The grounds within Royal Residence are tidy and clean. There are very few steps within the environment. Looking to the right of the steps into the pool (lower image) you can see one small step. This is the only step that would need to be navigated. There is a second entrance to the apartment with the same size step around the corner. The approach from the street is ramped and as can be seen in 'Exit to the street' image, there is a further ramp.

The pool has a gentle slope and is quite shallow at one end sloping to about 5ft 7" at the deep end. At one end there are two good sized steps in and a further four in the middle. From an access point of view, a wheelchair user who can transfer and has some mobility would probably manage without too much difficulty. As a professional working in the area of physical disability, please feel free to contact me for an honest assessment of access issues both here and in the Dominican Republic generally. As said elsewhere, the pavements are not good and a pocket torch is useful for walking after dark.

There has been an attempt to balance security needs with not feeling like a prison. The large front door is closed in the evening and at night, the lock being accessed by a PIN number which is changed regularly.

Cabarete is all 'low-rise', in fact Royal Residence is probably the tallest building in the area. The town is an expanding one along the main road from Puerto Plata to Samana. In land is marsh and the other side sea, so there is minimal development away from this small strip. There are two distinct areas to the town, the kite-surfer's hotels & apartments then, about 3/4 of a mile further, Cabarete itself. There has been a lot of development in the area over the last few years and soon the two areas will blend in to one. Much of this development has been private apartments, some of them very exclusive. Turning left from Royal Residence, it is a very short walk into the town (approx 200 yards). Here there are bars, restaurants and gift shops as well as a couple more supermarkets. The higher quality bars & restaurants are on the beach (see www.cabarete.org when it is redesigned for reviews). The trinket shops range from reasonable jewelry (at least my wife thinks so!) to really poor quality. Shops where you pay the price shown to places where you barter between one and two thirds off. Brits are notoriously poor at bargaining so the best thing is to decide what it's worth to you and offer that, then walk away if it's not accepted... well, that's what I do anyway! There are a couple of places to eat on the main road. The noise and dust are the main reasons for not eating here, but the price is generally much more acceptable. I ate lunch at a German place on the inland side of the road. Chicken curry, fried potato salad & a drink was about RD$240 (about £3.50 or US$7). It was good too. There are some cafes along here, internet access and year round 'liquidation' shops. Turning right out of Royal Residence there is a couple of new developments. Underneath one of these is a selection of 'up market' shops and a coffee shop, with prices to match for their 'up market' cliental. I had a sandwich and a coffee here once, it was good food but not good value in my opinion. There are a few more restaurants this way too but I've not yet eaten in any of them. There is also a Dominican 'shack' at the side of the road, selling BBQ'd chicken. I've not tried it yet but it always smells good. If any adventurous person has eaten there and wants to let me know how it was, drop me a line. At the opposite end of the town is a 'Tourist Police Station'. Although I've not had any contact with the tourist police on any of my trips, I believe you are most likely to find an English speaking policeman within the tourist police service. Worth knowing where to find them, 'just in case'. In the centre of the town there is a small medical centre with 24 hour on call doctor and a dentist. Always worth knowing how to get in contact with them. I'm not sure if the ambulance is stationed there 24 hours but I've seen it parked there a lot.

Cabarete Bay is blessed with predictable on-shore wind which is what makes it so popular with the kite guys & gals. For beginners, if they have a problem, they get washed up on 'Bozzo Beach' where their instructor will have walked to pick their kite up, walk back around the beach before launching them off for another try. Mixed in with these are some 'performers' doing jumps and twists. Personally, I'd never get bored with watching them! To the west of the bay the waves are often quite high. They can be excellent fun to play in or to 'boogy board' but there is sometimes a 'back current' and shifting sand. It's important to watch for this especially if you are not a strong swimmer or have children with you. Stay close to the beach and in your depth if you aren't a strong swimmer. Apparently, if you do get caught in a current that is taking you out, the advice is to not panic and swim sideways, parallel to the shore until you are out of the current, then swim in normally. Not being a strong swimmer, I try to avoid that situation! As you head further east around the bay, the waves become generally smaller and the sea becomes safer. At the extreme east of the bay, the sea is much more shallow and predictable which is safe even for very young children (with supervision of course). Obviously, this is intended to give an overview of the area, sand and sea move, so please check that there are still no sudden drops before letting children play.

Even if you don't want this apartment, I can heartily recommend a holiday in Cabarete. Food, sun, sea, sand, sport, and a few drinks as well...

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