We had a wonderful time at Alex's place in Cabarete. This is a beautiful spot, steps away from the ocean. Our kids enjoyed the pool and beach area, and playing in the ocean. There is a strong undertow, however, children can play safely with adult supervision. Our 7 year old LOVED the waves. No jellyfish/seaweed; beautiful sandy beaches.
In terms of Joel for transportation, he is super lovely and caring. He hooked us up with snorkelling in town and helped when our kids were stung by jellyfish at Sosua beach.
In terms of the maids, they are lovely and will do whatever you ask them to (in terms of laundry, etc). They bought our kids presents before leaving for my sons bday.
In terms of the cooks (Mariana and Wasca; Rosi's son); they were AMAZING. Delicious food, open to any requests. All of our shopping was done for us, including beveridges. A++ food.
Alex was also very responsive and answered any questions we had very quickly.
We would definitely come again :)