I have been researching living in the DR with my family for a while and I still am. I have a vacation home in South Padre Island, TX and recently purchase a beachfront condo in Playa Del Carmen, MX. Both places have solar energy systems. I paid an extra $20k for the solar system (sounds funny like I bought our Solar System) in Playa. My question is...with all the power outages and problems with the power companies/cartels is solar energy catching on in DR or is the cost prohibitive?
I am still interested in purchasing a place in Cabarete or Punta Cana and curious if solar is even an option to add to a condo or house?
Off subject, one of the many things I like about Playa is that it is one of the few places on the Caribbean that is not an island. Things can be brought/imported here without crazy costs. Yes, imported goods are more expensive, but many things can be trucked here, etc to make them cheaper. Checking Numbeo.com restaurants,food costs, beer, etc. is much cheaper in Playa than PP. If you compare Playa to Punta Cana the cost differences are astronomical. I believe Playa to be more on the lines of Punta Cana than PP. How can the costs be so much in a third world country? I believe Playa to be even more touristy than Punta Cana. Just dumbfounded or maybe I'm just dumb :-)