Kite House Cabarete

The roof deck is gorgeous, and there’s helpful staff, private bathrooms, laundry onsite, moto rental, decent internet, water jugs, and fellow kiters. It’s a good value. The location has a downside, though: Kite Beach is right across the street, but that street is the main highway, with congested, loud traffic all day and into the night. Bring earplugs and hope they finish renovating the windows soon.

The staff at Kite House were outstanding, friendly and helpful, and showed real Dominican hospitality. But our 30-day stay was disappointing because of the traffic and several other problems. We were moved to a back unit only for the final week. It was quieter by about 20%, which helped, but the management had first suggested that traffic noise was simply part of the Dominican Republic and something we had to accept. The street noise made video calls for work extremely difficult. Traffic itself isn’t management’s fault, but it had a major effect on our stay. The noise carried inside almost as strongly as outside because the doors and windows were poor. We heard horns, revving engines, motorcycles, large trucks, boomboxes on wheels and loudspeaker advertisers, and at times the whole room vibrated. Diesel fumes and dust were persistent, too. On 4-5 separate occasions, neighbors butchered and then roasted screaming pigs outside our drafty windows, leaving smoke in the room all day. Both apartments we stayed in had leaking ceilings when it rained, and we lost power several times. It came back relatively quickly, but the outages interfered with our work. The views from our apartments were over trash heaps. Cabarete felt very trashy for a tourist location, and Kite House added to the problem when staff tossed broken rooftop chairs behind the building. The nearby Kite Club used to be our favorite beach hangout and helped draw us to this location, but it has deteriorated significantly under new ownership. There were some positives: the rooftop had a grill and amenities, drinking water came in large plastic containers, and the internet was decent for Cabarete, usually around 25-30Mbps down, though it sometimes slowed or went out. You can rent a scooter onsite, and they offer loundry service. For a visit, I’d ask for a room as far back from the street as possible, bring earplugs or a loud white noise machine, and check on the Kite Club’s current condition if it matters to you. We wish we’d known these things before choosing Kite House.

The rooftop is a wonderful place for evening yoga, hanging out, working, or just taking in the mountain view behind you and the beautiful beach in front. Downstairs, the little garden gives the hotel a bright, fun feel. It was my first kite surfing trip to Cabarete, and I wouldn’t have wanted to stay anywhere else. Everyone working in the building, along with the owners, was warm, kind, and ready to help. I’ll be back next time. Thank you for the hospitality, Gus & Maike!

The tropical feel, relaxed atmosphere, and easygoing staff made the whole trip feel laid back. Kite House Cabarete is a minute’s walk from kite club and the best part of Kite Beach. I had an amazing stay, and I won’t choose anywhere else for future kite trips.