honeymoon in DR, samana peninsula
 

My fiance and I are planning a week long honeymoon to the DR in October. We'd like to stay on the Samana Peninsula, as the beachs/calm atmosphere/etc looks best for us. We'd love to stay in a nice bungalow, on or close to the beach. So far we found the El Sol Azul in Las Galeras and Hotel Palapa in Las Terrenas. Anyone familiar with either of these, or have any other suggestions?

I saw some lovely pictures of the Gran Bahia Principe Cayo Levantado resort in the latest Caribbean travel and life magazine. Looked like a nice place for a honeymoon. Reviews are here:
http://www.debbiesdominicantravel.com/bahiacayo.html

Have not stayed there (or the DR) but thought I'd toss that idea into the mix.

We recommend several different hotels and resorts in Samana (check in our DR section on this site). You could but certainly don't have to go to an all-inclusive resort in Samana, and if it were me, I'd definitely skip the big resort option in favor of a smaller hotel or bungalow. That's what Samana is best for, especially if you want to have a more authentic experience and get a real feel for what the DR is like. There are some good beaches in both Las Galeras and Las Terrenas, the best beach areas on the peninsula.

FYI: My writer who did the work on the Samana section of our Dominican Republic book visited all the hotels we recommend, and I would reckon that ours is the best and most comprehensive section on Samana you'll find.

Thanks- yes we are in favor of staying far away from the inclusive places. Your hotel listings are great and have added a few options to our list, but I didn't notice any private bungalow type places. Does anyone else have suggestions for nice bungalows on Samana?

Take a look at www.lasterrenasrental.com. There are honeymoon villas and unique hideaways to enjoy your time in Samana or an other place.

Yours
Tony

www.infolasgaleras.com
some very sweet spots on this site & good info. We loved Samana, incredibly lush, hilly & beautiful.

My friend and I stayed at Palapa Beach Hotel (I think that is the same as the one you are thinking about.) We loved it! The beaches in the area are beautiful. The rooms were big (we hardly even used the loft of our room), clean and comfortable. It is right across the street from the beach so that is convenient. Their bar/restaurant is good. We loved the free breakfasts in the morning. A step up from your typical continental spread.
The service was good. No major complaints. The internet was down in the lobby for a day, but they fixed it. When we went in February, the beaches weren't too crowded.
For other restaurants you can walk down the road or beach :) into town. It is fun to take the motoconchos (taxis) around the area for transportation.

Hotel Palapa gets pretty sketchy reviews on TA unfortinately....