We at Swell have a love/hate relationship with Tripadvisor, what started out as a great idea: real reviews by real guests quickly got abused and turned into: Fake reviews by hotel owners. Swell has had a few fake reviews over the year from competitors. Since it’s hard to get a hold of anyone at Tripadvisor to talk to about these issues, we gave up on actively promoting tripadvisor and switched to   sites like  google + , or facebook.

The last few weeks we had some very nice reviews on tripadvisor from real guests like the one below.

SO, you’ve probably read tons of reviews already. I’m the kind of person that is incertain of ease of making friends easily with strangers, but I read so many reviews on Swell Surf Camp that I decided to give it a go.

First thing that happens when you land in Dominican Republic is that a cool driver waits with a paper with your name on it. Starts pretty nicely.

Then, you arrive at Swell and the lovely Haudy welcomes you and then the people that stays at Swell welcomes you. You unpack your stuff and grab a beer (if you’re like me).

Now starts the good part, the place is CLEAN, looks better than the pictures and people are super friendly. There will be at least one party person to be your drinking partner, that’s for sure.

On your first morning, you wake up super early, Michel the awesome taxi driver picks you up and trash talk with the surf instructors.

You end up on an awesome beach and then the dream begins. Learning surf is HARD. But other people want to learn and it’s the best atmosphere. Instructors are cool and will go party with you at night.

The free dinners are super awesome, and the free breakfast are pretty awesome too! Both cooks are lovely and will make your craziest meals made from eggs, ham and cheese. Try to beat my 8 different ones.

I made lifelong friends with people from USA, Canada, Switzerland, UK, Australia and even local Dominicans. It was my best trip ever and I’ve travelled A LOT.

Special mention to Norm who beat Brianna at pool, Ken who’s living the dream, Haudy who was the best, Moriah and Sadie who helped me become better at surfing, Aaron, Jack and Neno who made me a surfer, Elisa who was super cute, Selina who didn’t have facebook, Alex who bailed so hard and always stood up, Michele and Piera who were the cutest couple around, Ramone who made me the best domino player around, Cameron who was my Canadian drinking partner, Maja who we called MAHA !!! And all of those who I forget to mention who made this trip my best trip ever.

Oh and the rum is super cheap and doesn’t give hangovers, how couldn’t you like that place?[/quote]

Or another review from Steph, titled “Better than advertised”
[quote]I found Swell Surf Camp after looking for an all inclusive place where I could learn to surf. The best thing about Swell is that the accommodation is part of Swell, run by Swell, not a hostel or hotel that they have a pricing deal with. A very short walk in to Cabarete’s shops and bars right on the beach and a yummy local chicken BBQ place ($4 for dinner!). Everything is really well organised and everyone there is so friendly. The instructors join in breakfast and dinner with everyone and just make everyone feel part of the group. I am going back for my second trip this November and am waiting for their Costa Rica camp to open in the next year!![/quote]

Whilst we enjoy reading these experiences, since clearly these guests had a great time at Swell. We prefer that our guests spread the word via Facebook instead of Tripadvisor.

Enough of the Tripadvisor rant: we still have a few spaces open for September and October, so if you are interested in a learn to surf holiday , shoot us an email

The #1 Surf Camp in Cabarete

High season is about to start in Cabarete, and for us at Swell this means we get more and more facebook & email messages every day. Clare, who answers the emails, is very good and quick with replying to everyone, but since there are some recurring questions that come back on a daily basis, I thought I’d answer some of them here.

 

How do I get to Cabarete, Dominican Republic?

We have made a page about the location of Swell and how to easily get to the Dominican republic

 

When is the best time to visit the DR for surfing?

For beginners: any time of the year is a good time to come and learn with Swell Surf School in Cabarete
For intermediates if you  just started catching unbroken waves,  spring / summer and autumn are best, for more advanced intermediates  the winter is a good time to start challenging yourself with some bigger waves.
Experts Surfers: best time to come is between October and April when the winter swells roll in for overhead + conditions most of the time.

 

Can you convince me why I need to choose Swell?

In short? No
We do not try to convince people to stay at Swell over the email. Have a good look at our website, read the reviews, check our facebook page to see what our current clients are up to, check the photo galleries on our site and you should be able to get a very good idea what Swell Surf camp is all about. We are honest in our marketing, we do not try to make our place look better than it really is, we are NOT going to promise that you are going to have amazing waves in the time you are with us, since we cannot control nature. What we CAN control is things like how clean our place is, the freshness of the food, the quality of the lessons etc.

 

What about this other…. hotel / apartement / ‘surf camp’?

Kind of the same answer as above. Have a look at their website, prices, photos etc and compare it with what we offer.  Swell is not the cheapest place in Cabarete. If price is your only criteria for choosing your surf holiday, then Swell is probably not for you. There are other places in town where you can book a surf camp in the $15 to $35 per night price range, BUT

Are they at the best location in town?
No

Do they provide quality surf lessons from qualified surf instructors?
No

Do they offer daily maid service for your room?
No

Is there going to be 10-20 other guests to socialise and surf with?
No

Owners / managers with years of experience in the surf travel industry?
Nope

Are they purpose built to be a surf camp like Swell?
No

Have the owner(s) ever done much surfing, kitesurfing, SUP or windsurfing?
No

We are not saying we are top pro’s in these sports, but they are our lifelong passions, which we think is important to provide the top service that we like to give at Swell. Would you trust a chef that doesn’t eat his own food?

Ok, here’s the only pics of us (the owners) on this website doing what we love doing (besides making sure all is well at Swell)

We could go on, just be careful that the term ‘surf camp cabarete’ has become very popular in Cabarete the last few years. Apartments or budget hotels have quickly rebranded themselves as surf camps to attract clients. If you want to stay in an apartment, old house or old hotel as the only surfer, then the above places might suit you well. If you want quality and are willing to pay a bit more for a top surf holiday, send us an email.

Last question

What are the waves going to be like..next week / month etc.

We use MagicSeaweed and Windguru for wind and waves forecasts, they are pretty accurate.

I hope this answers some questions, also every page on the main part of our website has some FAQ’s as well, so maybe your question is answerd there.

Who is team Swell?

Swell is owned and founded by Jeroen Mutsaars & Clare Mutsaars

Jeroen Mutsaars has worked in the surf travel industry for 20+ years.

Surfing Cabarete

Here’s some information regarding the different surf spots , conditions and what to expect on a surf holiday in and around Cabarete, Dominican Republic.

Surf spots close to Cabarete
The most popular surfspot on the North Coast of the DR is Playa Encuentro, it’s 3 miles west of Cabarete town.
The beach of Playa Encuentro or ( or just plain Encuentro as everyone calls it) has several different surf spots:
From West to East they are:

• Destroyer: like the name suggests, not a wave for beginners, it’s fast and barreling and best in the winter months. It’s shallow with pretty sharp reef so kamikazes and bodyboarders only!
• The left at Encuentro: a quality left hander that can peel for a good distance, barrel sections, works in NE and North swells, and when it does you will not be the only one out there, so can get a bit crowded with good surfers
• Encuentro main peak: a fun , consistent ( breaks all year round) wave, the right is longer, the left shorter and faster. Great for short and longboarders, also good for intermediates and experts.
• Bobo’s point: right in front of Bobo’s surf school, a fun left and right wave for surfers of all levels.
• Coco Pipe: good right hand wave, that only gets good in a North swell with some size. Barrels and good walls to hit. Shallow and uneven reef below the surface, so not for beginners

Cabarete’s main bay also has waves that you could surf, but it’s a long paddle, 30 minutes on a shortboard. Not the easiest place to surf since it’s hard to predict the peaks, No crowds, just the occasional Stand up Paddle surfer.
East of Cabarete is Mananero: best in East swells, without wind, so early summer mornings. It’s fast & it has a good punch for intermediate and experts surfers.

About 45 minutes east of Cabarete is Playa Grande which has several surf spots in the region. Playa Grande itself has a fun beach break, great for bodyboarding & bodysurfing. The next bay has several surf spots, the most well know spot in Preciosa, a world class reef break in front of a headland, the left is better and longer than the right.

These spots are the most well known surf spots in the Cabarete region, there’s a good amount more spots, some are surfed less frequent in their consistency, some are secret spots, so you’ll need a willing local to share the info. At Swell staff has lived here for over 10 years, so we know all the major spots, but will not publish them here on the web ( maybe at Swell after a few beers, we can be bribed;-)

More info about Surfing Cabarete

Surf forecast for Surfing Cabarete can be found here.

More photo’s of surfing on the North coast of the DR.

Interested in other sports on your surf holiday in Cabarete can be found here or click here if  want to stay up to date on the Swell Costa Rica Surf camp