Juan Dolio - South Beach of the Caribbean !!!

[STEVE G.]

Originally Posted by mikey007

half of the roadway or boulevard should be repaired for routine traffic and the other half should be used for the heavy machinery equipment and trucks but this would take discipline and some planning ...

Have you been to Juan Dolio lately ? ... Planning.... Unfortunately it's not possible in the case of Boulevard in Juan Dolio , as constructions are going on everywhere on both sides of boulevard at the same time and it's not possible to plan who is going to start to build and when first

[STEVE G.]

Originally Posted by mikey007

...the punta canma developers who are more reliable and dependable those road conditions in juan dolio are deplorable just face the facts and show a real picture of the road condition...

Have you ever been to Punta Cana ? If yes ...Are there any problems with roads in Punta Cana ? Is a Highway from Santo Domingo to Juan Dolio / San Pedro by it's conditions worst to compare to Punta Cana ?

[mikey007]

prior proper planning prevents **** poor performance

[frank recktenwald]

Originally Posted by mikey007

prior proper planning prevents **** poor performance

Mikey don't be so negative, I reckon with you the glass is half empty instead of half full.
Plse remember that we're in the DR here and we see this all over the Caribbean and Latin America, things are different over here.
That's why all the expats are here and not in their own country.
I agree also with Steve why for that 1/4 mile doing work on the road when there's still a lot of construction traffic going on.

[MommC]

Mickey......
When we bought our condo in JD in 1991 we were told the road would be paved within a year or two. It took 12 (that's right - 12) years before it was done. Prior to that it was a mud road with potholes large enough to swallow a motorbike!!!

Three years later a trench was dug down the middle of most of it to place sewer pipes for a waste water treatment plant that has yet to be built!!
Also the pipes were not connected properly so won't work anyways and will need to be redone if the plant ever does get built!

That lovely night odour is from all the 'septicos' that are at capacity or over capacity and you can expect to smell it for many years to come! At least with most of the smaller resorts out of business it isn't as bad as it used to be!!

It only took 15 years to get 'potable' water installed (which we still don't use for drinking 'cause we saw how it was constructed and are well aware of all the dead dogs and rats that were in the tubing before it was finished! Not to mention the plain ole dirt that was in them-'flushing the system isn't enough to clean them!!).

JD used to be a 'lively' place with lots of 'movement' on the street (which I might add was safe to walk at ANY time of day or night) however once the resorts went all inclusive the restaurants/bars/disco's slowly died as well as the small stores,souvenir shops, clothing outlets.billiards,bowling alley, g0-karts, mini-putt! Once the resorts started closing and condo building started, movement on the street became 'precarious' and life outside the condo became non-existent!

Since most of the 'newer' condo units have been bought for 'investment' purposes and 'rental' income it's anyones' guess how long it will be before JD becomes 'vibrant' again (IF AT ALL!).

All you need to do is talk to the business owners that have managed to 'stay alive' and you'll know what I'm talking about!

Thank God we have a vehicle 'cause we don't plan our life around drinking ourselves into a stupour or finding the 'cheapest' 'ho to 'entertain' us or we'd for sure have sold out and moved elsewhere many moons ago! Thanks also to the friends we've made over the years that provide many hours of pleasureable companionship (over dinners, exploring the country etc) or we'd have gone stir crazy by now!

As for the 'disease' situation at the moment....let me say this.....talk to the people who live in the neighbourhood and you'll know how much dengue/leptopirosis exists!
I've had dengue.....and I know others who've had it also(some more than once) so it does indeed exist in JD. All one needs to do is walk along the beach near where Aquabella is to be constructed and one can see the mosquito breeding grounds!!

[STEVE G.]

Originally Posted by MommC

....
As for the 'disease' situation at the moment....let me say this.....talk to the people who live in the neighbourhood and you'll know how much dengue/leptopirosis exists!...

OK ... Let's try ... Matilda would you tell us how many cases of leptopirosis you heard off after your clients bought something from your colmado in cans or bottles ( after they consumed without washing them ) ... or Dre Broeders please would you tell us how many cases of dengue are in your Guest House Holland lately ?

[STEVE G.]

MommC - 10-20-2006, 07:36 PM

While I have witnessed much change in the last 16 yrs I still prefer Juan Dolio to the north coast areas. It's still small and friendly although in recent years with the proliferation of drugs, crime has become more of a problem each year.
It is sad to see the resorts go yet at the same time when they converted to all inclusive it spelled a death knell for the town.
No longer were restaurants crowded, discos faded away, the bowling alley and go-cart places closed and the town really died.
Many jobs also left the town and those that were created by the larger resorts were not as well paying as those that had existed for the beach vendors, waiters and service people before the AI explosion.
In a way I welcome the new condos because once again Juan Dolio will become what it once was.......a village of people and not just a vacation spot where people come and go every week or two.
My hope is that the condos and apartments will be inhabited permanently (or at least semi-permanently in the case of expats like me who come for 5-6 months of the year) and not just be 'weekend' beach houses.
Then the community will once again develop with restaurants, snack bars, discos, markets, retail stores selling more than tourist junk, sports facilities with gyms and spas etc. etc.
It will still be small enough to get to know your neighbours and become a real community once again!

[STEVE G.]

Changes in Juan Dolio

[MommC]

The question is "How long will it take"??

We've watched the community 'disappear' due to the changes and while the changes are welcomed until the infrastructure is added you can build all the condos there is space for and the community will NOT become 'permanently' settled or even 'semi-permanently' settled.

Yes JD is better than the north coast IMHO (at least PP,Sosua area which I am familiar with) and I know many people who used to come yearly (10-15yrs) to those areas who no longer come to the island at all.

I also have met many people who were enchanted with our area but now can't wait to sell their places and find greener pastures as they don't like what's happening, not to mention the much higher costs of staying in the DR.
With the real estate situation in Florida at present many people have opted to purchase there again as the cost of property and living has once again become more affordable in the southern US.

We had friends stay three months this past winter, and while they loved their time here, they are NOT coming back this year! Venezuela is much more appealing to them (they were there the year before) so positive changes MUST take place for the island to recover.

As for the dengue/leptopirosis problems of late, much of that is due to the recent heavy rains and also people not knowing they should wash cans (I do so even in Canada and the States because those cans sit in warehouses where rats are know to frequent-show me a warehouse and I'll show you rats!!) or take precautions against mosquitos. Dominicans are notorious for throwing trash everywhere and many of those collect water when it rains and breed mosquitos.

Then there is the problem of the stagnant lagoon where Aquqbella is to be built. We've contacted the gov't agencies responsible several times but no action has been taken and I'm being eaten alive in my house even with screens,sprays,body spray, Baygon Plaquetas etc.

Yes I have had dengue!!!! and I almost died!! It took me almost a year to recover and I had it during the time when there were lots of resorts in the area that sprayed regularly to control the mosquito population!! Those resorts no longer exist.....so......

I again re-iterate.....until the infastructure (including policing to the level it USED to be) is in place JD will continue it's downward plight and hopefully some of the remaining restaurants/bars will be able to weather the storm!

Originally Posted by STEVE G.

MommC - 10-20-2006, 07:36 PM

While I have witnessed much change in the last 16 yrs I still prefer Juan Dolio to the north coast areas. It's still small and friendly although in recent years with the proliferation of drugs, crime has become more of a problem each year.
It is sad to see the resorts go yet at the same time when they converted to all inclusive it spelled a death knell for the town.
No longer were restaurants crowded, discos faded away, the bowling alley and go-cart places closed and the town really died.
Many jobs also left the town and those that were created by the larger resorts were not as well paying as those that had existed for the beach vendors, waiters and service people before the AI explosion.
In a way I welcome the new condos because once again Juan Dolio will become what it once was.......a village of people and not just a vacation spot where people come and go every week or two.
My hope is that the condos and apartments will be inhabited permanently (or at least semi-permanently in the case of expats like me who come for 5-6 months of the year) and not just be 'weekend' beach houses.
Then the community will once again develop with restaurants, snack bars, discos, markets, retail stores selling more than tourist junk, sports facilities with gyms and spas etc. etc.
It will still be small enough to get to know your neighbours and become a real community once again!

[Dre Broeders]

Originally Posted by STEVE G.

OK ... Let's try ... Matilda would you tell us how many cases of leptopirosis you heard off after your clients bought something from your colmado in cans or bottles ( after they consumed without washing them ) ... or Dre Broeders please would you tell us how many cases of dengue are in your Guest House Holland lately ?

I hear from one German Man. He visited the area of San Cristobal. He was five days in hospital in San Pedro de Macoris.
Further I hear nothing about more cases of DENGUE in Juan Dolio.
Also not LEPTO.