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Las Terrenas: Paradise Found Bill Piatt Villa Clarissa 4, Ave Pedro Francisco Bono, Las Terrenas
Las Terrenas: Paradise FoundBill Piatt
Villa Clarissa 4, Ave Pedro Francisco Bono, Las Terrenas
A Decade-Long Quest for Living Abroad:
10 Key Criteria
Beachside with Mountains & Trees
Affordable Restaurants & Cafes
Welcoming Cosmopolitan Community
Relatively Undiscovered
Ease of Access
Path of Progress
Quality Construction Providing Value for Money
Foreigner-Friendly Government & People
Active Lifestyle
Access to Healthcare
Explored Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua,
Costa Rica, Panama, Ecuador & Spain
Too HOT, or Too COLD
Some Countries were awesome (like Ecuador), but just too far away
Many Cute Towns, But Without Good Grocery Stores
Two-Dimensional Cultures: Anglo/Gringo & Local
Too many Tourists (Cruise Ships) with Too Many Touristy Restaurants & Shops
What Do You Do with Your Spare Time (other than just drink & socialize)?
Pacific Ocean is Too Wild & the Tides are Enormous
Caribbean Islands Tend to Have a Sargassum Problem
Some Real Estate Markets Just Feel Too “Frothy”
Current Government May be Friendly, but Who Knows What Comes Next?
Is this really where we want to LIVE?!...
How We Ended up in Las Terrenas
After a particularly unpleasant trip to another island in Jan/Feb 2016, I just
looked for where I could go with an unused about-to-expire Delta ticket.
Spent a few days in Santo Domingo, marveling at the history here
Hopped on an “Espresso Bus” to Las Terrenas to see what all the chatter
was about.
Within three days, I was hooked.
My wife thought I was crazy.
I talked her into coming, and within
48 hours SHE was hooked, too!
Beachside with Mountains & Trees
Some of the most beautiful beaches on earth, many
that are accessible only by boat (reduces crowding!)
Surrounded by mountains with gorgeous vistas &
waterfalls
Samana Peninsula has more Palm Trees per square
mile than anywhere else in the Caribbean!
Affordable Restaurants & Cafes
Literally hundreds of excellent owner-operated restaurants
French, Italian, Dominican, Japanese, Mexican, German & Fusion Cuisine
Three course “Prix Fixe” gourmet French luncheon from $7 per person
Highest end, world class dining along the beach averages about $30 pp
Dominican BBQ Chicken dinner in town for $4-5 per person
Did I mention Shopping??
Welcoming, Cosmopolitan Community
Large cadres of full and part time residents that
probably outnumber “tourists”
Social life is very active, including many impromptu
gatherings & events
Everyone is welcome! Even if you weren’t invited…
Where else can you go to the grocery store & hear 5
different languages spoken in 30 minutes?!
Large numbers of Expats are married to Dominicans,
creating a most interesting cultural fusion
Relatively Undiscovered
Las Terrenas has an aura of being farther off
the beaten track than it really is.
Though fairly well known to Europeans and to
a lesser degree Canadians, it is virtually
unknown to people from the US (that don’t
subscribe to LIOS)
Most activity and growth is occurring
“organically” without large infusions of
external funding (good news!)
NO CRUISE SHIPS!
A small semi-sleepy little town just far enough
away to dissuade the lazy from looking.
A place where the living is easy…
Ease of Access
El Catey airport is less than 30 minutes away.
SDQ (Santo Domingo) airport is less than 2
hours on a very civilized, well-maintained &
lightly used toll road.
SDQ is easily reached in about 7 hours from
Raleigh, NC (our primary airport) & costs
between $400-$600 depending on the
season & class of service
SDQ is a short 2-hour flight from MIA, 3-hour
flight from ATL, or 3.5-hour flight from NYC
Path of Progress
First all-year road was built in 1969, fell apart & re-paved in 1989 & 2010
Las Terrenas first had town-wide electricity in 1994
El Catey Airport opened in 2006
New Toll Road to Santo Domingo completed in 2008
Road along Playa Las Ballenas paved in 2011
Beachfront Promenade on Playa Bonita completed in 2014
Quality Construction Providing Value for
Money
Concrete construction, designed to be earthquake &
hurricane proof
French, Italian, British, Canadian & Dominican
General Contractors, all accustomed to building for a
discriminating market
Cross-pollination of European & Dominican cultures
results in businesses with extraordinary customer-
service focus & access to local artisans
Development projects tend to be smaller, allowing
owners more control over the maintenance &
upkeep of properties, enhancing value
Prices are very low relative to other Caribbean
locations that offer less quality – roughly $200/square
foot, including land, for a modern villa
Property management industry is strong, competitive
& professional
Foreigner-Friendly Government & People
The Dominican Republic was one of the first
countries in the world to create Free Trade
Zones.
Ministry of Tourism focuses on attracting a
variety of tourists by creating alternative
zones for development (eg Punta Cana for
Golf, Cabarete for Kite Boarding, Las Terrenas
for easy living, etc).
New Residency & citizenship options have
made the DR a very attractive option for off-
shoring.
Government is stable & conservative in its
management of the country.
Active Lifestyle
A completely walkable community, from one end
to the other.
Organized mountain bike treks weekly
Kite Board, Surf, Kayak, Ride Horseback, Fish, Sail,
Hike, Swim…
Lots of leisure activities without spending big $$$
Healthcare In Las Terrenas
New International Clinic Opened in 2014
English-speaking doctors
Most hospitals accept US & European Health
Insurance (Medicare is US-ONLY, though)
Medical Helicopter Service to Santo
Domingo
World-Class specialists in Santo Domingo,
though not in all specialties
Certainly sufficient for the relatively healthy
Not Just a Great Place to Visit…
A Wonderful Place to LIVE!!
Great karma
Excellent Restaurants & Cafes
Fabulous Grocery Stores
Customer Service Culture
Cosmopolitan Community
La Dolce Vita!!
Las Terrenas Conisists of Five Beaches,
Each With Its Own Character
Bill Piatt
Sans Souci in Las Terrenas
Villa Clarissa 4, Playa Las Ballenas
Ave Francisco Pedro Bono
Las Terrenas, [email protected]
WhatsApp: 703.887.7177
