Carlton

Just back from 9 beautiful days in the Dominican Republic on the Samana Peninsula @ Las Terrenas and Las Galeras. I received lots of great info from this board and would be glad to share my experiences with others. A detailed trip report will follow. Any questions...Just post them and I'll be happy to respond

Ed

Carlton,
Glad you enjoyed your trip. I need some info regarding the D.R. I'll be going down there in the next 4 months or so and I'm looking for good beaches, good snorkeling, above average accomodations and ,as i am a single guy, wild night life. Does the area that you visited match that criteria? Any info you can give me would be appreciated. Thanks.

Carlton

Hello Ed,
I think that there are areas of the Dominican Republic that could fulfill your needs but the areas that I went to wouldn't be the ones. Try Puerto Plata or the Santo Domingo area. From what I've read, nightlife is plentiful in both, however beaches, snorkeling, etc. are more easily accesible in Puerto Plata.

David

Young couple (mid-late 20's) with an almost two year old interested in vacation in DR, wanted your view on this spot. Is there more to do than the beach/pool? I've read there is an aquarium, but would like a first hand experience story. Thanks.

Rich F

Waiting for your trip report - Carlton.

I visited Samana for whale-watching during March 00. I stayed in the Sosua area. I took the senic 3 hour drive. I found the Samana/Terrenas area very, very lush and pretty. The beaches were very nice, but... not incredible. The best being on Cayo Levantado and Playa Bonita in Las Terrenas.

What did you think about the beaches?

Carlton

Still working on that trip report. Almost immediately went back out of town to South Carolina for a family reunion and just returned today. Hope to have something together within the next few days. Very, very nice beaches and one INCREDIBLE beach. Playa Rincon. Most easily reached by 20 minute boatride from Las Galeras. 2 1/2 miles of white sand, crystal clear water, backed by thousands of palm trees, framed by 2000 ft peak mountains and most importantly fronted by NO hotel. On a Tuesday, we could count the number of people on the beach on 2 hands. Spectacular. Get there b4 it's developed and that's supposed to happen soon.

angela

Carlton,
Did you get alook at Puerta Plata beaches? How do they look to you compared to other carribean beaches?

melanie

carlton. i'm debating: cabarete or samana. looking for a low-key, medium priced beach vacation - more local culture than nightlife - but not too quiet - ya know?

can you recommend a hotel on samana? thanks! [email protected]

Al

Can anyone reccommend a family place, all-inclusive, in D.R. or other areas of the Caribbean where the tennis is good? thanx

Barry

Hi-

I will be staying on the Samana Peninsula, and will want to do white water rafting near Jarabacoa. If I have a rental car, is it reasonable to expect that I can drive there in the morning to meet the group?? They meet at around 10 a.m. so I assume I would leave around 6 a.m. ????

Thanks

d motl

We would rate Puerto Plata pretty low on our Caribbean experiance list. If it were not for our day trips to Sousua it would have been a disappointment. Snorkeling was poor-food was basic- and Puerto Plata was mostly European--They do not appreciate yanks on their turf.
Staff and locals treated us great.We are not high maintenance people so take it from us the only thing attractive about PP was the prices.

manny

Carlton, Will be visiting R.D. 3/7. Have gone several times but never Samana. Will be staying in Sosua & make a day trip. What can you tell me about waterfalls (Limon) and/or whalewatching?

tleiman

I'm also debating between staying in the Cabarete/Sosua area and heading to the Samana penninsula. I'm generally a semi-adventurous traveller looking for a less touristy atmosphere with some good hiking and beach options nearby. I'm curious about whether it makes sense to drive to the penninsula from the Puerto plata airport or just take the flight to Las Terrenas. How far is the penninsula from the Puerto Plata airport by car? What's the road like? What sort of activities does Samana have to offer?