This was our first trip to the Dominican Republic. We are a family of four with two children aged 5 and 9. What a wonderful place Casa Bonita is. Located in a gorgeous, gated community near downtown Cabarete, the villa is located on a winding street with stone walls and an abundance of tropical vegetation (including a banana tree in Casa Bonita's backyard!). The house has a terrific layout for a beach vacation - a large main living space with 25 foot ceilings, a spacious kitchen and sitting area, and a dining area that looks out over the pool. There are three bedrooms and two bathrooms. The villa has many extra touches that only add to the experience of calm and relaxation - English books and magazines, an ipod dock, a television with a huge number of channels, great art and decor. The pool has a shaded sitting area that was a great respite from the heat. If you want to catch some rays, there's an upper deck area with comfortable chairs that has two stunning views - one of the ocean, the other looking off towards the mountains. The beach is about a two minute walk through the community, convenient enough that you don't have to plan for a 'beach day' - you can grab your towels and head down because it's so close. There was always a lot of room on the beach and the water is absolutely beautiful. The surf was perfect for my kids - wavy enough to be fun, but not so much that we worried for their safety.
Down the beach are quite a few restaurants with seating both inside and out. One word of caution - most places don't accept credit cards so bring adequate pesos. That said, our two favourite spots to eat were Gorditos Fresh Mex (a five minute walk either on the road or down the beach) and the amazing Cabarete Coffee Company located just outside Bahia De Arena where the villa is. The latter had terrific sandwiches, salads, smoothies, coffee and breakfast. Groceries are available at two separate stores, one close to the villa, one a fifteen minute walk. The great part is doing some walking and experiencing the local culture. Just keep your head up and watch out for the ubiquitous motorbikes that speed around. The cost of food was on the cheaper side of what we would pay in Canada.
We're definitely beach people and have been on many beach vacations. This was one of the very best both in terms of the villa, which has been so thoughtfully and carefully kitted out, and the beach. Definitely recommended. We will be back!