Villa Samia

Moving along, sort of.

2009-07-25T09:59:00.000-07:00

The pool is running and the area is ALMOST finished. Just a few little things here and there. Let's see? 6 months?

As soon as this one was ready we had to drain the other to repaint.

We have also added some solar panels that are working great.

Sereno and I have been bonding and we are going all over the place. Here he is eating some of my banana leaves at our place.

It has been TWO months...

2009-05-12T09:46:00.000-07:00

... since I posted a photo of the new pool. Here is a photo I took today. 4 weeks is now getting close to 4 months. I will also have to revise my answer to those that ask, "when will your house be done?" to: FOUR YEARS AGO.

I'm going riding. No point for me to watch things and people move so slowly. But I warn you that I'm going to "kick up" my horsey so you had better get out of my way. LOL.

Kite Boarding.

2009-03-29T13:53:00.000-07:00

About 20 minutes east of us is Cabarete that is known around the world for it's winds and conditions that attract kite boarding/surfing people from all over. Occasionally they come down our way and gives us a thrill. This is 3 of 5 today, sorry that they did not get closer.

I know what happens if I fall of my horse. What do THEY do?

Go Figure...

2009-03-25T13:34:00.000-07:00

We have been making some headway on the new pool and the finish cement coat is almost done, despite on and off rain. We have lost track of how many weeks.... or is it months since they started it? I can't figure it out.

Our gardens look like, not so good. Enough rain that many of the plants have drowned. I already have plans to re-due many of them and add several inches of soil/manure mix to raise them and give them proper drainage. Just another little project. Finding good soil here is a task, either very sandy or too much clay. I have found a source of horse "fertilizer" (you can figure where)that I can mix into our sandy base with some clay but I have to wait for things to dry out. Why the original garderner did what he did we don't know. I guess that he was cutting corners and that we would not and did not notice until now.

We have made some wonderful progress with our new Paso Fino horses and learning the Parelli techniques of horse/rider training. And thank goodness for the covered arena. We have to forget and un-train ourselves from the American Western style and learn a totally different way to ride using different saddles, bridles, mounting, sitting and commands. Oh, and do it all in Dominican Spanish. We are very fortunate to have Angela and Guillermo as our instructors. They not only do a superb job with the boarding, care and training of the horses but us too. Though Angela speaks 4 languges, English is not one of them and niether does Guillermo. So we trip over our Spanish learning all the new horsey terms with lots of panamime.

Angela was also an opera singer in France and has preformed at the concert hall in Santo Domingo. Go figure?

But then I have to give us some credit too! Almost 60 and learning to ride all over again after not riding for over 40 years. Go figure.

Horses again!

2009-03-14T09:12:00.000-07:00

We went for our test trail ride on Chican and Soreno to see how they and us would handle life outside the stable. We got it all. Cars, trucks, motorcycles, barking dogs, other horses and cows. In the rain and sun. Along roads, across fields and down a very overgrown trail in the woods. Up hill and down. Hard surface, gravel and slippery rocks. Just about every condition. The horses came through like champs and faired better then us with us not knowing how they would handle it all.

We met with the Vet this AM and everything looks good but we will not get the blood test results until Tuesday. I did not get any photos during the test ride (I was a little busy), but the vet wanted the horses worked as part of the examination so have a couple of shots with an expert rider that makes it look so easy, even while not using a saddle on Sereno.

2009-03-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

Some things can be fun!
We had an artist paint a sky and universe in the upper gazebo porch.

So we had another do an underwater scene in the lower gazebo.

... that overlooks the pool and ocean.

... that overlooks the Ocean. This will be an infinity pool that will join the pool and ocean looking as if they are one. See all the busy workers?

2009-03-12T04:44:00.000-07:00

Sunset over Puerto Plata.

Chican and Sereno. New additions for some fun!

We are still getting a mix of Sun, clouds and a little rain as we exit rainy season. Overall it is very pleasant with daytime temps. in the 70s.

The construction on the second pool goes slowly and everyone is waiting for the plumber that was due last week. Not to worry, the other pool is in fine shape. We had an artist paint an underwater seen in the lower gazebo porch that came out pretty good. I'll take some photos later.

We also are in the process of buying a couple of Paso Fino horses. If the trail ride goes well and the Vet says they are fine then we will be the owners. We will board them at a place not too far from us that has hundreds of acres to ride. It will be nice to get out and see the country side from a different angle.

If you haven't noticed, we have lowered our rental prices at Villa Samia. This recession has hit everyone and to be honest, tourist and rental occupancy are down. So for those wanting some Sun and Fun, I hope that we have helped you. Puerto Plata airport, POP, is about a 1.5 hour flight from Miami then 15 minute drive to us. We will meet you you at POP. www.villasamia.com

More Sun and Less Rain.... at last!

2009-03-03T11:46:00.001-08:00

The sun has been shining most days now and temps in the upper 70s. Work has resumed with our goal of finishing the main house this year. If I could only make that goal the same for the workers then we would be all set. The second swimming pool was to be done in two weeks; that was over a month ago. Today we considered ourselves lucky to have one man working on it.

Our grounds keeper has been busy pruning the shrubs and trees and completely destroying them. Many small trees that we planted are now missing the main trunk. I am soooo POed. I'll now have to go buy new ones. No matter how many times I tell him and show him, he just does not understand. It is a common problem that others have here also. We show they how to do things, give detailed instructions and they are all forgotten the next day.

Another couple has left the D.R. and did so rather quickly. No one knows why but it is assumed that they where "wanted" in their home country and had been found. They left just about everything they own including 6 adult dogs plus 7 puppies now. Also 6 horses. We will go look at the situation and see if we can help the person that took over caring for them. Maybe I should put them all in the unfinished part of the house so I can have the feeling of accomplishing something. (Just kidding dear.) I'll hide a couple of the horses on our vacant lot down the street.

Liquid Sunshine!

2009-01-23T07:55:00.000-08:00

So paradise does have some trade offs. Just like every where else. As I said before, it is rainy season and we are not being disappointed. The POP airport was closed for a while yesterday and have not heard anything about today. High winds that make the tree limbs dance and the TV cable lines fall. Power not a problem so far today but we have everything we need to keep everything going.

Poor Rafael, our live in grounds keeper has nothing to do.. well he does but we have found a couple of indoor things that he can attend to. After that, we will set him up with a few DVDs in the empty rental. We have learned how to work the machine and change the English movies to Spanish or French. Rafael is quite happy with the French, being from Haiti, and that we would allow him to sit and watch a few movies.... in his language. We did this last evening and I think he stayed up until after midnight. He knows that this is something special and not to expect this to be an on going bonus.

We are amazed that our Internet connection is almost never affected! Why everything else and not that?

Our housekeeper, Momi, had to wade thru 2 feet of water on the road to get here this AM. We made sure that she had some dry shoes and she has been busy doing her normal duties.

I think that our plans of going out to dinner tonight will not happen. Guess that I should pull somethings out of the freezer.

Let's see. Looking at another 5 to 10 days of this. I feel sorry for all those coming down and find nothing to do. But again, it is not snow and freezing!

And it's a warn rain..... just lots of it.

Just about everyday... Rain.

2009-01-22T12:26:00.000-08:00

We have been having rain. About 2 months so far with only a few days of good sun. The temps are cold for us that have been here awhile being in the mid 70's F range with some mornings dipping below 70. Back in our New England home we would have had the AC on. LOL.

This is nothing new... it is just the season. We can expect the same for another month or so. But be realistic.... it is not freezing or snowing. You can still swim in the ocean or a heated pool in the rain, your going to get wet anyway. And it is a warm rain... sort of.

Some areas are prone to flooding along with some roads so some planning may be in order. A section of our road down the street becomes impassable at times but no big deal. We can wait until tomorrow. Power off and on, same with TV cable. It is all part of living here.

So when coming down in the winter, be a little prepared for some rain and be ready to take advantage when the sun comes out.

After all, it is a warm rain.

Truth II

2009-01-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

We had been coming down to the Dominican Republic for several years. The first few times using a time share program. We soon found a nice little house on the Ocean that we rented over and over. We also looked at other rentals and everything that was for sale. We later bought land down the street and started to build. We hope to be finished soon. Oh please let us be finished soon!

While renting and house/condo hunting we made several observations that most people don't see but take for granted in most of their home countries. I posted about the electrical situation before. How about:

Can I Drink The Water? NO... don't do it. Don't brush your teeth or open you mouth in the shower. When washing vegys, fruits, wiping counters or doing the dishes make sure that you dry them. Unless you KNOW that the water is from a bottle or has been purified into potable drinkable safe treated water. Most places will have bottled water and some will charge extra for it. If renting a house/condo you will have to buy and haul it. Use it to make ice too.

Most places will have a water cistern that stores city water and then is pumped for domestic use. City water is not always reliable and can be off for days at a time. It is not uncommon for an average home to run out of water due to small water storage. Something to check on, along with does the pump have another power source to pump it?

Most bars/restaurants have store ice and bottled water so that should not be a problem.

We installed a purification system for all the indoor taps on the property and our tests come back better then what the EPA standards are. At Villa Samia... go ahead and drink the water. Its free and we have lots.

INSECT SCREENS? I'm amazed how many places do not have insect screens. Nuff said.

GYM. Since we started to promote that we have our own gym (very good equipment I might add) on property... in a room with AC, cable TV and stereo... many others say they have one too. NOT so. They run you down the the local gym in town. Same with tennis and golf that we all have the same access to; we don't have a private golf course and they don't either.

HEATED POOL! In the Caribbean? Yep. We found that when we wintered here, we could not use the pool. Wasn't that part of why we came? Yep. We heat ours and it gets used!

Truth In Advertising!

2009-01-13T06:27:00.000-08:00

My wife and I had been coming to the Dominican Republic for over 10 years before we decided to make our home here over 4 years ago. One thing that you learn down here in a short time is the Truth, or the lack of, in advertising. I see it everyday but now know not to expect what is sworn to be what has been promised as the truth.

Why do I bring this up? Because I'm a little odd. I provide what I advertise and work at it. I do give a sad laugh when I here some tourist telling me about what they didn't get and what didn't work. Some having to move from their dream vacation rentals for one reason or another and have no chance for a refund. Let's get down to some very real examples and why I list some of them on our Home Page of Villa Samia. http://www.villasamia.com/

Electricity. Just about every part of the Dominican Republic has back outs. Some daily for several hours. When you consider all that your rental house offers, you had better know the power situation. All those cable TVs, Internet, stereos, refrigeration, lights, fans, AC, pool pump, hot water or any water at all depend on the power. No power, you got nada, nil, zip. This may be fun for a short time once a week. But in some areas it is not when it is everyday for 8 hours per day

Most places boast of 24/7 electricity. But do they? Can they? Two large rental villas near us advertise this. One has a medium size inverter with modified sine wave. The other with a 35Kw generator. What does this mean for you as a renter? Both charge over U.S. $1,000 per night. Granted these are bigger and look fancy... but are they worth it?

Inverters rely of batteries that convert the power to 120VAC for the house. Without a charging source, the batteries run out of power, thus the house. 120VAC will not run the eight 240VAC air conditioning nor the pool pump. Most run a few selected circuits only. Being a modified sine wave makes fans and other items run "funny" and noisily. Inverters do break and batteries run down.

Generators are fine. Well mostly. The other villa only has a generator and only a hundred gallons of fuel capacity. It does provide a full sine wave and 240VAC, but is only a 35Kw. He has run out of fuel several times as well as the generator has broken. It is also too small for what the villa requires for full use so other power problems happen. When the grid power goes out, the generator takes a few seconds to start and provide the juice. In this case the unit is not in a sound proof housing so I can hear it four properties away and over mine (in a sound proof building). Also the smell of diesel can be a little offensive. Just what I want during my vacation for $1,200 per day.

In this last month, both places ran out of power. One with the batteries dead and the other had a broken generator. Their guests had to be moved to another location. I don't know where they went but I do know that from the voices that they where not happy.

When we designed and built Villa Samia, it was for us. This was not a part time vacation home for us or just a rental income. We live and work here and we require power to keep everything going. We would not provide less for our guests and renters.

As the other two rental villa guests where being packed up, our 6 guests never noticed that the grid power was out and that our two inverters, with cross over capabilities, kept everything going with our little wind generator keeping the batteries up. All of our 120 VAC circuits are on our inverters with full power and full sine wave. We did not need to start our generator.... but it is here and ready if and when needed.

With grid, two inverters, wind generator and diesel generator, our lights will never go out. Well, at least the odds are with us.

Next we can talk about.... Can you drink the water? Where is the Gym? Darn that pool is cold!