History & Description of Cabarete

Located 24 miles east of Puerto Plata is the town of Cabarete. The land which originally belonged to the wealthy families of the Davila and Coca was settled in the 1863 when a plantation owner from Florida named Zephaniah kingsley who acquired a large portion of it. Escaping the racial tensions that was building in Florida he started his own colony with freed African slaves that worked the land and developed it. In later years the area would become the vacation spot for Dominican families who would visit here for their holidays.

The town of Cabarete is limited to its size due to a large lagoon located on the south side. The main street which runs through the town is lined with small hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops and other small businesses. Behind the businesses on the north side resides the 6 km long golden beach of Cabarete. Approximately fifteen years ago it was discovered that the combination of the shape of the bay, and the local shape
of the bay, and the local winds made Cabarete an ideal spot for windsurfing. Conditions for windsurfing are best in mid June until September and again in winter and spring. Today it is one of the top ten spots in the world for windsurfing. There are several international competitions held here during June and September.