3 Best Hotels in Las Terrenas, Samana Peninsula

With dramatic, contemporary architecture that allows each suite water views, this resort offers one-bedroom suites and large two- and three-bedroom condo accommodations with designer kitchens and living rooms, two flat-screen TVs, and a balcony that looks down upon the inviting labyrinth of swimming pools lined with draped sun beds. Larger groups can take advantage of the many villas available at this location; almost all have balconies and Jacuzzis. Service is attentive, caring, and efficient, and most staffers are relatively fluent in English. The golden Atlantic beachfront is dramatic and unspoiled, and guests vie for a beachfront massage by a professional therapist, sheltered by a bamboo privacy wall. Yoga in the gazebo is free, as is Wi-Fi, which is available throughout the property. Water sports equipment is complimentary (paddleboards, kayaks, bodyboards, snorkeling equipment).

New life has been breathed into this small beachfront hotel, where all rooms in the two-story main house, including a full-floor suite with a canopy bed and luxurious bath, have balconies; some have ocean views. Other rooms are in separate buildings, including two theme bungalows (Casa Bali and Casita Mexican) that are well-suited to families or groups. Guests have use of a convivial bar and restaurant called Cafe Cosón, an inviting pool, an outdoor massage kiosk, and a wide lawn set with tables under coconut trees leading to the sands. Prices include breakfast, taxes, and Wi-Fi.

This condotel on a large tract of virgin land offers beautifully designed, spacious apartments with dreamy bedding and private Jacuzzis on terraces that are basically outdoor rooms. If a kitchen can be sexy, the European designer kitchens here are just that, with top-of-the-line appliances. However, if you don't want to cook, the resort's glamorous beachfront restaurant, Porto, is right across the road. One of the pools is lake-size, with a waterfall midway that separates the children's shallows from the deeper adult waters. A fitness facility houses a gym; massages are given in beach cabanas. The initial welcome at the handsome reception building is genuine; citrus-scented towels refresh travel-weary visitors, and golf carts whisk them to their new homes. Weekends, when Dominican families arrive, can be busy, but midweek (especially in the off-season) is very quiet.