Cabarete

LOCATION OF Swell

By · February 24, 2015 · Updated June 28, 2026 · 3 min read

Today in Cabarete
Air28°C82°F
Water27°C81°F

GETTING TO Swell

We get a lot of questions via email from people that want to know how to get to us, so here’s more info on where Swell is and how to get here.

FLIGHTS TO  THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Any easy and quick way to check the various routes is via Kayak and Hipmunk.com

Keep in mind that not all airlines choose to display their routes via those sites. JetBlue, which has direct flights to Puerto Plata and Santiago from New York and Boston (thanks for the Swell mention Boston Globe)

AIRPORTS IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

The best (closest) airport to fly into is Puerto Plata (airport code POP). It`s only 25 minutes away from us with direct daily flights from New York (JetBlue and Continental airlines) or Miami (American Airlines). There are also a ton of charter flights that come in from all major airports in the US, Canada and Europe.  Transfers to and from POP are included in each package.  Another option is to fly into Santiago airport (airport code STI but make sure it`s Santiago de los Caballeros or you might end up in Chile).  Flying into STI adds $150 USD round trip to the transfers (this is per taxi, not per person). Santiago is a little bit further away, but still a very manageable 1 hour and 15 minutes by taxi. Flying into SDQ adds $365 USD round trip to the transfers (again, price is per taxi, not per person).

COMMON DIRECT FLIGHTS TO PUERTO PLATA

From / via New York, USA
If you come from New York or are flying via New York ( lots of Europeans do), Continental, JetBlue and United Airlines fly directly into Puerto Plata.  Check for their services into STI and SDQ too; they are often cheaper, but bear in mind the extra taxi costs noted above.

From / via Miami, USA:
American Airlines has a direct, short flight to Puerto Plata from Miami

From / via Toronto, Canada:
WestJet, Sunwing & Air Canada have direct flights to Puerto Plata from Toronto

From / via Montreal, Canada:
Sunwing & Air Canada have direct flights to Puerto Plata from Montreal

From / via the UK:
Thomsons has direct flights to Puerto Plata from both Gatwick and Manchester

From / via Amsterdam, The Netherlands:
Arkefly has a direct flight to Puerto Plata from Amsterdam

From / via Dusseldorf, Germany:
Airberlin has a direct flight to Puerto Plata from Dusseldorf and a couple of other German airports.

From / via Frankfurt, Germany:
Condor has a direct flight to Puerto Plata from Frankfurt

From / via Paris, France:
Air France has a direct flight to Santo Domingo (SDQ) from Paris

There are two more airports in the Dominican Republic; AZS (Samana) and PUJ (Punta Cana).  AZS has some limited services but is 2.5 hours from Cabarete.  Punta Cana has many flights, but we do not see this point of entry as viable as the journey by road to Cabarete is 7 hours each way. Use search engines like Hipmunk.com and Kayak.com – but bear in mind, some airlines, like Jet Blue, will not let their flights show on some ticket searching websites.

Need more help? send us a message and we will point you in the right direction.

Want to join us? have a look at the surf holiday packages we offer and contact us today.

From our guests

Don’t take our word for it.
Take theirs

4.9 300+ Reviews
Megan S
Age
43
From
San Diego
Level
Beginner
Travelled
Travelled solo
If I could give Swell 10 stars I would!! My partner and I visited Swell at the end of March 2026. We had an absolutely amazing trip. The rooms are clean and spaceship. The A/C works great and had warm water to shower. The WiFi is spotty in the upstairs rooms but works perfectly in the downstairs communal room. The staff is above & beyond!! The meals were some of the best I’ve had. The surf instructors are phenomenal.. they work with your experience and levels of surfing and join you for breakfast & dinner nights. The yoga is great mostly long holds and stretches which are great after 2 sessions of surfing. Haudy is the best. She runs the place and without her Swell wouldn’t be Swell. I highly recommend doing the canyon tour with Helmut. And last but not least the people that I stayed there with honestly became my family for the week. I honestly want to come back!
Tripadvisor April 2026
Aerial view of the cove at Swell, Cabarete
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Jeroen Mutsaars co-founded Swell in 2009, building the retreat in Cabarete from bare land with his wife Clare after years running a European surf travel company. Fifteen-plus seasons on the beach, six watersports ridden himself, and several thousand adult beginners coached from their first wave onward.

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