News Room
2023

In 2023, our surroundings were vibrant with construction activities as the school underwent a transformation into a pediatric medical center, and the land to the east of us is under development into 14 villas. Unfortunately, this transformation brought about significant disturbances such as noise, vibrations, and dust, impacting the daily operations and occupancy of Dulce Vida. However, it also provided us with the opportunity to carry out essential maintenance following the tourism surge in 2022 after the COVID pandemic.

The COVID tourism craze has subsided, leaving a lasting impact on our area with ongoing and completed construction projects, some of which are now available for rent and will compete with us. Summer tourism from Europe and the USA has notably slowed down due to factors like expensive flights, conflicts, and economic instability. Despite this decline, the Dominican Republic has risen as an airline hub connecting the northern and southern Americas. Consequently, there is a discernible increase in tourists from Central and South America visiting the region.

We experienced an unexpected resignation when our cherished employee, Julio, who had been with us for many years, decided to pursue the American dream. He hopped on a plane to Colombia, traveled to the US border, and successfully made his way to New York.
In Julio's absence, we welcomed Santo, a friendly local who seamlessly integrates into the Dulce Vida community.

Additionally, due to the excessive dust carried over by winds from nearby construction, we found it necessary to hire an extra helper to manage the pool and handle the cleaning of common areas.

In 2023, managing the automatic gate has proven to be a learning curve. Local technicians have faced challenges in keeping the 20+ key fobs synchronized, and the key fobs themselves are not well-suited to the corrosive effects of the salty beach environment. Eric has been tirelessly repairing, reprogramming, and replacing batteries to maintain functionality.
Some key-fobs have already needed replacement due to these persistent issues. 

Despite the challenges with the automatic gate system, we consider ourselves fortunate to maintain our access agreement. As access to the beach becomes increasingly restricted and valuable, our ability to retain this privilege is indeed a fortunate aspect for our community.

On the beach side, the once heavy wooden gate has been replaced with a lighter metal gate, which is now also secured with a lock. This alteration has significantly enhanced privacy in the garden areas, providing an improved and more secure environment.

Water:

We're still facing problems with water supply because of inconsistent pressure and availability. Right now, we're depending entirely on our cistern and pump for all our water needs. This year, we brought an old well back into use, using its water for the garden and pool. In 2024, we'll also connect it to the laundry by extending the pipeline.

Electricity:

In 2022 and 2023, frequent power cuts occurred due to ongoing repairs and upgrades in the electrical grid. This led to increased strain on our generator, and we had to undergo a significant repair in 2023. While energy prices remained stable during the election year, the government has announced plans for continued price hikes in 2024.

We had 78  power outages for a total of  189hr of generator use.

Hot water:

Our propane hot water system is still holding up. We rebuilt one of the tanks and adjusted the plumbing to enhance overall temperatures. Additionally, we installed black pipe coils on the roof to harness solar energy, assisting in heating our water during the day.

Network:

This year, Cabarete has seen a few general network outages, but overall, things are going well, and our guests appreciate the quality of our network.

Generator
It's showing signs of wear and tear. We've been able to patch it up and keep it running, but we need to start thinking about a replacement. I anticipate it will hold on for a few more years, but the inevitable day will come.