Lived here about 17 years. For my 2 cents worth, I prefer the Puerto Plata area. Why? Cooler than Santo Domingo and Santiago; quieter than Sosua, and I am on the beach at Playa Cofresi. My fifteen year old daughter, goes to all english school in Costamber, 1 mile away, we are three miles west of Puerto Plata for shopping etc. Sosua is nice, with good English language school, but a little too busy and noisy for me. You cannot beat the Trade Wind breeze of the North Coast.