' brought his camera and had lots of photo-op moments, capturing a vast array of colorful shots of the locals and their culture. He's also a computer "buff" and appreciated our high-speed wi-fi internet access. Francoise + Ghislaine are voracious readers, and went through many selections from our extensive library - spending hours reading poolside or at the beach right across the street. When they got too warm, they'd cool off in the pool, or splash in the ocean where it's protected by an offshore reef near-by. Our condos are easily maintained, and they kept it spotless and still had lots of leisure time for themselves (even without the optional maid service). Since our location is in the middle of the expat community, they found lots of fellow French Canadians within walking distance - both in town, and down the street - to socialize with. Since there's lots of time on vacation to socialize - it was a win/win all around - for the neighbours + them :) We appreciated their flexibility about the minor inconveniences that are inevitable in a third-world country - such as power interruptions or crowing roosters. They also helped "orient" other guests who passed through on shorter stays during their time with us, and made them feel welcome - including them in our friendly community! Guests with less travel experience had the benefit of getting a "heads-up" about what to expect. - which helped them feel more comfortable. We thank them for their feedback which gives us the opportunity to improve things - like better cookware and kitchen appliances - for future guests. We thank them for choosing us at Vecinos for their Cabarete holiday! and feel lucky they did! We'd love to see them come back for another vacation anytime!

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• expats in the DR

  expats in the DR

  • Guest Julie&Ron
  • Date of stay 04/21/11
  • Review Submitted 04/26/11
  Great place, nice people, unique experience....don't miss Saturday morning (and early afternoon) market....German pastries by Christina & Lynda's carmel rolls (sticky buns). This was our second visit and certainly not our last.

  Recommended for: Age 55+, pet owners, families with young children.

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

• Wonderful holidays at Vecinos condo

  Wonderful holidays at Vecinos condo

  • Guest simointe
  • Date of stay 04/05/11
  • Review Submitted 04/21/11
  We were there two weeks in April. Lynda and Lees are very human persons, always helpful to answering a question or fix a little thing for us. The property is very pleasant, the trees and plants are beautiful. It is clean and charming. The beach the other side of the street is very beautiful and not crowded. The property is a little outside of Cabarete town, 3 or 4 kilometers away, but easy to reach my mini-bus by day. The night life of Cabarete is difficult to reach tough. We definitely recommend this place.

  Recommended for: Families with teenagers, families with young children.

  Owner response: Simon + Chantal + family were great guests who were a delight to share our home with! The 4 daughters and their parents spent many happy hours playing in the pool and taking day trips to the numerous attractions + activities around. They didn't need to rent a vehicle as they got everywhere they needed to go by either walking or taking the public transport "gua-guas" (mini-buses), taxis or regular buses. The adults took turns taking the kids to some of the numerous activities available close by - which gave everyone time for themselves, or together - to do what they enjoyed most. Snorkeling in near-by Sosua , windsurfing on the world-famous Cabarete Bay, or just spending a sunny family day at the beach, were some of their highlights they told us about. They took full advantage of our great location - far enough from town to be peaceful and tranquil, yet close enough to get there easily for shopping, dining or entertainment. They were also happy about the convenient beach restaurant and bar right across the street that's open for breakfast, lunch or dinner - where they had great food at reasonable prices. It was very handy for them to just walk across the street with the girls and enjoy a nice family meal at the beach. On days they preferred to eat at home, they found the condo kitchen + dining room very convenient as it was fully stocked with cookware + dishes and the familiar GE fridge and stove that's so reliable "back home". They didn't have to carry bulky sports equipment with them, as they could easily rent it in town, saving them the hassle of bringing it with them. Since they were the only guests here during their stay, the whole resort was basically theirs to enjoy as their own private space. They made great use of the pool and common areas, playing games and enjoying the pets - which is always a joy to see. Everyone had a great time and found things to do that were great fun for them - which shows there are an amazing variety of fun activities available all around - suitable for every age range. The condos are easily maintained, so they didn't need to spend a lot of time cleaning. That freed up most of their time for family fun-in-the-sun activities - the best reason for tropical vacations, after all! We were happy to see how much they enjoyed spending time with each other at our place, and experiencing various adventures near-by. We told them that they're very welcome to come back anytime! ...and to tell their friends too :)

  Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0

Low Season ... $85/night .. $525/week .. $1540/month
High Season .. $95/night .. $595/week .. $1997/month

Note: Until confirmed, rates are subject to change without notice.