Coconut Palms Resort

On a quiet hilltop, outside of downtown Cabarete, Coconut Palms is laid-back resort where not much goes on. In the winter, the hotel sees mostly American and Canadian families, but the clientele is mainly Dominican during the summer months. There is a laissez-faire attitude at the hotel, where guests leave doors unlocked and windows open, where music floats between the rooms, and guests mingle with one another late into the night. No one’s waking up at dawn to reserve pool chairs, and there won’t be any pool aerobics or theme nights here. For many Coconut Palms is an affordable place to sleep and eat while taking time to explore the Dominican Republic’s north coast. 

The simple, but pleasant, lobby includes stone flooring, tan wicker chairs, and neutral walls. Three sunbursts hang on the wall and potted plants add green to the space. Outside, the pool deck is lined with tall palm trees and trimmed hedges.  

Located on a windy hilltop about 20 minutes from Gregorio Luperon International Airport, Coconut Palms Resort is conveniently located for travelers looking for a secluded location away from the crowds of Cabarete. The hotel is about a 10-minute walk from Playa Encuentro, an authentic local beach with ideal conditions for windsurfing or kiteboarding. The beach tends to be less crowded than many nearby beaches in Cabarete. Guests looking to dine, shop, or party in lively Cabarete will need to rent a car or rely on taxis to get there, as the hotel is not within walking distance of all the action. In general, the north coast of the Dominican Republic is quite windy, but Coconut Palms’ hilltop location means open doors and windows are constantly slammed shut and napkins and empty cups can easily take flight. Downtown Sosua is about 13 minutes from the hotel, while downtown Puerto Plata is about 40 minutes.    

Coconut Palms is composed of apartments with one, two, or three bedrooms, almost all of which have some sort of sea view. Even the smallest units are generally large, with separate living rooms and kitchenettes. Two- and three-bedroom apartments have full kitchens with stovetops, full-size refrigerators, microwaves, coffeemakers, and completely stocked cabinets with flatware, cutlery, pots, and pans. Most units have large balconies or terraces with gorgeous ocean views. Rooms have high ceilings with bright Caribbean accents throughout, white tile floors, bare-bones wooden furniture, and light wood plantation shutters instead of glass windows and doors. Though they’re pleasant, they are showing their age, with deteriorating tile work in the bathrooms, outdated furniture, and well worn mattresses. Water pressure and temperature is hit or miss, but the hotel does provide a free gallon of water in each room for drinking, cooking, and brushing teeth, as water throughout the Dominican Republic is not potable.   

It’s certainly nice to have a pool, bar, and restaurant, but these features at Coconut Palms are nothing to write home about. The mid-size pool has a volleyball net and a few scattered lounge chairs surrounding it. The pool looks as though it could be cleaned a bit better, and the addition of a few umbrellas might be nice, considering the Dominican Republic’s relentless sun. The poolside bar, a little palapa-style hut, has a few bar stools, TVs, and a large drink menu. The Palm Room, the hotel’s open-air restaurant, looks much more sophisticated than the food it serves, and prices are a bit steep by Dominican standards, for mediocre meals. The restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but breakfast is not included in the room rate. There’s free parking, and free Wi-Fi, and a lovely beach about 10 minutes down the hill from the hotel. The hotel does have a few lounge chairs on the beach reserved for hotel guests.