Caribbean Lifestyles. On the North Coast of the Dominican Republic you find sun-kissed shorelines shaded by sweeping palms. And while many “gringos” go to Punta Cana for the packaged resort lifestyle, you find the serious nomads, full-time surfers, and kiters 1 hour North of Puerto Plata Airport. Ahhh Cabarete.

As a remote worker building my website I hung out in Cabarete for 10 months. I wanted the small town oceanside experience, visiting the trove of beach bars, and restaurants. To this day its like going back in time. Nothing is pretentious. The narrow main road separates everyone, and traffic of scooters and vehicles is a marvel to behold. The beach goes for miles and its here you see the colors of water & kiters on the horizon. The combination is unlike anything else.

In my search for the best owners, food and cocktails I was lucky enough to find the Full Moon.

The Full Moon is a small bar as in barely large enough to turn around. But what it lacks in size is made up in volumes with loving food, drinks & service.

The founder and head chef is a young man with a family living almost 200 steps from where he happily serves locals and tourists.

Henry’s smile is contagious. You can’t help loving the person. His dedication to making your day special and unique. He was born and raised in Monte Plata, a province of the Dominican Republic. At the age of 14, he left his home and started an independent life.

He went through a lot in the past, but wherever he worked and lived, he had a dream of opening his own business, his own hotel, restaurant.

Chefs, visionaries, entrepreneurs are well known risk takers and Henry is no exception. As the Covid pandemic began to sweep across Asia the Full Moon came to life.

While the global travel industry falls apart the dream from far back was Henry’s sole focus and without skipping a day invested time, energy, love, and faith. If you don’t know this about Dominicans they have a strong belief in the almighty creator. Raising their hands to the skies they thank God easily. For everything. Faith is something they have in volumes.

At 6 AM the streets of Caberete come alive. Vendors cleaning up in front of their stores, supplies being delivered, the aroma of Dominican Coffee being brewed. Its here at the Full Moon you find fresh fruit hand picked by Henry for his clients.  No meal is complete without fresh fruit, fish, chicken, or veggies and Henry’s hands touch everything to ensure quality.

Henry is a virtuoso for preparing food, combining spices and making sure the meal is a one of a kind experience. Henry’s specialty is locally accessed fish fresh from the ocean, rice from local paddies and of course fruit. Your choices will include fresh veggies from the most fertile soils in the interior of the DR.

If you’ve ever thought of opening a boutique bar & restaurant on an island in the Caribbean your first thought should be to visit Henry. If you’re a tourist in need of fresh food, great service and wanting to meet a cool guy, visit the Full Moon. You will not be disappointed.

Take it from {me} the roaming Nomad searching out the most unique spots to drink & eat around the globe that when I lived in Cabarete my time at the Full Moon was rewarding. It’s where all good friendships begin when you find yourself in Cabarete.