From Santo Domingo to Samana and back
We just returned back from 15 days in the Dominican Republic and all I can say is that it wasn't enough. We garnered a lot of helpful advice and incite from the postings here so we thought we would throw in our two cents and maybe it would help someone else as well. First of all if you are planning a trip to the DR you need to decide what kind of person you are. Are you ready to experience the realities of a third world country? Are you going to freak out if you don't have power for 6 hours during the day? Can you handle new things and view them as part of the experience? If the following questions have made you uneasy about visiting the DR, don't be. Just realize that it might be better for you to book an all inclusive vacation where they cart you from the airport to the resort and everything is just the way you like it in your own country and you still are able to experience the beautiful beaches and warm turquiose water. On the other hand if you truly want to experience another culture. If you want to meet people that still have time to take a minute to talk to you. (Now this does require that you have at least a mediocre ability to speak Spanish) If you like the freedom to move about the country on your own schedule and find that small little beach that is just perfect for a quiet afternoon on the beach just you and your family. Then I recommend doing all of the research you can. Taking reasonable precautions (common sense type things) and have yourself a truly memorable vacation.
We flew in to Las Americas airport Santo Domingo. How nice it was to leave 30 degree weather at one airport and then get off the plane and feel a balmy 85 degrees. Since we had done our research we knew that the first thing we needed to do was to purchase the 10 dollar tourist card. After that I remembered that someone had posted that the immigration form that was handed out on the plane was not the one that you needed so I asked one of the employees and they said that we did need another form, so we filled that out and sailed easily through immigration. (I did want to add that they took our tourist card as we were leaving immigration for baggage. When I asked about that they said that all we needed was the date stamp from our passport. I was a little nervous about this but when we left it was as they say "no problem") At baggage check one of our bags was misplaced but that is why we had packed enough to get by for a few days in our carry on. (I would recommend to any one that they research, and there are a number of sites, the subject of using just your carry on for luggage. You might quickly think that would be impossible for you, and it might be, but it gives you a very good idea of what to pack in your carry-on in order to make it several days if your other bags were to be misplaced). I reported the bag missing and they said that they had already located it and would have it delivered to the apartment we were staying at.
Now we had some friends meet us at the airport and of course I would recommend that to any one but I know for most people this is not possible. (I wouldn't worry about it though, just arm yourself with the knowledge of what is an appropriate fee for a taxi, which you can find in other threads here) The first part of the trip from the airport to Santo Domingo was quite pleasant. The road is in good repair and it zips along the coast line which allows you to watch the ebb and flow of the Carribean Sea. Then you begin to approach Santo Domingo. (Please understand as you read the following about Santo Domingo that I am truly a country boy at heart and do not like cities in the United States either.) The first thing that rushes into your consciousness is that driving in the DR, at least in the cities, is not recreational it is not fun and is hardly even bearable as a means to an end. You quickly come to realize that stop signs, traffic lights, speed limits, and painted lane lines mean absolutely nothing. This is the only traffic law there is "The biggest vehicle with the biggest horn Wins" If you do like cities and the hustle and bustle. If you just can't live without your Pizza Hut, fast food and things of this nature then you probably won't mind and may even enjoy Santo Domingo.
After a couple of days in Santo Domingo we headed off to Samana. The drive there was absolutely beatiful. We took the route to Piedra Blanka and then through Cotui, Nagua,Sanchez and then Samana. We passed orange orchards, rice patties large valleys framed perfectly by the mountains, and along the way several quaint little towns. (I would like to warn first time drivers here about one particular hazaard that they should be aware of and that is the fact that especially around these little towns you will find speed bumps in the middle of the main road and I am not talking about little blips or rumble strips these things are on steriods and require almost a complete stop to go over them. Most are marked by a sign nearby but some come out of nowhere so be alert.)
When we reached Samana we found the house that we were renting for the week and we loved it. It was part way up the side of a hill with forty some odd steps up to it. We had a wonderful veiw out across a large section of the town. Unfortunately we did not have a view of the bay from the house but we walked over to another street one evening and were able to take it all in. Here is where we came in to contact with the "Calmado". We had seen them all over of course but here in Samana we really began to appreciate them. It is like having a little convenience store on almost every block. The only difference from our convenience stores is that they are not crazily over priced and with most things if you don't have enough to buy the whole package of something or maybe you just don't want to, you can usually ask the shop keeper and just purchase what you need. You also find out how convenient they are when you realize that you don't have power for 6 hours a day. This is long enough that most of the stuff in your refrigerator is not very cold. No problem, just don't keep much in your fridge. If you want a cold drink just run over to the Calmado. The ones we went to any way had small generators that kept their coolers running cold and grab yourself a cold bottle of water for 10 pesos ($.30).
While in Samana we visited 4 different beaches. The first and closest to Samana (Santa Barbara de Samana) was Playa Escondido (hidden beach) and it is kind of hidden it is in a little cove over the hill from the big resort that they are working on. At first glance I thought "how dirty". There was garbage strewn every where as we walked up to the beach. However, once you are actually on the beach it is pretty. It is not big but there was only one other family there using it and the view from the beach out is quite pretty. The water was tranquill and nice and shallow for quite a distance from the beach. Our daughter and her friends had a blast there. I do hope that once the resort on the hill opens back up that the beach will be cleaned up. (Of course there will also be the trade off of more people there using it). The next beach we went to was Playa Rincon this beach truly is spectacular, private, beautiful. We went snorkeling here and saw many fish and other sea life. The Rio Frio is nice as well. It is colder than the ocean but compared to many swimming spots in the north is hardly Frio (cold). The water of the river is crystal clear and very tranquil. We were going to take the boat from Las Galeras to Playa Rincon but a local guide in Samana had said that he thought we could make it in the mini van. We decided to try it and we did make it. The road is only bad the last couple of miles and if you go really slow and and are a reasonably good driver you should be able to make it. (That is as long as the weather has been good. I don't know if we would have made it had it been muddy) Again my only complaint is the amount of garbage that is all over the beach. I don't know how any one tourist or native wouldn't feel shame defiling such natural beauty with there left over garbage. The third beach that we visited is right outside of Cacaos next to a walled in resort. It is only a short stretch of beach not far off of the main road but it was clean. There was no garbage the beach was broad and gentle there was absolutely no one else using it and no vendors trying to sell us anything. The fourth beach we went to while visiting Samana was 15 Kilometers from Samana. I am not sure if it has a name or not. On the one end of the beach nearest the road is a little building where they sell fish and a few local boats. The beach arches away from this point until it come to a coral shoal. Again this beach was clean, no garbage at all. There was only one small local family that was enjoying the beach while we were there. I asked what the beach was called and they said they didn't know. They are however building a small resort at the far end. I talked with one of the workers and it sounded like it is going to consist of 9 villas and a pool and typical things like that. So I would have to say that this little stretch of beach was my favorite but qualify that with the fact that it soon will probably be considerably busier and at that point I will have to find another quiet spot.
After a truly memorable 8 days in Samana we headed back to Santo Domingo. This time we drove through San Francisco de Macoris instead of through Cotui. The road was better this way, however, trying to find the route for Santo Domingo through the city was quite difficult and we took a couple of wrong turns before a local put us back on the right path. At this point I would like to mention La Sirena. This is a store much along the lines of a Wal-Mart supercenter. There are not many of them in the DR but there is one in Santo Domingo, San Fran de Macoris, and Santiago. The reason that I mentions this is because if you are going to be traveling through one of these cities it might help you to not have to pack quite as much. Many of the prices on goods are very similar to what you would pay for them at Wal-Mart so instead of packing so much you could simply purchase things here like beach stuff for the kids, towells soap shampoo. Things that you can either give away before you leave or will use up. It is also a great spot to buy cheap souveniers. (There are many great hand made and locally made souveniers that can be found at little shops and markets in whatever town you are staying in but there are also a number of overpriced knock offs. Most of these knock offs you can find here at Sirena so if you have an office mate that is demanding a souvenier and you don't want to pay a lot for him buy your knock off here and that way you are not overcharged.)
Once we were back in Santo Domingo we had a couple more days before we headed back to the US so we went to the National Aquarium. Now it isn't the best aquarium in the world but for a little over a dollar US it sure is the cheapest one I have been too and the kids really enjoyed it. They also have a very nice side yard and walk way next to the Caribean where you can enjoy a picnic lunch or just watch the waves crash into the rocks below. We also went down and toured the Zona Colonial part of Santo Domingo and walked the Shops of El Conde. There are a number of stunning archetectual buildings in this area and is deffinately worth checking out. (You do need to be ready however, to say No Gracias numerous times. There will be guys that join themselves to your group and try to ussure you in to various shops, other vendors trying to sell you their wares and young boys trying to shine your shoes. Almost every time a polite yet firm "no gracias" will give you a little peace until the next one spots you.) We noticed there there is even a Hard Rock Cafe going in down town off the Conde.
Well of course there is so much more to write about our experience but I will not bore you with the details. I guess the greatest testament to how much we enjoyed it is that as soon as we were on the plane we were trying to figure out when the next time we could return would be and if we couldn't stay longer than two weeks.
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