More than a place to stay. A place to experience.
Coral Breeze Vacation is our family’s Encuentro Beach vacation rental, welcome to a comfortable home base for discovering the Dominican Republic’s North Coast at your own pace.
From our family to yours.
Your vacation begins long before you go to sleep.
There are twenty-four hours in a day. After eight hours of sleep, you still have sixteen hours to explore, relax, taste, swim, laugh and discover something new.
Coral Breeze Vacation was created to help you enjoy those sixteen waking hours—not simply to offer you a place to sleep.
We are a family from Québec, Canada who has spent several years discovering the Dominican Republic’s North Coast one trip at a time. We have driven its roads, visited its communities, shopped in its grocery stores, eaten in its restaurants and returned to the places that made us feel welcome.
This website is where we share what we have learned along the way: the beaches we enjoy, the outings we have experienced, the restaurants we return to and the practical information we wish someone had shared with us before our first visit.
We were looking for more than another vacation.
“This is it.”
During the pandemic, we began thinking seriously about the next chapter of our lives. Retirement was getting closer, and we knew that when the time came, we wanted sunshine, warmth and a place our family could look forward to returning to.
We travelled to the Bahamas, Cuba and Punta Cana. Then, after stepping off the plane in the Dominican Republic, my wife looked at me and said three simple words: “This is it.”
Punta Cana first introduced us to the country. But our first stay on the North Coast changed the way we wanted to experience it. Puerto Plata, Sosúa, Cabarete and the communities around them felt less like a resort destination and more like a place where we could genuinely live, explore and return year after year.
We eventually stopped limiting ourselves to all-inclusive resorts. We rented a home, drove ourselves around, visited the grocery stores and began discovering everyday life in the Dominican Republic. That experience eventually led us to our own place—and to Coral Breeze Vacation.
Read our full storyDiscover the Dominican Republic’s North Coast
The North Coast of the Dominican Republic is not one single vacation experience. It is a collection of beaches, towns, flavours, landscapes and communities, each offering a different way to spend your day.
Puerto Plata
Explore the historic centre, colourful streets, Fortaleza San Felipe, local cafés, museums and a waterfront shaped by centuries of Caribbean history.
Explore Puerto Plata
Cabarete
Spend the day near the water, watch kiteboarders, discover beachfront restaurants or enjoy an evening where the sand, music and Caribbean atmosphere meet.
Explore Cabarete
Sosúa
Discover calm bays, local shops, restaurants, grocery stores and many of the everyday services that make an independent North Coast vacation easier to enjoy.
Explore Sosúa
Encuentro
Begin the morning near one of the region’s best-known surf areas in Encuentro, enjoy the surrounding tropical landscape and experience a quieter side of the North Coast.
Explore EncuentroAfter a full day exploring, Coral Breeze is where you return.
Coral Breeze is our family’s place on the North Coast and the home we share with guests who want more freedom than a traditional resort vacation can offer.
Prepare breakfast in your own kitchen, slow down by the pool, connect to high-speed Internet, plan tomorrow’s outing from the comfort of the condo and enjoy the flexibility of experiencing the Dominican Republic at your own pace.
Our Caribbean Journal
Every visit teaches us something new. Sometimes it is a beach we had never seen, a restaurant worth returning to, an unexpected drive or simply a better way to enjoy a familiar place. This journal is where we share those discoveries while they are still fresh in our minds.
Practical information from people who have been there.
A successful vacation is not only about choosing where to visit. It is also about knowing where to find help, groceries, transportation and everyday services when you need them.
Our Travel Essentials section brings together the information we would want available to our own family while staying on the North Coast.
View Travel EssentialsPlanning a vacation on the Dominican Republic’s North Coast? Encuentro beach vacation rental
These are some of the questions travellers often ask when considering an independent vacation near Puerto Plata, Cabarete, Sosúa and Encuentro.
What makes the Dominican Republic’s North Coast different from Punta Cana?
Punta Cana is especially well known for large all-inclusive resorts. The North Coast also has resorts, but it offers a broader independent-travel experience through towns such as Puerto Plata, Sosúa and Cabarete. Visitors can rent a vehicle, explore different beaches, eat at local restaurants, shop for groceries and build each day around their own interests.
Where is Coral Breeze Vacation located?
Coral Breeze Vacation is located on the Dominican Republic’s North Coast, within reach of Encuentro, Cabarete, Sosúa and Puerto Plata. This position makes it possible to combine quieter time at the property with beaches, restaurants, shops and day trips throughout the region.
Is the North Coast suitable for a family vacation?
Yes. Families can choose from beach days, historic attractions, nature outings, restaurants, swimming, cultural visits and relaxed time at the property. Because every family has different needs, our Caribbean Journal identifies what we experienced personally and what may be especially useful for parents travelling with children.
Is renting a car recommended?
A rental car can provide considerably more freedom, especially for travellers who want to visit several communities or plan their days independently. Other transportation options may also be available depending on the outing. Our Travel Essentials and Journal pages share practical observations from our own experiences driving and travelling around the North Coast.
What can visitors do near Coral Breeze Vacation?
Visitors can explore beaches, restaurants, surfing areas, historic Puerto Plata, Cabarete’s waterfront, Sosúa and numerous day-trip destinations. Coral Breeze Vacation is developing a growing collection of first-hand stories and recommendations to help guests plan their waking hours rather than simply choose where to sleep.
Are the recommendations on this website based on real visits?
Yes. Our Caribbean Journal is built from our family’s own photographs, visits and experiences. We explain what we saw, what we enjoyed and what we learned so that other travellers can make informed choices. We do not use stock photographs to represent places we have not personally experienced.
Does Coral Breeze offer more than accommodation information?
Yes. The property is only one part of the Coral Breeze experience. The website also provides destination ideas, travel stories, local recommendations and practical information about transportation, groceries, medical services and other everyday travel needs.
Come for the place.
Remember the experience.
Discover the North Coast, plan your days and make Coral Breeze the place you come home to between adventures.