HELP! where is the best place in Samana

Help where is the best place to stay in Samana, Las Terrenas, Las Galeras, or Santa Barbara Samana.

I dont know, in samana is are all places perfect to stay, if you want more information go to the samana.nl.nu website or samana.net

bye,

Silence? Parties? Fishing? Waterfalls? Carwashes and Dominoes? Help us help you.

marc

Samana ... the city? - or Samana Peninsula as a whole? Perhaps you didn't realize this? And, yes, according to Matt's response: it DOES matter what EACH INDIVIDUAL likes! Your question is extremely broad!! All the categories of things to do (ot nor) in Matt's list - we'd have to know before making appropriate suggestions to you.
...Just thought I'd plug in my 2 cents worth, too! -Mame-

Hey soccerfan, you lucky devil. Veel plezier daar.

translation : Feyenoord is (one of) the best Dutch soccerteam(s)

Hello there,

Using Feyenoord as you name, so your from Holland I assume? In that case: "groetjes van een mega DR fan uit Utrecht, mail me als je meer wilt weten".

Anyway .. I've been to Samana just two weeks ago. Only for two days, because we (me and 3 friends) were actually staying in Puerto Plata. We rented a car for two days and drove from PP to Samana (about 4 hours). First we made a stop at Playa Grande, a beautiful beach, near Rio San Juan. Then we went to Samana city and we stayed one night in hotel Tropical Lodge. Just 1000 pesos (150 gulden) for a four bedroom apartment, with a wonderful view on the bay from Samana. The owner was really not the most friendliest person, but the hotel was good, nice swimmingpool. In the afternoon we rented a boat (400 pesos in total, so we might have paid too much .. but what is 100 pesos per person ???) and we went to Bacardi island. This was beautiful if you enjoy white beaches and beautiful blue ocean. We went to two different beaches there, our guide picked up the most beautiful shelves right out of the ocean. In the afternoon the boat was supposed to bring us back to mainland, but of course it broke. So one other boat had to drag us, it didn't go very fast, but it was funny.

In the night (it was Sunday night) we went to the malecon (the boulevard). We had great fun, danced all night with the locals. We were the only tourists there. It was a typical domincan bar somewhere on a corner, I don't know the name.

The next morning we drove from Samana City to Las Terrenas, following the road to El Limon. This road is brand new and very good. In El Limon we went on a horse (okay .. I got a donkey) to the waterfalls and we took a swim). It was fun and beautiful again. We loved to drive through the country side, all the things you see, the houses, the children in their uniforms at school, just great.

Just before entering Las Terrenas, the road gets very bad, but good enough to drive with a car.

We thought Las Terrenas was kind of a hippy town. Lots of white people (with long hair LOL)living there, lots of surfer types. We stayed to have lunch and enjoy the beach a little bit. Then we drove through the mountains to Sanchez (if this is spelled right). On the way to the top of the mountains you have a wonderful few to the ocean and the mountains. A huge population of palm trees over there, just beautiful. The road was good again, but our car had some troubles driving up and down the mountains, so when we got out of the mountains it started smoking .. we had to put in 4 liters of oil. But no problems, just fun!

If you need more info, let me know!

Have fun !!!

Alexandra

Check out the Accommodations section of Samana.Net I can easily recommend any one of them as each is screened by me before their page is posted to the site. As Matt said, depending on what you want will determine in which village and hotel you would stay. Also, check out the Visitor's Guide section for overviews of Las Galeras and Las Terrenas.

Click the link below and have fun.

Hotel Bahia Las Ballenas

I had the sublime pleasure to spend some time at this resort last week. It is located on the beautiful Playa Bonita in Las Terrenas on the Samana peninsula of the Dominican Republic.

I decided on this resort because of the fact it provided a great opportunity for a laid back holiday full of relaxation and beautiful surroundings. The trip to Las Terrenas from the Capital was grueling, five hours via Caribe tours to Sanchez and then on the back of a pick-up truck the rest of the way to Playa Bonita.

You arrive to a thatched roof reception area where Chrystel La Fontainne and her staff greet you and welcome you to their slice of paradise. I had requested a room close to the beach and was given Hamaca 1,which was literally 20 meters from the sand.

We retreated to our room, which was in the “Mexican” motif. They are situated in clusters of four for a total of 32 rooms scattered about the property. Some surrounded the lovely free-form swimming pool, others faced the ocean, and others had garden view. The bathroom was open-air and was quite refreshing after a shower. The room had a ceiling fan and with the windows open at night was cool enough for sleeping. One thing I will never forget was the lullaby of the ocean crashing against the beach each night. Never needed to count sheep!

Perhaps the greatest aspect of this resort is the level of personal service received. Paco and his soux-chefs as well as the bar and wait staff were all outstanding. Each meal was prepared individually with precision worthy of a 4 star restaurant here in NY. One night I had freshly grilled Lobster with a lambi salad and the other I had a filet of snapper in a mustard-pepper sauce. The portions are huge and the food is simply delicious. There are no recycling uneaten all-inclusive buffets here as every meal is made to order.

The Beach I found to be a little rough in front of our hotel but a short walk 20 meters to the right or left brings you the most azure tranquil setting of a beach one could dream of. We spent hours lounging and bathing one day even staying until sunset. My wife and I witnessed a spectacular sunset as the sun took a dip too!

The only way to get to town is by moto-concho so I rented one. One day we motored to Salto de Limon Falls which is a natural waterfall hidden in the mountains of Las Terrenas. After walking through two tons of horse**** up a mountain we were greeted by the cascading waterfall where tourists bathe. I took a dip and looked around for a while. It was stunning, must see if you go to the area. Tipped the kids who guided us shoeless $100.00 pesos each. Did not take the horse ride, which means you need to be fit to make the trek up the mountain. It was arduous.

This resort is a great place to relax, reflect, unwind etc. This is not a place for the action minded or party animal but rather a great place to enjoy nature and the company of someone you go with. A hotel like this on another island would easily cost upwards to $400.00 per night so it’s a great bargain too.

I haven’t made up my mind yet whether I would return, but I sincerely hope to.

Like others have mentioned, it depends what you are looking for. I love Las Galeras, but if you were looking for a little bit more of a nightlife, then it might not be the place for you. Nightlife in Las Terrenas and even the town of Samana itself [compared to Las Galeras] is more lively. Samana is very diversed and by all means indulge yourself in visiting the various villages as well as the main "downtown" area.

Las Galeras itself is a small, friendly fishing village with little traffic and a very relaxed pace of life. In the village there are restaurants and bars offering Dominican and international food. I find the atmosphere in Las Galeras utterly romantic, by the way :-)

Las Galeras' beaches are beautiful, quiet, coconut-lined with white sand and calm, safe waters. No matter where you stay, a must visit is to Playa Rincon (rated as one of the world’s top ten beaches by Conde Nast Traveller magazine). Other day trip options include the mangroves and caves of Los Haitises National Park, the waterfall at El Limon, the market town of Samana, and Cayo Levantado.

There are far more accommodation options now available in the peninsula than when I last visited. There are reviews available at Debbie's web site of several hotels in the area, including el Marinique, Club Bonito, Gran Bahia and Bahia Las Ballenas. Debbie used to have a review of Villa Serena, but I don't know what ever happened to it as it is no longer available. I find Villa Serena to be one of the most wildly romantic hotels in the peninsula, and in the entire DR...just in case :-) Hope this helps.

Regards, Natasha

We have sent you, via e-mail, photos of Las Galeras.

-Ed and Mame-