Samana

[bandit0000]

Hi,

 

I have been trying to find out some info on this relatively new port of call, best beach, what to do etc.

I can't find anything on the ports of call boards, can anyone help me get some information.

Many thanks,

Lisa

[smeyer418]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=499477

 

try this.

[bandit0000]

Thanks so much for that it has some great info.

Looks like Caya Levantado for us.

Kind regards,

Lisa:D

[rabys]

Yes, go to Caya Levantado. Last year on the Dawn we "free-styled" all of our excursions, but doing this at Dominican was a big mistake. We now refer to it as the shot-gun excursion. We took a cab out to a "beautiful beach", said the driver, dumpiest beach I have ever seen. We walked around for a while, ended up at some Dutch/German resort, and was promptly escorted off the premises once they found out that we were not staying there, by Shotgun!!! We ended up at Caya Levantado, nice beach lots going on... enjoy!

 

Stan

[BethP781]

My husband and I took a taxi with eight other people to Las Galeras. It was very nice and not crowded at all. We just sat under a palm tree and watched the waves of clear water on the sand.

 

You can easily take a taxi to a few different beaches. The taxis are always available right off of the tender pier. There's a large sign next to the pier that says set prices to certain places. Just remember, the price is for the whole taxi to get you to the place you want... not per person. So it may cost $70 to go to Las Galeras, but split between 7 people is only $10/person.

 

I've also heard Las Terranas is beautiful, and more European influenced. Here's some information on Las Terranas (from http://www.hispaniola.com/dominican_republic/destinations/samana_las-terrenas.php):

 

Las Terrenas, located approximately 245 km east of Puerto Plata, must be accessed by one of two mountain roads. If you are coming from the west, you would turn left after the town of Sánchez. If you are arriving from the east, you would drive through Samaná, and turn right on the road towards El Limón and El Portillo. Once you're on either road it will take another 1/2 hour to 45 minutes to reach the town of Las Terrenas. The road from Sánchez is the most exciting route to take. This curvy, steep road takes you through the Cordillera Samaná mountain range. Go slowly and you'll see spectacular views of Samaná Bay and Parque Los Haitises on the south side, and the Atlantic coast on the north side. Along the way you'll see brightly painted Dominican homes, as well as the unique farming and vegetation of the area, including 60 varieties of palms. Upon arrival in Las Terrenas, you'll be awed with the calmness of the area and the beautiful white sand beach lined with tall palms and pastel-colored wooden fishing boats. The next thing you may notice is its Mediterranean-influenced atmosphere. There are plenty of cafés and oceanfront restaurants where people can be found sipping wine, over long, leisurely lunches, or having a mid-day break over a café latte. Shops there offer a variety of arts and crafts, many of them unique handmade items that can be difficult to find elsewhere in the Dominican Republic. Activity-wise, you can enjoy watersports like snorkeling, diving, windsurfing and kiteboarding. The 4-wheel drive and horseback riding trips are also popular because they allow you to see otherwise non-accessible areas of beauty. If you just want to plant yourself on a beautiful beach you can also visit closeby Playa Bonita or Playa Las Balleras.

[bandit0000]

Thankyou for the info, that certainly gives me a bit of choice.

Lisa:)