On a recent adventure outside of Casa de Campo, looking to try something new and different, we found ourselves in nearby Bayahibe and decided to have lunch at a cute little café that we had never tried before – and we were thrilled to discover a keeper! “Cafecito de la Cubana” is a rustic little bar/restaurant right on the bayahibe beach and the food was as good as the view!
Bayahibe, described by many guide books as a “sleepy fishing village,” would be more accurately described a tourist hotspot, that sees several thousand tourists pass through every single day – the majority of which hop off a bus and onto a boat headed for nearby Saona island for a day of rum, sun and sea! What the majority of these tourists don’t appreciate is the “real” Bayahibe; the small seafood restaurants and bars right on the ocean, where Dominicans and locals wile away sunny days drinking beers and rum cocktails in the shade of the palm trees.
View of Bayahibe beach from el Cafecito de la Cubana
When you arrive into Bayahibe you first find the parking lot, which is invariably filled with (tourist) buses, we recommend you drive through the parking lot, at the end of which you can choose to turn left or right. To the left you will find the main town, with popular Mare Nostrum seafood restaurant, Barco Bar, helmet diving, Pirate Bar “Capitan Kidd” and several diving outfitters as well as a small beach, here you can park on the road. To the right, there is not much, the road ends pretty quickly and you can park right on the beach, to this side you will find a handful of restaurants/bars (3 I think), one of which is Cafecito de la Cubana, as well as Bayahibe SUP (Stand Up Paddle Boarding).
Cafecito de la Cubana, a tranquil spot on Bayahibe beach
So now that you can hopefully get to Cafecito de la Cubana, let’s talk about why we recommend that you do!
The Cafecito de la Cubana was first opened 6 years ago by a Cuban family, but taken over by a wonderful Dominican-Spanish couple 3 years ago, today, this restaurant/bar has a laid back atmosphere, perfect for sleepy sunday afternoons or a saturday beer days! Located right on the beach, but shaded from the sun by a group of trees, this Cafecito has not only a gorgeous view, but also seriously fantastic food and drinks!
Although we didn’t taste everything on the menu (we’ve only been once so far), everything we did try was absolutely delicious, so here is an overview of our experiences so far (because we will be going back):
Chicken Croquetas: RD$90
Croquetas…there’s nothing special or interesting about croquetas – right!? WRONG! These croquetas were out of this world delicious! Ok so I haven’t tried all the croquetas in the world, but these were by far the best I’ve eaten for a long long time! Crispy on the outside and not just soft on the inside, but actually creamy. Very highly recommended!
Tagliata de res: RD$450
This was my main course, and with Bayahibe being a “fishing village” it’s most popular for its fresh fish, especially lobster, so trying something that is not seafood, is always a bit of a risk…..but I couldn’t have been happier! Really thin slices of beef cooked on the grill and seasoned with rosemary, the meat was tender and tasty and topped off with fresh and crispy arugula and parmesan cheese. I liked it a lot!
Fresh dorado (mahi mahi) in shrimp and garlic sauce
The chef’s special of the day, this dish was fantastic. Sadly, the photo doesn’t reflect just how good the dish was – but you’ll have to trust us that it was great. Fished that morning, the dorado could not have been any fresher and served with a creamy garlic and shrimp sauce. A great choice!
Whilst eating we also tasted a few cocktails (for the purposes of research of course) and we can recommend the Mojito (RD$120) and the Caipichola (RD$160)! Cheers!
El Cafecito de la CubanaWhere: Bayahibe village on the beach to the right of the bus parking lot
Directions: From Casa de Campo drive along the main road towards Punta Cana (over the river, past the La Romana – Casa de Campo airport and La Estancia). After about 15/20 minutes you will see a sign on the right for Bayahibe – take that road, continue straight alone the road until the road forks – take the right fork and you will find yourself at parking lot with all the buses!
Opening times: 11am – 11pm
Tel: 809-0757-9601
Menu: Click on the images below to see the complete drinks and food menu:
A few other great places to explore in Bayahibe are:
According to Yumiko owner of Bayahibe SUP, ‘SUP’ is “the new, eco-friendly way to get out on the water and have fun. It’s easy and quick to learn and anyone can do it.” And we couldn’t agree more! We loved it – it’s a lot like canoeing or kayaking except that you stand and paddle about on a ‘SUP’ board – it requires slightly more concentration and balance….the boards may look stable in our photos, but we all fell in more than once!
Mare Nostrum is literally metres away from the waters edge, the fisherman’s ‘catch of the day’ arrives by boat and within a few steps is taken directly into Mare Nostrum’s kitchen to be served as your dinner – it doesn’t get much fresher than that!
‘Barcobar’ is another bar-restaurant right on the beach and something about it’s white decor, seashell lights and the blue and white row boats outside called us in to have a look around….
Click here to read more and see PHOTOS of our experience!
Helmet Diving is an underwater walking experience – with the use of special helmets you are able to walk around under the water! Helmet diving is just like diving or snorkelling except much easier and therefore more fun – there’s no need to worry about complicated equipment and air tanks and you don’t even need to be able to swim!!
Spanish
On a recent adventure outside of Casa de Campo, looking to try something new and different, we found ourselves in nearby Bayahibe and decided to have lunch at a cute little café that we had never tried before – and we were thrilled to discover a keeper! “Cafecito de la Cubana” is a rustic little bar/restaurant right on the bayahibe beach and the food was as good as the view!
Bayahibe, described by many guide books as a “sleepy fishing village,” would be more accurately described a tourist hotspot, that sees several thousand tourists pass through every single day – the majority of which hop off a bus and onto a boat headed for nearby Saona island for a day of rum, sun and sea! What the majority of these tourists don’t appreciate is the “real” Bayahibe; the small seafood restaurants and bars right on the ocean, where Dominicans and locals wile away sunny days drinking beers and rum cocktails in the shade of the palm trees.
Where: Bayahibe village on the beach to the right of the bus parking lot Directions: From Casa de Campo drive along the main road towards Punta Cana (over the river, past the La Romana – Casa de Campo airport and La Estancia). After about 15/20 minutes you will see a sign on the right for Bayahibe – take that road, continue straight alone the road until the road forks – take the right fork and you will find yourself at parking lot with all the buses! Opening times: 11am – 11pm Tel: 809-0757-9601 Menu: Click on the images below to see the complete drinks and food menu:
According to Yumiko owner of Bayahibe SUP, ‘SUP’ is “the new, eco-friendly way to get out on the water and have fun. It’s easy and quick to learn and anyone can do it.” And we couldn’t agree more! We loved it – it’s a lot like canoeing or kayaking except that you stand and paddle about on a ‘SUP’ board – it requires slightly more concentration and balance….the boards may look stable in our photos, but we all fell in more than once!
‘Barcobar’ is another bar-restaurant right on the beach and something about it’s white decor, seashell lights and the blue and white row boats outside called us in to have a look around…. Click here to read more and see PHOTOS of our experience!
Helmet Diving is an underwater walking experience – with the use of special helmets you are able to walk around under the water! Helmet diving is just like diving or snorkelling except much easier and therefore more fun – there’s no need to worry about complicated equipment and air tanks and you don’t even need to be able to swim!!