Sosua, Puerto Plata
Sosua Puerto Plata has been the pioneer of Dominican Republic tourism since the first all-inclusive resorts opened in the mid 1980’s. This beach town sits in the middle of the North Coast region, and boasts incredible beaches, forests, rivers, mountain scenery and plenty of activities.
Haven in the Caribbean
Sosua had its early beginnings as a plantation land during the late 1920’s, which later ceased operations. WWII came and Nazi persecution of Jews became the reason Sosua was founded, as a haven in the Caribbean to those fleeing mass extinction.
The first groups of refugees arrived in early 1940, and soon established a synagogue, schools, a milk and cheese factory, and agriculture. The history of Sosua is well documented online and there is an important Sosua Jewish museum article with research details and photos.
Most of the original Jewish settlers of Sosua eventually migrated to Europe and the United States after the war was over, and some families stayed and prospered. Legendary figures such as Professor Luis Hess, which name was given to the first ever school of Sosua, are still remembered.
Herman Strauss, one of the founders of Productos Sosua, passed away in February 2018. His family is still in charge of the Sosua Museum and synagogue, under renovations as of this writing. The Sosua virtual museum hosts a collection of photos and memorabilia from the original Jewish families.
Booming Tourism
Tourism in Sosua boomed from the 1980s to the early 2000s when it had a slow decline -as the East side of the island took a more active role. As many resorts in Sosua closed doors, private villa rentals took over the market, and after a decade surpassed resorts in terms of bookings.
Sosua Bay Resort (now named Bellamar), Casa Marina Beach and Reef, Sosua By the Sea, Victorian House and a few other hotels still remained open through the slower period. Most of the closed ones were reconverted into condos for sale.
Sosua Beach
Sosua beach, considered one of the top beaches in the Puerto Plata region, has always attracted thousands of visitors from inside the DR and overseas. Its natural beauty, water activities, yacht charters and friendly people.
Its many restaurants, bars, gift shops and tours make it the best North Coast beach in the Dominican Republic. Places like Mofongo King, Montanara, Cathy et Rémy, Chulos Restaurant and many more truly make this a great beach to explore.
Other important beaches of Sosua are Alicia beach, Casa Marina, Imbert, Playa Chiquita and Ocean Village. See them all with details at the Sosua beaches page.
Sosua Renaissance
What we can call the renaissance period of Sosua began when villa construction projects such as Casa Linda, Hispaniola Residential, Sosua Ocean Village, and many condo developments ( Los Balcones, Las Terrazas, La Puntilla, to name a few) began to give shape to a new Sosua, more focused in residential tourism.
Other gated communities such as Sea Horse Ranch, Perla Marina, El Choco, Terramar, Lomas Mironas and Hideaway Beach also expanded the construction of new vacation villas that were added to the booming rental pool that was replacing resorts in the area.
