samana safe ?

[samanasam]

samana is not the same city i fell in love with in 1984. i married a lady from samana and we have a house there and visit about two months a year. we just returned on june 30 after a three week visit. there were three murders and some rapes numerous breakins. samana has grown up like the big cities and violence is a way of life now. i still love samana and will retire there shortly but it has changed forever. the new shopping area is coming along and should be ready by the fall. the hotel cayacoa is about to open under a new name it looks like it will be a beautiful hotel just some electrical work to be done on it. the hotel on cayo leventado has a long way to go and i dont see it opening this year. one of the best beaches in the dominican is rincon about 40 minutes from samana, if you have not visited rincon it is a must if you are in the area. visit samana enjoy samana, just show common sense when going out.

[samanasuenos]

Thank you for the warnings and I am sorry to read of your fear and unrest.

My unsolicited two cents:

1. Samana is not the same city i fell in love with in 1984.
Sorry my dear, but no city can stay the same in 22 years without a lot of money to keep it maintained and lots of wealthy citizens to pay taxes and complain and so on.

2. Three murders/violent crime
If that is so, please substantiate. I know that a year ago, some non-Dominican vistors short on cash had taken to breakins of foreign-owned homes and the like, but there had not been any violent crime. Has that really changed?

Yes we must all show common sense when going out. Especially when so many locals are un or underemployed and we come down waving status MP3s and so on. There is no excuse for violence, and we must remain street-wise at all times.

3. Why end your message urging folks to visit after you scared the beegeezus out of them?

I can see that you are disappointed and worried. I give you that. Can you stop for a moment and give concrete advice for stopping the violence?

[samanasam]

samana is the one of the most beautiful places in the dr. the downtown area is much better now. i love to sit at cafe de paris drinking a cold presidente and eating pizza and watching all the world go by. or having some fine dominican food at the bamboo[camilos]. samana in my eyes is heaven on earth i did not want too scare anybody just to warn them. i am counting the day til i return in feb. samana is my kind of town, warm friendly people lovely beaches a picture perfect location everyone should visit.

[mountainfrog]

Originally Posted by samanasam

... beaches in the dominican is ....

OMG, again and again.

m'frog

[Malibook]

Originally Posted by mountainfrog

OMG, again and again.

m'frog

A frog's work is never done.

[NALs]

Originally Posted by Samanasam

samana is not the same city i fell in love with in 1984.

Well, places do tend to change as time passes.

Originally Posted by Samanasam

i still love samana and will retire there shortly but it has changed forever.

Well, forever is a lllllooooonnnnnggggg time!

Things will come full circle, they always do in everything!

The question is will it be in our lifetime?

-NALs

[Tuan]

The Cayacoa will open again? It opened (again) twice a year every year since the early 80s for some general's son to run into the ground within a week. Glad to hear nothing's changed in Samana...

[Jasper]

Originally Posted by samanasam

samana is not the same city i fell in love with in 1984. i married a lady from samana and we have a house there and visit about two months a year. we just returned on june 30 after a three week visit. there were three murders and some rapes numerous breakins. samana has grown up like the big cities and violence is a way of life now. i still love samana and will retire there shortly but it has changed forever. the new shopping area is coming along and should be ready by the fall. the hotel cayacoa is about to open under a new name it looks like it will be a beautiful hotel just some electrical work to be done on it. the hotel on cayo leventado has a long way to go and i dont see it opening this year. one of the best beaches in the dominican is rincon about 40 minutes from samana, if you have not visited rincon it is a must if you are in the area. visit samana enjoy samana, just show common sense when going out.

"3 murders and some rapes"????

what are you talking about? never heard about it. please elaborate or find links from newspapers maybe. i find it hard to believe and i surely would have heard about it being that my wife is from there.

[mountainfrog]

Originally Posted by Jasper

... never heard about it. please elaborate or find links from newspapers maybe. i find it hard to believe and i surely would have heard about it being that my wife is from there.

Well, many a crime in Samaná does not make it to the news.
Whenever I hear of a serious incident I look up the online papers to verify.
In most cases they are not reported. It seems that beyond Nagua the jungle begins....

m'frog

[Andy B]

Beyond Nagua the jungle may begin, but we have the coconut telegraph out here and I, too, have not heard a word regarding 3 murders and a rape which would not be big news, it would be MAJOR news for the peninsula. When I want to know whats going on, I just ask one of our employees or our primary taxi driver and get the full scoop on what's happening from Sanchez out to Las Galeras. And for important news from Las Terrenas (especially dealing with the rising crime rate there), our local electric company emails us the particulars.