So I signed up for the Blackbeards resort newsletter to check it out. Looks like an interesting place.
What do the chicas provide, if you know what i mean.
Never heard of the place but I just looked at their website.
Chicas? You mean the "shipmates"? I can only imagine.
Looks like a good time down there. If only I could make a trip...
Blackbeards is a legal brothel operating in a gated community on the north side of the Dominican Republic. It's about 20 miles west of Sosua city, in a area called Puerto Plata.
Officially, its a hotel/resort, with various sizes/levels of rooms, free WiFi, a pool, jacuzzi, full restaurant (amazing Dominican coffee) and bar, laundry service and a tourist desk where you can buy various touristy excursions. Its' also a 5 minute walk from a quiet beach. But that's not what you're asking about...
Blackbeards maintains a "crew" of 15-40 women who are not hotel employees. But they are allowed to operate in the location and serve hotel guests, as long as they conform to house rules and stay within the guidance of a House Mom (who also provides). In 2019 (last time I was there), short time sessions were around $43, LT sessions were $72 and overnight was $110. The chicas are mostly younger (19-28) with a few in the 30-38+ range. FS always requires a hat (try to skate past that rule and you get banned - no refunds) and you may find BBBJ if you ask. Three-way sessions (called a "Happy Hour") are on the menu and recommended.
So it's basically an all-in-one location for your mongering fun. No need to even leave the property, unless you want to actually be a tourist. You don't need to speak Spanish, as most girls speak a little English, especially enough to set up a session and talk about specific acts you prefer. Hotel staff all speak English fluently.
More info on the newsletter and website about booking, travel to/from the airport, and latest on COVID Test and safety requirements set out by the government. READ THESE before you book.
Life is good
The Cat
Thanks for the great information.
How would you rate the physical appearance of the crew members?
... from young Latina providers. I'd say that most are in the 6-9 range.
There were three 8.5 to 9.8+ chicas there when I stayed. But the group notes - yes gents are allowed, even encouraged to share with each other - were that one, a 19 year old blond spinner was a star fish in the sack. After 6 to 8 guys gave feedback to the House Mom, she was off the roster. Presumably, the House Mom duties include coaching the ladies on "personal skills." And if a lady does not improve to an acceptable level she is asked to leave.
You have to love a meritocracy!
Life is good
The Cat
... a lot of DR vacations are all inclusive ones.. While this one is an à la carte, It seems like you pay for everything on as needed basis including food, drinks and women with this company..
They do state that there is a TWENTY percent surcharge for credit card use so they encourage cash so you save money. I wonder where the 20% comes from? Is it their thing or is it due to some government regulations?
Many years ago, some merchants in the USA would charge more for CC than cash: "$10 cash; $10.50 CC" in order to make up for the CC surcharges on each purchases (probably in the 2% - 3% range back than). In some areas, that was not allowed by local laws or regulations so they offered a cash discount, instead: "$10.50. 5% cash discount" = $9.98. Same result, legally different.
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Some places would also post a "$10 minimum for CC purchases" because the CC companies also had a minimum fee for each transaction. Merchants would LOSE money on a $2 CC purchase.
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Today, there are a bunch of consumer protection regulations that have cut back on some of those practices. I think the only places where I still see a legal "cash vs CC price" is at the gas station although most gas stations I use are one price for cash or CC.
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Oh ... Blackbeard's ... Another reason why merchants charged a premium for CC or offered a discount for cash was that every CC transaction is "on the books" and has to be reported for tax and other purposes (maybe paying off the local officials based on a percentage of the booked (provable) transactions?). Cash transactions might also be on the books ... or might not be on the books.
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That's my guess.
They do state that there is a TWENTY percent surcharge for credit card use so they encourage cash so you save money. I wonder where the 20% comes from? Is it their thing or is it due to some government regulations?
The card processor regulations against CC surcharges and/or minimums were only applied to US Merchants. Outside the US, merchants have generally been able to mark up CC purchases to recoup fees. And those fees are largely set by the banks in each country that participate in the credit card systems. (It's way more complicated than that, of course...)
In the DR, there are only a few DR banks, meaning there is not much competitive pressure keeping merchant pricing low. In addition, the percent of local population that have CC accounts is also low, as most live with very modest incomes. So few banks, and few cards means banks are making their profit on margin, not volume. Add to that the relative risk of majority tourist-based transactions (a non-DR tourist can be safely back in his/her own country before they file a compliant or dispute/chargeback) and it's normal to see DR merchants paying up to 7-8% fees on each transaction. Add to that the losses from the disputes/chargebacks - maybe another 3-5% - and you can see why they markup CC transactions by 20%.
But all this reinforces the point about cash. In fact, Blackbeards stresses on their website that cash is preferred. When I was there in 2019 for 10 days, I brought cash for everything: hotel bill, food, drinks, and especially sessions with the ladies. Fortunately, there is a small local store (Jenny's) about a mile from the hotel that will exchange large quantities of US cash (i.e.: several hundred dollars) at a time for rates lower than you can get at the airport. You can walk there, or get a taxi for a few dollars.
Beware the bar bill though! It's run like a cruise ship - where you sign for your drinks, any drinks you buy for the ladies or other guests (mongers) and they add it to your hotel bill at checkout. I was a bit surprised to see my booze bill was almost half of my total check out bill!
Life is good
The Cat
I travel to the UK a lot on business, and usually, on the first day there, I will use four or five different credit cards for various things, and then the next day, I log into my account and see which card gave me the best exchange rate. Then that is the one I use for the duration of my trip. Usually, at least two of my cards will give me a better rate than exchanging dollars at banks, American Express, or local independent currency exchanges. I would never exchange currency at an airport.
I agree, I would NEVER exchange currency at any airport in the world that I can think of, they give by far the WORST exchange rates of anywhere I can think of.
I normally just use my ATM card to get cash in the local currency of whatever country I happen to be in. I know a lot of ATM cards come with a small daily limit for cash advances, but that is usually easily solved by calling your bank and asking them to increase your limit. I typically carry a couple of debit cards with a $2,000 daily limit for cash advances and somewhere a bit higher for POS (point of sale) transactions, which unless I am out gambling is more than enough to keep me in Charlie Harper money, without worrying that someone could wipe me out if they somehow got ahold of my card and PIN
In the DR, and especially at Blackbeards, ATM's are scarce. With the exception of Business-to-Business (B2B) transactions, the DR is mostly a cash-based economy.
So yes, get cash from an ATM before you fly, or after you land. But take that cash to Jenny's to exchange it for DR currency.
All Blackbeards rooms have a safe with a key lock for your valuables. Like any travel destination, keep your critical valuables like passport, spare cash, wallet/cards jewelry, etc. in the safe. Keep the key with you, as opposed to leaving it on a table or drawer in your room. I also kept my laptop on a locked cable in my room when I wasn't using it. Wrap/thread the cable around/through something substantial - not a table leg.
Life is good
The Cat
Might be a good idea to start learning Spanish..
I look pretty Hispanic if you ask me.. Whenever I go to Miami, they start speaking to me in Spanish. Only to realize a second later that I don't speak Spanish and I don't have Spanish accent when I speak English either. LOL.
-- Modified on 6/3/2021 11:29:08 PM
I've been there and the resort is OK but not 4 stars. The ladies are plentiful and inexpensive but I would rate more on the 6-7 scale. Not much GFE but if you tip generously and for multi days you could forge a bond. But the whole point of the place is having as many ladies as you want and you can. I rate it as a C+/B-
I stayed there in May 2018. It's good for a long weekend. But don't expect to find GFE there, ymmv, but i doubt it.
They have a day and night shift group of available ladies. There were a few good looking ladies, but most where average.
There are a few restaurants in the area, but most close early. There are some restaurants on the beach as well. The beach there is very nice. The strong constant ocean breeze cools off the hot temps. There's also a reef that breaks the surf there.
I was going to meet some friends at BB who were going to show me the area. Unfortunately, one backed out last minute and the other changed where he was staying. I was there for 10 days, 6 - 7 days too long. I got bored seeing the same available ladies every day. My other issue, was it's location: a gated community far from the action in Puerto Plata and Sousa. Getting an Uber was a hassle too due to the local taxi mafia.
That was my one and only trip to the DR. The lack of GFE in the DR soured me to it. However, The friend who stayed elsewhere has been going to the DR many years and finds GFE, but it requires a lot of work beforehand. He finds them by searching dating sites. If I return to the DR, I'll be bring sand to the beach and I wont be staying at BB.
It can be a fun place for a DR novice. I haven't been there in years but I had a good time there my first time in DR. But then I found out that with a female population that out weighs the male population by about 10 to 1, there is no real reason to go to a place like Barba Negra unless you are completely new to DR, go completely alone or just lazy. The reason I say that is because you really want to know your surroundings there. My favorite thing to do was just to get on the caribe tour or metro bus line and see how many regular girls who were riding solo on the bus I could to go to a cabaña for a few hours.
Any recommendations for similar resorts in the Caribbean area. Any for English speaking islands perhaps? I've thought about going to one for the experience and (lol) other reasons. Might even say it is a minor "bucket list" item.