Bahia Residence Cabarete

Bahia Residences is located inside residential Bahia de Arena, an immaculately maintained upscale private beachfront community on the western edge of Cabarete. It’s literally a million-dollar location. The beach is a fast three-minute walk and is suitable for both kitesurfing and swimming. Several good coffee shops and restaurants are also within easy walking distance, especially if you take the beach instead of the busy main road. The grounds are nicely kept, and the pool is sparkling clean. The residences are pet-friendly, though there was a somewhat aggressive resident dog running around the gated yard loose. It was nosing on our patio door and upset our dog in the morning. The one-bedroom first floor apartment was very clean, but a bit small. The kitchen is adequately equipped with a big refrigerator, a water dispenser, a nice television with sharp reception, comfortable seating, and a small table. The community has a generator, so when the power goes out (which it did), it comes back on in seconds. There is a comprehensive guest directory that is slightly outdated (some of the eateries it mentions are closed). The guest book states that you may use the tap water to brush your teeth, which we feel is reckless. Our advice: don’t. The queen size bed was just okay in terms of comfort; the mattress, linens, and pillows all need replacement. The room could benefit from a dresser or luggage rack, too. The bathroom was small, but had amazing water pressure in the shower and plenty of hot water. The biggest negative is the overwhelming amount of cigarette smoke. It’s a shame smokers take precedence over non-smokers here, even if it is unintentional, because this is one of the best locations in Cabarete. Sadly, smoking is allowed on the patios and balconies, and we happened to arrive at the same time as many smokers. The downstairs patios are designed so that you are sitting only five feet from the guests next door, and if they are smoking, their smoke is unavoidable. We had smokers in the next two units, so our stay was a constant stream of nasty cigar and cigarette smoke from the patios and around the pools. We couldn’t leave the screen door open when we were inside for the same reason. This is like the U.S. back in the 1970s, when nobody cared about lung cancer and second-hand smoke. The smoke was so pervasive, we could even smell it lying in bed at night with the windows closed. We’ve been all over the island for over a year, and this is the worst smoking situation we’ve seen in terms of disregard for non-smokers. Only the trashiest motels in North America permit this kind of smoking. It’s a great bargain in a beautiful location. If you don’t mind breathing (or having your children breathe) second-hand smoke the whole time, you’ll love it here. Personally, we would not stay here again. One more thing, the manager was oddly uncooperative and could not furnish us with a simple receipt we needed for business travel!