What there is of a town consists of the hectic strip of restaurants and hotels along the C-5, just behind the water. The real action here is centred nearly completely on the beach . During the day it's full of windsurfers - calm water and light breezes during the morning make it a perfect place for beginners, but as the day wears on, and the trade winds kick in with full force, the experts take over. Further out from the centre, both east and west, you can have the beach to yourself. At night, the bars and restaurants spill out onto the sand, helping create a superb atmosphere.

Two kilometres further west, on a white-sand beach hidden behind Punta Goleta, Cabarete is playing its part in the birth and infancy of a new sport - kitesurfing . In many ways similar to windsurfing, kitesurfing needs less wind to really get moving and the best riders perform huge jumps and tricks that would be impossible with a sail.