Cade's place

Description

"Sand Dollar" is a 43-foot Polaris sailboat made by the Chien Yu boatyard of Taiwan in 1980. We lived aboard her for 15 years afloat. In 2012, we cut off the keel and moved her to the north-coastal mountains of the Dominican Republic, where she is permanently aground with a built-on bathroom and entrance hall.

The boat has a double berth which is accessible from one side only, and smaller than a conventional double (as is typical for boats, in our experience). There are also three single berths - two of which also serve as daytime seating areas. The single berths are in the "Main Salon" which is separated from the double berth area by a door. The main salon is adjacent to the galley (or kitchen, if you prefer), which has a top-loading refrigerator (smallish) and a two-burner propane stove.

The bathroom has a large shower stall and on-demand hot water. Water and power are provided from our "real" house which is located about 200 meters uphill. There is free wifi at our house, but it is not available at the boat (though there is cell-phone signal at the boat if you have a data plan).

Although we are in the tropics, the boat is under shade and at high elevation and remains cool. In fact, in winter months, a light blanket is needed at night. There is no heating or air conditioning, and none have complained of the lack.

The surrounding property is 2.5 hectares of old coffee farm that we are gradually converting to cacao farm. It is laced with trails.

Regarding meals, we encourage and support your self-sufficiency. Although we are glad to provide supplies for you to make tea or coffee, and even provide you with basic grocery supplies to prepare a light repaste - we find the mountain climb is not something most visitors wish to tackle first thing in the morning. We suggest you make your own (just the way you like it!) and make your way up hill after you are fortified and ready for adventure.

Regarding the nightly rate, this is only to cover the cost for a lady in the community to come clean before and after your visit. If you stay more than a couple of nights, we will gladly convert the net of additional charges into grocery purchases or cash back. We are not seeking income (though we certainly understand that the Freebird Club has operating expenses to cover) - just glad to host guests in this lovely area.

我不会说中文，但Google会。 我们可以通过文字交谈！
Je ne parle pas français, mais Google le fait. Nous pouvons parler par le texte!
Ich spreche kein Deutsch, aber Google tut es. Wir können per SMS reden!
Non parlo italiano, ma Google lo fa. Possiamo parlare per testo!
Я не говорю по-русски, но Google это делает. Мы можем говорить по тексту!
Dydw i ddim yn siarad Cymraeg, ond mae Google yn ei wneud. Gallwn ni siarad drwy destun!

Languages spoken

English, Spanish (moderate)

Amenities available

Wireless internetTelevisionUse of kitchenPrivate bathroomLaundry facilitiesDouble bedParkingGardenPet at home

Level of catering provided

Breakfast only included

Preferred level of host / guest interaction

Spend time chatting & getting to know each other

Location

We are located at 19 38.6'N, 70 51.5'W (you can plug that into Google Earth "location" field and find us). This is a rural agricultural area with access by gravel road from a main highway that runs between Navarrete and Puerto Plata. We are about 4km from the highway.

The property has numerous trails - some side-to-side and easy walking, and some up-and-down and more strenuous. It is full of life of a sort known as "cloud forest" and "tropical wet-dry". We have cataloged many of the species here and you can find them at https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/el-barco (you will not be over-run with moths, it is just that Lisa studies them, so many have been identified).

We are near a small village with friendly neighbors - generous spirited though mostly quite poor. You can walk nearby country roads and farm trails, and sometimes we have small volunteer projects repairing a neighbor's roof or such. More often, we just tend the farm (not much work, but if you like chopping stuff with a machete and promise not to cut yourself, we can always find a place to turn you loose).

There is one small store in the village with basic foods and a great inventory of cheap rum and wine. For prepared food, there are a couple of Dominican fast-food "paradas" on the highway. We recommend that visitors bring groceries from the cities and plan to "camp".

About 10 km north is the town of Imbert. Just before Imbert is "27 Charcos" a tourist attraction that features "canyoning" - descending a series of waterfalls by jumping, sliding or crawling. It is a refreshing morning adventure in warmer months (though some crazy folks go there in all seasons).

An hour north is the coast. From about Puerto Plata eastward, much of the coast is occupied by all-inclusive resorts (or if you are not a registered guest, they are all-exclusive!). Farther west, more secluded beaches may be found (at least on weekdays).

The nearest airports are Santiago (STI) about 45 minutes away, then Puerto Plata (POP) about an hour, and Santo Domingo (SDQ) about four or five hours. We find flights to STI are often cheaper than to POP. If you arrive in SDQ, bus service to Santiago is express and costs only about US$8. There are a variety of local and intercity transportation options if you don't want to rent a car - and we certainly would not blame you for wanting to avoid driving here.