After reviewing our cheapest accommodation in the USA on this trip, I thought I would do the same here in the Dominican Republic. Here in Cabarete, a beach town on the North coast of the DR, we are staying in an apartment booked online. I am always scared about booking apartments online, especially for a long time period such as this (3 weeks) as if we don’t like it, we are stuck.  Thankfully, we were very lucky with this find. Our two bedroom Cabarete vacation rental is absolutely fabulous and only costing us about US$50 a night during peak season over Christmas and New Years Eve.  Take a look at what this gets you!

The apartment

Dining room and kitchen

The apartment we are staying in has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two balconies (one even has a bbq!), and an open plan kitchen/dining/lounge.  It is big – bigger than the apartment we live in at home and has plenty of storage.  Each bedroom has an air conditioning unit and there are fans in both those rooms too and the living room.

J and S enjoy the living room

The kitchen is well equipped, except it does not have an oven.  It does have a stove and a microwave though and plenty of cupboard space.

Kitchen

The dining room works well for us, although we often eat on one of the balconies – each of them has a table and chairs.

Balcony with bbq – there is also a table and chairs on here

The bathrooms have huge showers, basins and toilets.  Unfortunately, there is no bath tub, but we do have a washing machine and a dryer.  It is sad to admit it, but the washing machine is my favourite part.  It is so nice to just be able to do washing whenever we like! The ensuite is so big that we are actually using it as Z’s bedroom with his travel cot!

The main bathroom with washing machine and dryer

There is also internet access and weekly servicing of the apartment.  The servicing is very thorough, and you can have it more often if you like for a nominal fee. The photos don’t do it justice.  They don’t really show how nice and well maintained it looks and feels, or all the space that is available.  We had quite a shock when we walked in the first time, even after seeing similar photos online when we booked it.

Main bedroom – the other one is similar

The apartment is great and would appeal to anyone really – friends, couples, couples travelling together, families, etc

The building

Our apartment complex

It is a lovely building with 4 different apartment blocks around a central pool.  Our neighbours have been awesome and we haven’t heard a peep. We only share a wall with anyone else in our kitchen anyway.  There is a swipe card to get into the complex and keys for the apartment door as well as each bedroom door. There is a pool and spa in the middle which is just gorgeous.  The building is well maintained with a security guard and seems to be managed well.  On check in, we had a warm welcome, an excellent introduction to the building and surrounds.  Since we don’t have a sim card which works in the DR, they even gave us a mobile with their number programmed in to use while we are here in case we have a problem!

The pool from our balcony

They also supply the big massive water bottles that companies use in water coolers back home for 50 pesos a replacement bottle – just over a $1.  It is very easy living here!

Location

The location is perhaps the one thing that lets this accommodation down.  Not because the location is bad (it isn’t), but it isn’t beach front. It is in a gated community a short walk, about a few hundred meters, to the main highway.  The beach is on the other side of this highway and there are many restaurants, shops and a big supermarket right here.  It does not take long at all to get to the beach, so as long as you don’t want beach views or a two second walk to the water, the location is fine. You can also read about our top fun things to do in Cabarete on a budget and about our thoughts on staying in Cabarete.

You can find this property on TripAdvisor Vacation Rentals.  If you stay at an apartment like this, be aware that you may need to budget more for drinks – there is no way you can live in an apartment like this and not have a beer every evening on the balcony!!

Do you like to stay in holiday rentals when you travel?

You can also read our guide to the best family resorts in the Dominican Republic.

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