It’s the beginning of December, and all around North America and Europe, the temperature is dropping. Perfect time for a Road Trip to Playa Grande.
Thankfully, we don’t live in either of those places, we live in The Dominican Republic.
That gives us year round options for things to do, and after a visitor came in on Saturday, we decided to put some gas in the truck and head East to Playa Rogelio for lunch and Playa Grande for a swim.
Playa Rogelio, not the most prominently known beach in the area, is located about 1 hour drive from Sosua. There is no signage on the highway, and it’s honestly only through having visited the beach on horse riding excursions over 15 years ago, that later on I remembered about it.
Fast forward to 2020 and there is now a quaint row of restaurants and bars, right on the beach, that serve a variety of seafood, meat and international dishes, along with cold drinks. Our favorite spot to visit is called “Carolina Restaurant” where I have been visiting for almost 3 years now. There is a kitchen side bar and several cana covered kiosks with chairs and benches, pretty much all with amazing ocean views.
So this is not a food blog, but I had to take some pictures of the 4 meals we ordered, as they were all fresh, fantastic and mind-blowingly affordable.
So our order of Lagonstinos (baby lobster), Lambi a la criolla (creole style conch), fried chicken and a whole 2lb fried fish, was both fresh and delicious. Including sides of plantain, sweet potato, chips, rice and beans and salads and a few waters and sodas, the bill only came to RD$2,000 – which is at the current exchange rate only US$35.
The view here as mentioned earlier, pretty amazing…below are some images of the beach itself.
So after we finished our meal we made way to Playa Grande, a 30 minute drive or so, through to the eastern side of Rio San Juan. Now you have probably heard of this place before as it has been subject in recent years to heavy investment from international development groups. As a result, around 9 years ago the beach vendors were moved from one end of the beach to the opposite side. New entrance, kiosks, bars, gift shops and bathrooms were built.
Lavish villas and hotel rooms have been constructed around the golf course and on parts of the beach, and prices allegedly start at the US$1,000 per night mark. Various famous people have reportedly vacationed there in recent years. As we mention, beaches in The Dominican Republic are public and weather you decide to use the Playa Grande facilities or bring your own chairs and food/drink – it’s up to you and your access is guaranteed.
Playa Grande is a perfect beach for walking – it is over 1km long. So back to part II of today’s road trip, a few dips in the ocean and a couple of cold beers with a view to die for.
Then back in the car, and a drive back home before dark. Lovely day was had by all. It’s a road trip we have taken many a client/friend on, and it’s worth it when you want to go and see places new.
Read about more North Coast beaches here in our lifestyle section…
Or take a look on youtube at the video we made Road Trip Playa Grande.
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