Tom and I traveled to the Dominican Republic with our three kids, ages 17, 18 and 20. We were a bit apprehensive about renting a home in a village versus staying in a resort, but when our taxi (furnished with drinks for our trip from the airport - just over an hour away) arrived at the Sea Dog Inn, we were welcomed by Julia, Pearl and Anderson with refreshing fruity drinks and prepared snacks and that's when our worries began to slip away. We found the property on VRBO and were instantly attracted to the beauty of the house, the infinity pool overlooking the Caribbean and the Jimmy Buffett theme! But what really made the vacation a memory we will treasure forever, was the staff. We cannot say enough amazing things about Julia. She is irreplaceable as the manager of this property. Without her, we would not have experienced half of the things that we did during our stay there. From taking us out on the town at night (Marcelo's!!!), to arranging a horseback ride up into the mountains to have an authentic creole lunch cooked over an open fire at a lovely Dominican family's home, to taking videos of our family's first plunge into the Caribbean, she was not only our guide, but someone we became fast friends with. She arranged for us to have a spa day at the house, she prepared some amazing authentic Dominican food for us, and showed us all of the hot spots throughout Cabrera. Even her husband, Junior, joined us for some excursions. At one of the beaches, Playa Diamante, he, Anderson, Tom and our boys all played baseball with several Dominican boys for 2 hours! Using a stick and tennis ball, with 3rd base in the water, they had a blast! When we talk about our vacation, we talk about how much we miss Julia and her family. We also talk so much about Anderson. He is the groundskeeper of the property, but he did so much more! He helped us to get groceries, came with us to dinner one night when we weren't sure where to go, got us binoculars when we saw the humpback whales breaching in the ocean beyond the pool on the property, fixed the hot water when it wasn't so hot, and, along with Julia and her husband, taught us how to dance, Dominican style.
With three older teenagers vacationing with their parents, the property allowed for us all to have our own space, while still coming together by the pool and bar/patio area. Truly, this was a trip that brought us all together in a beautiful setting making wonderful memories...we wish we could go back already!