Any tips for our trip? Punta Cana > SD > Cabarete > Samana > La Romana > Bavaro

petrolej

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Feb 21, 2016
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Any tips for our trip? Punta Cana > SD > Cabarete > Samana > La Romana > Bavaro

Hi,
I am new to this forum and we are planning our first trip to DR with my girlfriend. We are both from Slovakia around 30 years old, travelled a lot together in Europe and in Morocco, Thailand. I spent almost 3 months travelling in Central America.
In DR we would like to relax, enjoy the beaches, try the cuisine and get to know the country and people. On top of that we plan to surf, dive and my gf would love to see dolphins. She's hoping to see them on every vacation, but we weren't so lucky so far.
I would appreciate any tips or comments to our itinerary:

24 - 25.2. Punta Cana - chill out after the flight from Europe
26.2. Santo domingo - see the Zona Colonial and maybe some live music
27 - 29.2. Cabarete - watch the Master of the Ocean and hopefully surf a little (we did surf before, but are still beginners)
1.3. - 6.3. Samana - apart from beaches, we would like to see the nature.
7.3. - 9.3 comfortable place in La Romana or Bayahibe with a day trip Saona
10.3. - 14.3. comfortable place in Bavaro or Punta Cana area
15.3. Flight from Punta Cana

We don't have any accommodation booked yet. For the week in Samana, we think of staying few days in Las Galeras and few days in Las Terrenas.
For the end of our trip we just want to relax, so we will probably book a beach resort in La Romana and then a resort somewhere in Bavaro. We have never stayed in all-inclusive resort. My gf would like to try it, but I prefer something more authentic. On the other hand our other trips were usually too hectic and we felt like we needed another holiday after a holiday so a resort might be a nice change.

We will travel by public transport.

What do you think about the itinerary? Where would you stay in Samana and in the La Romana and Punta Cana area?
 

Tamborista

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Apr 4, 2005
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It looks like 1/2 of your time on the island is going to be spent on a bus, not exactly a relaxing trip.
 

kapitan75

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Too much on your plate. You will enjoy pc,bayahibe,sd with the time you have.
You can surf in pc. Relax in bayahibe , and history in sd.
Good luck.
 

AnnaC

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Leave good jewlery at home. Buy yourself a 10 dollar watch. Don't give anyone reason to rob or hurt you.
 

Virgo

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Hi,

I would appreciate any tips or comments to our itinerary:

24 - 25.2. Punta Cana - chill out after the flight from Europe
26.2. Santo domingo - see the Zona Colonial and maybe some live music
27 - 29.2. Cabarete - watch the Master of the Ocean and hopefully surf a little (we did surf before, but are still beginners)
1.3. - 6.3. Samana - apart from beaches, we would like to see the nature.
7.3. - 9.3 comfortable place in La Romana or Bayahibe with a day trip Saona
10.3. - 14.3. comfortable place in Bavaro or Punta Cana area
15.3. Flight from Punta Cana

We will travel by public transport.

What do you think about the itinerary? Where would you stay in Samana and in the La Romana and Punta Cana area?

I am afraid you are SEVERELY OVERESTIMATING the DR's public transport system outside the major metropolitan areas (especially connecting with tourist areas). Don't get me wrong, it is probably POSSIBLE to travel around the country in public transport, but the system is NOT meant for that, especially if you are a tourist with limited time, who actually want to ENJOY your visit.

The inter-city public buses are mostly meant for local people often of modest means. Depending on the specific area, the service may actually be decent and relatively cheap (PC-SD about 8 EUR one way, lasting about 3 hrs). However, they may drop you in places convenient for local people, but not necessarily for tourists. So, you may actually spend more money in a taxi from your hotel to the bus stop, than for the main trip. Non-taxi transport options around the beach tourist areas are non-existing to extremely limited. Moto-taxis are normally inexpensive and work OK for the venturous ones, but I would NEVER recommend them (and wouldn't work at all if you carry luggage or shopping bags).

That said, traveling to SD the next day after your arrival (from Europe?) seems like a bad idea. As said, it's a 3 hrs trip each way, but you have to add time for connecting to/from the bus. You could just do PC on your arrival and Bayahibe at the end since it's no big deal to travel from a Bayahibe hotel to the PC airport (very short trip with the new highway). If you are going to stop in SD at all, allocating two nights to that city would seem sensible (presumably you would arrive mid day, and leave early, so 2 nights is not that much).

You should be able to see whales around Samana this time of the year (dolphins are easily seen in captivity...can even swim with them).
 

Virgo

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Oct 26, 2013
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Too much on your plate. You will enjoy pc,bayahibe,sd with the time you have.
You can surf in pc. Relax in bayahibe , and history in sd.
Surfing near PC should be fairly limited. The PC area mostly faces a CANAL between two islands, and/or the Caribbean SEA (an interior sea similar to the Mediterranean, NOT the Ocean). That is far from ideal for real surfing.

The Ocean is near the northern part of PC, so there may be some surfing possibilities to the North and West of Macao, towards Miches, in front of Samana, but I doubt it will be at the level of Cabarete and nearby.
 

Hector L

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Way too much on your plate. Cut out about half of this and then enjoy the other half. Personally I am not a fan of all inclusives. Many of my friends do so it is personal preference. You will be in a bubble with Europeans, Canadians and Americans. The Dominican people are friendly and gracious. I like being around them rather than other tourists.
 

ju10prd

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Far too much travelling and little time to enjoy.

Keep it simple.

East Coast (Punta Cana and Bavaro) at the beginning and end of the trip. Travel up East coast on new highway to Miches and Sabana de la Mara and take the 4times daily ferry over to Samana........even better a side trip into Parque de Los Haitises when at Sabana. Travel around the peninsula (try the Tree House) and don't miss the whales at this time of year.

Samana peninsula could take up the 3 weeks alone with such variation and varied lovely beaches. You can enjoy surfing on Playa Coson or Playa Bonita (surf school there with accommodation). From Las Terrenas take one of the daily buses to Santo Domingo and stay a couple of nights in Zona Colonial and then back to Bavaro.

This way you will have seen a good cross section of the eastern half of the country. DR is a big place with not so good transport

Come back when you have read the advice of all posters and get recommendations on places to stay.
 

Virgo

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Oct 26, 2013
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Macao is a very popular surfing beach, just 10 mins drive from B?varo/Punta Cana. Some surfing at Uvero Alto too.

http://macaosurfcamp.com/

I remember Macao as a very active beach. Like I said, I am not surprised some surfing is possible near Macao (since it is technically the Ocean, although very close to the canal) but I doubt it is at the same level as Cabarete and the like among surfing sites.
 

Tamborista

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Apr 4, 2005
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Surfing near PC should be fairly limited. The PC area mostly faces a CANAL between two islands, and/or the Caribbean SEA (an interior sea similar to the Mediterranean, NOT the Ocean). That is far from ideal for real surfing.

The Ocean is near the northern part of PC, so there may be some surfing possibilities to the North and West of Macao, towards Miches, in front of Samana, but I doubt it will be at the level of Cabarete and nearby.

I would hardly call The Mona Passage a "Canal".
 

ju10prd

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The OP said wrote: '(we did surf before, but are still beginners)'

Forget Cabarete or Macao

Playa Bonita or Coson is good for them to surf.....great location just around the corner from Playa Coson and LT and perfect place to relax

[video=youtube_share;vaOQCkrhHGo]https://youtu.be/vaOQCkrhHGo[/video]

Samana whales and island Cayo Levantado, Playa La Valle and zip Line, Las Galleras and snorkeling and diving, Salta Limon, Playa Rincon, Las Terrenas.
 

ju10prd

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Noticed you are from Slovakia.......on Playa Bonita you have the Atlantis Hotel and they had a Czech receptionist working there a year back. The owner is also the French consul and ex chef of former French President Mitterand, and in keeping with Las Terrenas and much of Samana, the atmosphere is more European for tourists.
 

Tamborista

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If you say so, it's 80 miles wide, that would be considered a strait, not a canal.
You would actually do us all a favor here by swimming across.
 

Virgo

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If you say so, it's 80 miles wide, that would be considered a strait, not a canal.
You would actually do us all a favor here by swimming across.
The official Spanish name is CANAL DE LA MONA.

Now, one can argue that one shouldn't translate Spanish CANAL as English Canal, which may or may not be true.

Would you be any happier if we say Mona is a Channel as opposed to a Canal?

Channel = Canal in many contexts.
 

petrolej

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Feb 21, 2016
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Thanks for all your comments. We made a tough decision and we will skip Cabarete. This our current itinerary:

24 - 28.2. Bavaro - probably around El Cortecito and Los Corales, good choice?
29.2. Santo domingo - just a quick stop to break the journey and see the Zona Colonial and maybe some live music
1.3. - 6.3. Samana
7.3. - 14.3 Bayahibe
15.3. Flight from Punta Cana

Where would you stay in Samana? One option is to do few days in Las Terrenas and few days in Las Galeras (maybe in El Cabito) another option is whole 6 days in Las Terrenas and do some day trips with guaguas. I have the feeling that daytrips with guaguas can be quite difficult in this areas, so maybe staying in 2 places would be better. Or would you go somewhere else? Samana town? Is El Cabito good place to stay for 2-3 nights without car? It looks pretty for sunset dinner, but I wonder if there are any beaches in walking distance.

We will probably skip all-inclusive resort, because booking last-minute and without a package with flight seems to be overpriced. So in Bayahibe we will look for airbnb or small hotel in Playa Dominicus. Good choice?

Surfing? We will try something in Samana, possibly El Coson
http://www.wannasurf.com/spot/Central_America/Dominican_Republic/el_coson/index.html

Thanks, You already helped us a lot.
 

ju10prd

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Samana days.....

Suggest you travel first to Las Terrenas.......bus schedule below

http://www.las-terrenas-live.com/las-terrenas/transportes/guaguas-publicas.html

For surf school you might be better trying Carolinas Surf School on Playa Bonita https://www.facebook.com/carolinasurfschool

Playa Bonita is quite and very beautiful part good for surfing and part good for swimming and about ten minutes from town but from there you can walk around the point onto Playa Coson which is some 10km long. You have a choice of hotels there including the surf school. You can get to town using motoconchos.

I would suggest you move on to Samana or maybe Las Galleras on your way you can take in Salta Limon in the morning. There are regular guaguas plying the Las Terrenas route. Can't recommend any hotels in that area but the Dominican Tree House might be a different experience http://dominicantreehousevillage.com/. Right by the areas hidden secret, the gorgeous beach Playa La Valle. Reality is that 5 or 6 days in Samana Peninsula is far too little and we haven't mentioned whale watching where you take boats from Samana. Maybe I'm biased having lived there but it is a much more varied and beautiful location than Bayahibe which doesn't feature on my list of places to visit in DR.

Carib Tours has regular buses back to Santo Domingo from Samana. But don't discount the 4 times daily ferry from Samana to Sabana and from there guaguas to wherever......cuts out a lot of bus time.