Wednesday, May 16, 2012

This place combines Caribbean beaches with American-style amenities

Dear Reader,

If you’re looking for a second home…in a place that’s quick and easy to get to…where the Caribbean Sea washes up on powder beaches… and that’s packed with American-style amenities…you should put Bavaro on your shortlist.

Bavaro, on the eastern side of the Dominican Republic, is postcard-perfect. A wide carpet of dazzling white sand runs along the coastline, lapped by gorgeous turquoise seas. Lofty coconut palms cast cool shadows across the beach. It boasts the kind of scenery that makes you think of a hammock, a good book, and a long cool drink…

Today, this area comes with modern infrastructure and amenities. But it began as a wild, untamed coast. The Dominican government decided to develop it for tourism. That meant starting from scratch, installing roads and utilities.

A private company built an international airport at Punta Cana (5.5 miles from Bavaro) in 1984. That triggered a sharp rise in tourist numbers. It’s now the busiest airport in the Dominican Republic, serving the most passengers. A string of resort hotels along the beach cater to those tourists.

You can fly to Punta Cana from Miami in 2.5 hours…from Dallas in 4.5 hours…and from New York in just under 4 hours.

It’s not just the airport. The roads in and around Bavaro are some of the best in the country. And a new highway under construction will cut the travel time to the island’s capital, Santo Domingo, in half, to less than two hours. That should bring more well-heeled locals to Bavaro for weekend trips and longer vacations. The new highway will also make it easier to get to Bavaro from the international airport in Santo Domingo.

Bavaro doesn’t feel terribly Dominican. It’s not quaint or colonial. Instead, it’s shiny and new, with a slew of amenities. In downtown Bavaro, you’ll find banks, hardware stores, car rental agencies, pharmacies, movie theaters, beauty salons, hospitals, shopping malls, car showrooms and supermarkets.

There’s a wide choice of restaurants and cafes offering Caribbean, French, Italian, Chinese and American food. The nightlife is excellent, too, with plenty of bars and clubs.

It’s a convenient town. You really won’t need to go to Santo Domingo very often if you own a second home here. Everything you need is right on your doorstep.

The biggest drawback in Bavaro is the price of beachfront property. Hotel chains with deep pockets snap up the larger pieces of beach land. Smaller parcels rarely come up for sale – and when they do, their pricing reflects that of the larger parcels.

There isn’t a strong market for rentals. Your competition is thousands of all-inclusive hotel rooms. So this isn’t somewhere where you can expect double-digit rental yields. But if you rent your home when you’re not using it, you could generate enough income to cover your running costs.

Bavaro makes perfect sense though as a second home location – a place where you and your family and friends will enjoy spending time.

And if you look at homes just a short walk to the beach, there’s no sticker shock. Properties off-beach are surprisingly affordable. Take a look at these sample properties:

• An 85 square meter (915 square feet) condo just 200 meters from the beach in a small complex with a swimming pool. The seller’s motivated, listing the condo at $80,000, fully furnished.
• In an upscale beach and golf resort, a new 95 square meter (1022 square feet) condo. This 1-bed, 1.5-bath condo is a short walk to a beautiful beach. It’s priced at $165,000.
• A new 2-bed 2-bath condo (103 square meters/1108 square feet) in a quiet neighborhood. It comes with hardwood cabinetry and granite counters. It’s a 5-minute walk to the beach. It’s priced at $130,000.
• A 3-bed, 3.5-bath villa that’s also a 5-minute walk to the beach. In a small community with pool and landscaped grounds, it’s on the market for $219,000 – and it’s furnished.

Our local real estate agent in Bavaro, Scott Medina, is happy to answer any queries that you have…and get you started on your property search. You can contact him here. Just tell Scott what you’re looking for and your budget and he will send you some sample listings.

Scott will also help you plan a trip to Bavaro that combines property viewings with a mini-vacation. You can soak up the sunshine, relax on the beach, and get a feel for what it’s like to spend time here. Plus, Scott will show you a selection of properties on your trip based on your preferences. You’ll only see what you want to see, at your own pace.

It’s the easiest way to figure out if Bavaro makes sense for you as a second home destination.

If you’re looking for year-round warmth, perfect beaches and balmy seas, in a convenient Caribbean location that’s a breeze to get to, Bavaro fits the bill.

Contact Scott here to get more details and start planning your trip.

Margaret Summerfield

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