SANTO DOMINGO.- Tourism again shows it’s the country’s main economic activity, with 54 projects under under construction at a cost of US$12.4 billion.
The Tourism Ministry lists the major projects underway in the Bavaro-Punta Cana area, where 32 hotel constructions will add 13,167 rooms to the country’s inventory.
The second investment area is Juan Dolio, where four projects totaling 987 rooms are undersay. Others projects are in Samaná, Puerto Plata, Santiago and Jarabacoa.
To this month there are 54 tourism projects with 16,240 new rooms in construction in the country, with an estimated investment of US$12.4 billion, according to Tourism figures, which surpasses the total of US$12.1 billion in foreign investment between 1993 and 2007 in different industries.
By zones
The Bavaro-Punta Cana region’s US$11.7 billion in 32 projects tops investments with 95 percent of the total; Juan Dolio, in San Pedro province, has four projects with 987 rooms totaling US$109 million; the Samaná-Las Terrenas (northeast) has under construction of 828 rooms in eight projects at a cost of US$204,435, and Santiago province has 526 rooms in two projects of US$41,165 underway.
Returning to the east, Bayahíbe, La Altagracia province, has 470 rooms in six projects costing US$141,112 under construction; Puerto Plata has 218 hotel units and just one project underway, with a budget of US$91,345.
Finally there’s Jarabacoa, La Vega province, where 44 rooms are being built ata a cost of US$10,800. This area’s mountainous terrain is ideal for ecotourism including mountain climbing, boating on rapids, and has the tallest water falls, among other attractions.
The average cost per room is 760,000 dollars, a figure which in the Punta Cana-Bavaro area soars to 893,000.
Of a total US$12.1 billion accumulated direct foreign investment in 1993-2007 period, Tourism headed the list with 22.3 percent of the total, or US$2.7 billion.
SOURCE: hoy.com.do
From: Canada
these are people who are arriving with large wads of cash, and who, by virtue of the strength of wealth, can change the social, political and cultural landscape, in their favor. they can buy ordinances to restrict entry of locals into their ¨gated communities..they can restrict locals from access to beaches. they can monopolise certain employment opportunities, restricting them to their friends and compatriots. these are not theoretical insights; these are things i witnessed on a daily basis in the DR. in the main, the only benefits accrue to the newly arrived, while the locals get a few jobs as maids and gardeners. .....DOWN WITH THE EXPLOITERS
From: Canada
O my here come the horrible exploiters why cant we be more like Cuba instead of these little jobs for maids and gardeners the people should be living in these condos .....lets throw the exploiters out...Mugabe has the right idea
From: Canada
Does anyone know how many schools are being built by the developers?
From: Canada
They are going to create a lot of small businesses also ...that is a fact ..
From: Canada
No power outtages
From: Canada
Making money is a good thing ....that is what pays the taxes
Written by: UnDyin86, 25 Jun 2008 10:44 AM
From: United States
GC you're right---why the hell aren't schools being built? Or poor villages rebuilt and living conditions improved? My heart weighs heavily for those less fortunate....but if it creates job oppurtunities then I guess it isn't THAT bad.
From: Canada
undyin....Schools are being built by the developers and they are better than anything the government has done ....you can look it up....as Yogi used to say....and no power outtages
From: Dominican Republic
Sorry Goulet...no new schools being built here...at least noth for at average Dominican.
The efforts of a few small guys like me in the area provide more for schools through guest donations than any hotel chain or real estate development does. Seeing that now we are having to go 300 miles away to find people to work (who are educuated), I think that the buildings may say 5 star...but the service will say less.
Funny as well...the roads remain an embarassment even now...3 years after I came to the area. 10 Star resorts with 1 star roads make for a nasty 1st impression.
From: United States
PuntaCanaMike, there are guys in this forum such as NY4LIFE, who believe that we are the monte carlo of the caribbean because we have 5 star construction type buildings. these are the guys who call us Little New York. it does not matter to them that we do not have the attendant infrastructure to support this proliferation of buildings, such as roads. they could not care less if there is worthwhile access to medical services, or adequate emergency preparedness in the form of ambulances, trauma centers ,medevac facilities, etc. they think real estate is the end all and be all, and damn the ancillaries of modern accomodations. the buildings are tall, and the trappings glisten. we have more than the rest of the caribbean, so we win the superbowl of importance!!
From: Canada
Mike Can Cun had no infrastructure at this stage either ...".you aint seen nuthin yet "
Written by: MrDom, 25 Jun 2008 12:03 PM
From: Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, DN
And more are coming dreadlocks... :)
From: Canada
Dread these guys did plenty home work ....this is not traditional cheeseball stuff that was here in the past ....when Ritz or Four Seasons or Banyan Tree go in they know what they are doing .....NO POWER OUTTAGES in this part of the island if you are on the grid....quit praying for failure ...and stop thinking Boca Chica.....this winter will tell the tale Mike remember nobody with a nickel from North America goes to the Caribbean in the summer and europeans with a nickel dont usually come here anytime but they will plenty this winter....everyone will be celebrating Obamas election
From: United States
Goulet, what does the homework of the builders have to do with town planning? they are not responsible for any of the aspects i referred to, such as roads and emergency planning, are they? and what makes you think they did plenty of homework? you might be right, so please enlighten me. i am yet to join the bragging rights club headed by MrDom and NY4LIFE, but i can be convinced. it seems to be such a carefree and happy institution, with not a care in the world.
From: United States
Goulet, here is my question, in summary. let me preface it with anecdotal evidence. i have a friend who recently had open heart surgery in Santo Domingo. he went to a hospital which my friends described to me to be a monstrously large and impressive structure, or array of structures, comparable to anything one would see in the most developed of countries. only thing is that it took all day to collect blood platelets from 8 people, because there was only one small station operating, no blood on hand, and very few persons attending the station. my question is this; if the most apparently grandiose of hospitals is unable to function under any degree of pressure, what is going to happen if there is a tour bus accident in Bavaro, such as the ones which happen frequently on US turnpikes? do you believe that a lack of medical preparedness in this oasis of grandeur might cause negative repercussions for the business there? just asking...
From: Canada
Builders have not much to do with the negotiations involved with world class hotels like Fairmont or Ritz or Four Seasons ...Do you Think Four Seasons went into Nevis with just a piece of land ...Impact studies have been done by these guys ....Ranieri and Oscar and Julio and Hazoury have done something different than anything that has ever been done before in the Caribbean ...Casa de Campo was the prototype and it works...and la Romana prospers...you may not like it but everyone else in the Caribbean is envious
From: Canada
I dont care about the eat and drink till you puke cheeseball resorts that are all inclusive Jamaica and Cuba can have them
From: United States
Goulet, you have not answered the question i asked. are you personally aware of the presence of adequate support services in the area, such as medical facilities within easy access? i do not have to tell someone with your knowledge of the subject that medical concerns weigh heavily upon the minds of travellers. you know that there are people who will never visit a caribbean country, because they are afraid of what will happen if they get a heart attack. i am not aware of the considerations which have been given to such aspects in that part of the world, and that is why i ask you. maybe you can start out by telling me how many hospitals are in the immediate catchment area of the hotel development,and their relative preparedness for an eventuality such as i described earlier. it is not a matter of whether or not i like it; it is not a matter of being a hater, as NY4LIFE calls people such as myself, who express doubts.but foreigners are skittish when it comes to the heath issues!
Written by: ny4life, 25 Jun 2008 12:44 PM
From: United States, New York, NY
Dreadzzzzz, develop of infrastructure in the DR is a good thing. However, social iniatives such education, transportation, healthcare, food, and housing need to be tackled by the gov't. As PuntaCana Mike said, lot's of hotel but not many qualifiied individuals living near by. That has to be a priority in order for the country to advance it has to start putting its focus on its people and build long-term problems to benefit them. Healthcare is now free for the poor, yes it has kinks but the idea is there and will continue to develop to incorporate ALL poor Dominicans. Same can be said for plan Solidaridad and education now providing meals to school children. These all have kinds but the people must continue to fight so that it will trully benefit Dominicans. The platform has been laid for such social programs. Hotel must contribute to the development of social programs in DR. More needs to be down obviously and the people need to keep puttting pressure so socially DR will be better
From: Canada
Dread that is an excellent question .....I cannot vouch for it but with the likes of Kissinger and Barishnikov having homes in Punta Cana Resort I would imagine there is a full time air ambulance and an excellent well paid clinic in the immediate area if not resident doctors on call this is for the guests ....but let me say this you mention something that is a major concern among tourists of a certian income if it is not available they are not coming ....The US virgin islands if you get sick you better get out and fast or you will die it is the worst and it is America...here the DR if you can get to Santo Domingo or Santiago they have High quality care better than anything south of Puerto Rico but this income bracket relies on being stabilized and then an air ambulance out
From: United States
One day there is no money and the next -- wheels barrels of goog old U.S.A. In a so called poor nation and some will claimed that through " Tourism " poverty will be if not diminished, eliminated. This is how government do the people and some people love it that way while a child goes hungry and a mother awakes wondering how it will feed her children that day, a father goes and stand a a cortner frustrated cause his pockets are humiliated and ignorance is telling him his just not trying hard enough. Haitians are coming over and taking your job and even the government will hire them to construct but you know that in your country you should earned more. If you protest they tell want to live in Cuba, like some of these comments above. When the truth is spoken one becomes a label of something that has nothing to do with the truth. Its O'K to built all these rooms but don't go saying that there is a crisis cause if there was then how will they provide for the materials needed and so on....
From: Canada
Hectorvargas the picture you paint is a sad one I feel ashamed to see the horrible things that go on for lack of basic needs..food and education etc . ....These things do not change overnight I am sorry to say...not being able to feed your children whilst others have an abundance is not fair but they say life is not fair ....we must keep trying to help these people help themselves
From: United States
i think with the price of fuel rising, more poeple will vacation locally..... like florida and stuff the only thing that attracts the people Iknow personelly that are not DR are the sex tourism.... DR is known for sex tourism........ to almost every african american I know
From: United States
I personally I think they are building too much, too much competition… I think the resorts will loose money. When DR is no longer the “it spot” and they are most definitely over developing the country.
Most of the people that post here are not even Dominican, I mean of Dominican Decent. My family has been in DR for centuries. Back before it was even called the Dominican Republic. People from other countries dictate what we should do, and how we should live. They are a lot of individuals on this site that post comments whom do not have the courage to even say what ethnicity they are. And will never admit that they are not really of Dominican decent. At least I can tolerate the Haitians. They did not come of there own free will
From: Canada
Hey Chill how do you think the indians feel about you?
From: Dominican Republic
My main concern is not the buildings...it is the education. Employee ratio is basically 1 employee per room in the industry. Right now, the pool is empty as far as qualified people to do the work...namely language skills, basic trades, and service training. With the addition of 13000 rooms, that adds up to a very strained workforce. Pay big bucks...expect exceptional service...sorry...but exceptional service comes from exceptional people and at present the number of exceptional people who want to work for hotel wages ( yes...Casa de Campo pays the same as Goulet calls them..."Cheesball" resorts) are few and far between.
I wish all of this new development well...and eventually some will.
From: Canada
Casa de Campo where the Four Seasons will be is a private hotel and is not 4 Seasons have you ever been to one.?.... They are not at all like the 30 year old rustic style hotel at Casa...This and the new properties being built are 260 thou more per room than the other rooms costs .....their clientele is world wide this has never existed here on this island no matter what you think ...the rest are cheeseball compared to to Ritz and Four seasons ...you will see when they are finished ....when you spend almost a million per room you get something that has never existed here before no matter how many BS stars which mean nothing ultra deluxe blah blah....these are brands that are not in the DR before and like a chevy before and now comes ROLLS ROYCE.....go for a ride
From: Canada
Try to imagine when four seasons went into Nevis they really had to retrain the whole island ...it is one of the best golf resorts in the caribbean.....when I tell you mike these guys will steal or buy the best available talent I know what I am talking about and believ me compared to other islands the labour pool here is very deep with talent....and as we speak the maitre at the best hotel restaurant in Santo domingo Wants the dining room job at the Ritz the competition will be their I saw it in San Juan in St thomas BVI and Nevis these chains are the best the pros want to work there
From: United States
This is a bubble waiting to pop! Stop exploiting my country and giving it to the rich, it's getting worse than what Castro does in Cuba.
From: Canada
Wow thats opposite ends of the spectrum Donald Trump to Fidelito the Beard
From: United States
Ny4life, i now see that it is pointless to argue with you, because when you do not understand something you resort to cheesy attempts at humor (dreadzzzzz). there is a big difference between you and i; one of us is a trained development economist and the other is not. you believe that when someone asks salient questions it is because they are jealous. did you not see wherein Goulet, who generally revels in disagreeing with me, agrees this time about tourists and medical apprehensions?. i have friends in america who would never come here, because of medical worries. they would not go to any other caribbean or latin american country either, for the same reason. you believe that building thousands of hotel rooms at rapid pace is development. wrong! without ancillary services, you have concrete. as other posters have observed, this is a bubble. a minimal slowdown in world tourism will put a large percentage of these hotels into receivership in short order.apparently, the TV at your
From: United States
house must be experiencing some sort of malfunction; otherwise, you would see that there are dire predictions for foreign travel in the short to medium term, given the economic downturn in the world today. there are other concerns besides impressive structures which attract and motivate people to travel to other countries. have you ever been to Las Vegas? do you believe that people who have are impressed by some hotel in Bavaro? i acknowledge that they are wonderful structures, but grandiosity is relative, and foreigners have the luxury of having seen things we cannot imagine. so, to the people from Los Mina, the bridges over the Ozama are marvels of construction; to the guy from Staten Island, who rides the Verrazano every day, those bridges are like highway overpasses. get the picture?
Written by: UnDyin86, 26 Jun 2008 1:39 PM
From: United States
Dreadlocks, I have to agree with you...absolutely valid point of view. The government should focus on the improvement of basic services and the skills that a qualified individual can apply through professional practice.
From: Canada
UnDyin ...please do not pay dread compliments he will get conceited and full of himself ....Please do not encourage him it is bad enough as it is
Written by: UnDyin86, 27 Jun 2008 9:18 AM
From: United States
Well, it's just that he made a valid point-I'm not trying to brown-nose anybody. We you think about it, are we truly equipped to handle all this mass production? I sure hope so.
From: United States
goulet, you are just jealous that the compliments are not headed your way!
From: Dominican Republic
Spent many a day and night in the likes of a 4S and Fairmount hotel over my years. Nice...refined...lifeless and dull...but hey....they're all clean and lavish!
I will assume that since most of these developments are actually residential, under a blanket management name, that most will sit ...empty...but paid for. Thus the employee per room ratio declines dramatically. Much like a condo in Aventura FL. I have had the opportunity to stay in...about 100% owned...and 20% occupied. It is like an abandoned structure most of the time....aside from the gardeners.
I guess my idea of what the islands are about...is not mega structures and developments costing 100's of millions of dollars....built for the good of a select few. It's about living within the culture...not keeping the culture out...as most complexes do. It is about simplicity and creativity...something that islanders around the world have mastered over the years.
con't
From: Dominican Republic
Florida Keys were once a part of the world where you could escape without a flight a few years ago. Now, it is nothing but a concrete extention of Miami....big name developers....low name personality. Sure...its clean and the food is great...but for the money I would expect nothing less.
But does it really define island life??? Absolutely not.
Give me a cold beer, a hammock and a basic thatched roof cabana and I am happy. Best of all...I will remember every moment for years to come.
Put me in a prefab walled complex, with foo foo drinks and back home ambience...and..well...the only thing I will remeber is how much I paid and how little I remembered about the place...just looked like every other big box development....cold...lifeless and full of attitude.
I know on paper all of this looks wonderful, but what I see is a place for people who say they travel...but never want to leave home.
From: United States
PuntaCanaMike, i cannot remember when last i was so satisfied in reading an opinion piece as i did reading your post. sadly, people here do not have a clue what tourists want. they are trying to outdo the masters of grandeur with more grandeur. if people in the USA want monstrous hotel structures, with glitz, glamour and 24 hour prime rib dinners, they do not have to go to the trouble of getting a passport and futzing around with the perils of airline travel, and its attendant uncertainties. they can go to Vegas, Foxwoods, Atlantic City or Miami Beach, which have far more impressive infrastructure than we will ever do. besides, they get to see a show at night, or a jazz band, or some guy being mauled by a tiger( sorry, but it did happen). we have these glorious structures in the middle of nowhere, and every soul i know who has been to Punta Cana tells me that they almost died of boredom. something has gone wrong; we all want to emulate developed countries, with high tech and high
From: United States
rise. some guys actually come to islands because of their quaint and homey dispositions. that is what makes them curious. when everything begins to look like Houston, then what the heck is the point of travel, anyway? i have the same crap at home, they will all say! when i leave the USA and go on vacation, i do not want Wendy´s and Burger King. if i want that, i will save the airfare and eat it in my neighborhood.
From: Canada
If you knew how much of that hokey Jimmy Buffet stuff I had to live through let alone the yellow bird limbo dancing with Harry Belafonte you would throw up .....Please that is so over.......and Key West I want to throw up again watching all those Caribbean wannabees...I came in 1973 down island the old timers were real pirates and characters they are legends...mostly WW2 vets who dropped out and created very interesting things .....you guys missed it and it is over....Now new years eve at Foxys is a crush of wealthy jerks that came in those private planes and yachts...it is a business and we have to make the best of it ....but Mike if you want to get romantic about the past you are gonna have to go farther of the grid.....Try Annegada because we want to play golf
From: Canada
Dread it looks like the mother land is gonna win it all on Sunday......Viva Espana Viva Franco
From: United States
be careful with your enthusiasm Goulet. i love their style and flair, and they do play an artistic game. but the Germans have cojones...they will not lay down like the Spaniah always do. so even though the spanish have it won on paper, that is why they play the games!!
From: Dominican Republic
yeah...i know Goulet....the real world is shrinking...cultures blending (not to well...but blending just the same). It kind of makes me think that it is a good thing that the average life is 80-some years...otherwise I might live to see the world become one of those sterile monovisual sets from futuristic movies.
As for the Keys, I played ice hockey in Forida back in the early 70's ( yes...they had a rink even then!) and spent some time in the Keys when the mangroves out-numbered the mile marker signs. Those were the days when the Keys meant a different world. Living there for 6 months in 2004, I was amazed...even in that short peroiod of time...the change from what was left of the fabled Keys...into a 100 mile strip mall abbriviated by gated communities. The novelty wears off really quick.
It is also funny that when people dream of a tropical vacation...it is usually a rustic dream...not one overwhelmed with marble floors and statues pissing into a pool.
From: Canada
Mike where in Canada do you hail from ? I moved to south Georgia in1964
From: Canada
At that time never got further south than Miami and in those days Orlando was a tiny hick town
From: United States
keep on posting, Mike. i love your literary style. besides, we seem to see things from a similar stance. i just think that there has to be some relief from the ordinary, or boredom will kill us all. and to me, gigantic structures with chrome all around is both boring and lethal!
From: Canada
Like the Fuhrer I will have to fight on two fronts
From: United States
and against whom might you be fighting, Goulet, and why?
From: Canada
Both you guys should know that the more coney island it gets the less and less the quality stuff will come....For example Puerto Plata is so old and cheesey it requires a full renovation just to be competitive in the all inclusive market......but Cap Cana is another kettle of fish aimed at a different consumer just like Casa was
From: Canada
Cabo San Lucas was a fishing village as well not long ago
From: United States
Goulet, speak not of Puerto Plata. i have spent some time there, and , believe me, i have no idea why it is considered a tourist destination. it, in my mind, is a decrepit fishing village. with wondrous places like Rio San Juan and others on the north coast, which genius decided that Puerto Plata is a tourist attraction?
From: Canada
in my memory it was destined ...I think it was the first Club Med in the Caribbean other than the French islands and that was pretty hot publicity in those days
From: Canada
Dread I find the town of Puerto Plata in flavour and architecture the most west indian of all dominican places and kind of like it for that reason ...but my time there is limited ...I love gingerbread houses and I do miss down island sometimes
From: United States
i would not dare to match wits with you on this subject, but i have it on good authority that the club med motif was brought to the caribbean by the Issa boys from Superclubs, who introduced the all-inclusive crap to this part of the world. that would put the club med innovation in the island of jamaica, if my info is right. i stand corrected in advance, Goulet. do not tar and feather me if i am wrong.
From: Canada
I am very weak in all inclusives having only experieced them as a consumer since coming to the DR but Issa brothers pretty much wrote the book in the caribbean and the guy who own Sandals is also a business genius..... But the only hotel I know in Jamaica is Half Moon and that is another story altogether....I should not turn up my nose so much at these all inclusives but I could never do a nickels worth of business with any of them they are to price oriented{cheap] to buy my products
From: United States
i was doing a little skimming through the internet some time back and found that the Issa boys brought the all inclusive thing to this part of the world, with the Superclubs idea. i also saw where their all inclusive package is not the Playa Dorada drink till you fall style, but really high level. all-inclusive means all inclusive. if you want top shelf, you simply pay the kind of tariff which gets you that treatment. isn´t half moon where they have the golf tournaments?
From: Canada
Yes there is top shelf all inclusive hotels .....There is top shelf American Plan hotels meaning all meals included no booze.....the booze is what seperates the truly high cost of doing business....Many top shelf AP hotels Caneel Bay and Liitle Dix are traditional bastions of the rich....But yes there are many expensive all inclusives Casa de Campo has a plan .....Dread dont try to order Louis 13 or Krug champagne they will refer you to the fine print of your reservation ...but it does include a very good selection of brands of booze.....I know from experience how to find the weak spots in these plans and you can make it expensive for your hosts....But mostly the super deluxe disdain these kinds of things for that very reason or the surcharges are very hefty
From: United States
fear not, Goulet. i will not be ordering ANY champagne in the near future. i will confine my ambitions to some store bought asti spumanti, or the like, thank you!
From: Canada
Half moon is now joined with Rose Hall and is Considered by many to be the top top resort for golf and luxury in Jamaica ...The last time I was there in the 90s I was comped in a beautiful villa right on the beach it had and has very high standards as you know apart from Rockresorts the English set the highest standards in resorts in those days {the 90s}in The Caribbean...The younger wealthy and Arrivistes want something less staid today and do not like to dress for dinner...Rosewood from the mansion at Turtle Creek now run most of the former Rockresorts...I have been out of the loop for a while so I may say something dumb that is no longer true ...But Rockresorts were truly wonderful places and basically run with Rockefeller family standards ...what a family...true Philanthropists dread without kidding..they could not give it away fast enough
Written by: Trujillo, 28 Jun 2008 7:42 PM
From: Dominican Republic
The ones responsible for the Cap Cana project have an even bigger project planned for Samana and they will start once they're done with Cap Cana. Sorry, forgot the name of that project.
From: United States
Goulet, again let me preface things by admitting my deficiency of information in these matters, but i have a friend who worked both in bermuda and in jamaica, and he told me that the most luxurious and prestigious hotels in that country were the Round Hill, where Jackie Onassis, mick jagger, et al, had their private suites on a yearly basis, and another hotel where Ian Fleming, of james bond fame, caroused. the name of that one escapes me( in english that means ¨i don´t know).
From: Canada
Bermuda ,the Bahamas and Jamaica also Barbados were well in the forefront of luxury resorts they created the need...their Standards are the Standard on which all luxury in the Caribbean was judged....In other words the closest thing you could get to European service in the Tropics. there is a list of hotels from these and a few other Islands that would fight it out for bragging rights to the upper classes {pardon the expression}their reputations are richly deserved .....even after the sun set on Englands empire their reputations perservear and they are still the Gold standard in the Caribbean...you know things like " Jackets Required In Dining Room" after 5PM although it was perfectly correct to take it off once inside,you just could not get in without wearing it.....the rules you know
From: United States
you are so correct, Goulet. and, from what frequent fliers have told me, they also set the standards for service also. the stiff upper lip motif was bolstered by extreme attention to detail and presentation. my information is that the hotels here in the DR have the opulence and grandeur, but cannot begin to approach the ones you mentioned in terms of service.
From: Canada
A good friend who was a GM for Rockresorts and Cornell hotel school grad was asked by myself to describe a new property that was built in the late 80s to hoopla of luxury etc we had both visited it and we were comparing notes...His description I never forgot and it is so perfect I said " Bruce what did you think of it "? his answer was perfect "It lacked that seedy elegance " yes that is the charm of those classics and you are correct that cannot be duplicated ....but the new resorts of the super deluxe category ie. Ritz and Four Seasons are also a super high if not higher standard that money can buy ....but money cannot buy time and that wonderful seedy elegance
From: Canada
Dread remember these hotels have not opened in the DR yet..... they will be impressive unlike anything in the past of this island for standards and quality
From: Canada
the most beautiful over the top hotel lobby is still the El San Juan built in 1958 it still required a jacket to be worn when you entered the lobby after 6pm until 1974 and then Tourism fell apart in Puerto Rico.....The Conquistador was something else as well it was her sister property and the Caribe Hilton was the flagship of all Hiltons and the first kosher kitchen in the Caribbean....the Americans were starting to come but the english had set the standards
From: United States
thanks for those insights, Goulet. was the Conquistador a hotel on the Malecon in San Juan?
From: Canada
no way out in Fajardo through many fishing villages it was remodeled in the early 90s 1000 rooms the whole thing...In the old days it had a cable car that went down to the ocean from the cliff ..and a hydrofoil that took shoppers to St Thomas every morning it was called the "Comet " needless to say do to seasickness and to much rum it became kinown as the "Vomit Comet ".....The El Con as it was known was as modern as the El San Juan was baroque and ornate they were both legends and still survive
From: United States
relics from the good old days when caribbean tourism had style. now it is all about all inclusive cheap ass crap tours, wherein the visitors leave the countries knowing less about them than when they arrived.
From: Canada
no dread more more hideaways for the super rich are being built throughout the Caribbean as well as budget oriented vacation sites .....than ever before ...the boomers are coming ...and they are going to stay for a long time...
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The efforts of a few small guys like me in the area provide more for schools through guest donations than any hotel chain or real estate development does. Seeing that now we are having to go 300 miles away to find people to work (who are educuated), I think that the buildings may say 5 star...but the service will say less.
Funny as well...the roads remain an embarassment even now...3 years after I came to the area. 10 Star resorts with 1 star roads make for a nasty 1st impression.
Most of the people that post here are not even Dominican, I mean of Dominican Decent. My family has been in DR for centuries. Back before it was even called the Dominican Republic. People from other countries dictate what we should do, and how we should live. They are a lot of individuals on this site that post comments whom do not have the courage to even say what ethnicity they are. And will never admit that they are not really of Dominican decent. At least I can tolerate the Haitians. They did not come of there own free will
I wish all of this new development well...and eventually some will.
I will assume that since most of these developments are actually residential, under a blanket management name, that most will sit ...empty...but paid for. Thus the employee per room ratio declines dramatically. Much like a condo in Aventura FL. I have had the opportunity to stay in...about 100% owned...and 20% occupied. It is like an abandoned structure most of the time....aside from the gardeners.
I guess my idea of what the islands are about...is not mega structures and developments costing 100's of millions of dollars....built for the good of a select few. It's about living within the culture...not keeping the culture out...as most complexes do. It is about simplicity and creativity...something that islanders around the world have mastered over the years.
con't
But does it really define island life??? Absolutely not.
Give me a cold beer, a hammock and a basic thatched roof cabana and I am happy. Best of all...I will remember every moment for years to come.
Put me in a prefab walled complex, with foo foo drinks and back home ambience...and..well...the only thing I will remeber is how much I paid and how little I remembered about the place...just looked like every other big box development....cold...lifeless and full of attitude.
I know on paper all of this looks wonderful, but what I see is a place for people who say they travel...but never want to leave home.
As for the Keys, I played ice hockey in Forida back in the early 70's ( yes...they had a rink even then!) and spent some time in the Keys when the mangroves out-numbered the mile marker signs. Those were the days when the Keys meant a different world. Living there for 6 months in 2004, I was amazed...even in that short peroiod of time...the change from what was left of the fabled Keys...into a 100 mile strip mall abbriviated by gated communities. The novelty wears off really quick.
It is also funny that when people dream of a tropical vacation...it is usually a rustic dream...not one overwhelmed with marble floors and statues pissing into a pool.