Serene views in an extreme realm (courtesy, Extreme Cabarete hotel)
Why It Beats Cancún » Canadian windsurfer Jean Laporte put this town on the map back in the eighties, but these days kiteboarders are flocking to the protected waters, where afternoon thermals arrive like clockwork.
Where the Action Is » Downtown Cabarete, a mile-long strip, is jammed with bars, restaurants, and hotels. Every evening the revelry spills onto the sand, where merengue beats waft from the bars until the wee hours of the morning.
There's More » Iguana Mama (800-849-4720, www.iguanamama.com), in Cabarete, can arrange canyoneering, river-rafting, and mountain-biking trips. Schedule surfing and kiteboarding lessons with Take Off (809-963-7873, www.321takeoff.com) or a scuba excursion at the Hippocampo Dive Centre (809-571-0834, www.hippocampo.com), in nearby Sosua.
Where to Stay » The newly renovated Extreme Cabarete hotel (doubles from $60; 809-571-0880, www.extremehotels.com) caters to adventure junkies with its on-site kiteboarding school and 40-foot-wide skater halfpipe. It's the first property from 34-year-old Silicon Valley CEOcumsurf bum Bill Lee, who plans to open at least one more by 2007.