Cabarete

Cabarete is trade wind plus thermal, and that shapes the day. Mornings are glassy and windless: surf time, not kite time. The breeze fills around midday, builds through the afternoon and usually peaks between 2pm and 5pm. Expecting a 9am session wastes half the trip. Best window is June to September, when the thermal is strongest. December to February is lighter and patchier. October and November are the weakest months and still sit in hurricane season. The bay has a reef at the mouth: choppy and rideable inside, waves outside for kite-surf. Kite Beach is where it all happens, and it packs out in high season.

Yes. Cabarete caters to beginners, with mixed water and high crowds in high season.

Puerto Plata (POP) is the right airport: a 25 to 30 minute drive to Cabarete. Santiago (STI) is 1h30 away and often cheaper from the US. Santo Domingo (SDQ) is about 4 hours and only makes sense if the flight is much better. Book a transfer through your school or hotel. Airport taxis charge tourist prices.

Surf Encuentro in the morning (5 minutes away; it works nearly every day). The 27 Charcos de Damajagua: waterfalls you slide down, a well-spent half day. Cable car up Pico Isabel de Torres in Puerto Plata, or a calm beach day in Sosúa. At night Cabarete turns into a beach-bar strip. The town fills a windless day without trying.