Just got back from whale watching in Samana.

These are my personal thoughts on my trip as they still remain fresh in my memory:

We took Metro Tour from Santo Domingo to Samana, and Caribe on the return: by far, Metro Tour was superior.

We stayed in Samana at the Gran Bahia: if you like resorts, this one is beautiful. It's clean and the view of the bay is exquisite. But...it is all-inclusive, and for us spoiled Americans: the food was mediocore, and the liquor/beer/wine was all bottom shelf. Not for me; though in all fairness, my brother liked the place. Next time, I will stay in town at the Tropical Lodge.

We whale watched with Kim Bedall of Whale Samana. This is the way to go. But be forwarned, you must make reservations...preferably before you fly.

These are just MY personal thoughts. I am happy to answer any questions at my personal e-mail address as I won't be checking this index much from now on.

All in all, a good trip that I recommend to anyone who wants to whale watch!

Ed,

I envy you. I wish I were in Samana right now instead of chilly Pittsburgh. In my opinion Samana is just unbeatable when to comes to natural beauty. My husband and I honeymooned at the Gran Bahia; you are right about the food, really mediocre. We actually had much better food in Las Galeras, eating right there with the fishermen. The hotel is just so beautiful though; this place would be so much better if they just served good food. We nontheless loved the hotel; my husband especially. The staff was really nice too. We are making reservations to go back to Samana in June for our anniversary; this time we'll be staying at Villa Serena though. Cannot wait!

Regards,

Natasha

Natasha:

The NY Times published an article on Las Galleras just this past Sunday!

Have fun on your anniversary in June. I'll be back as well.

Re: Just got back (TOO!) from whale watching in Samana.

Natasha, I think you made the right choice with Villa Serena. We were in Las Galeras last week and it looked the nicest of all the hotels in town. Even though it has no beach, there is access to the ocean from the front lawn, and the water is front is crystal clear and lovely for swimming. There's a small deserted islet offshore that's lovely to sim out to (easy with snorkel gear and fins). from the left side of the islet you can even see part of Rincon beach!

We went on Kim Beddall's whale watch last Wednesday. (Actually we almost missed the boat: it was sailing away when we arrived at 9:15, but I called out and waved and Kim came back for us! So be sure to allot enough time to buy your ticket before it sails. We didn't but she let us pay her on the boat anyway.) The whale watch was delightful. It took about an hour to get close to any, but then we saw about 6 up close - right next to our boat!

BTW: For those who get seasick, get "the patch" (transderm-SCOP) -- I tried it and it really worked! (Dramamine/Bonine didn't work for me last time I tried it.) But bring lots of water because it makes you very thirsty, and take it off when you don't need it anymore or else it will keep working for 72 hours.

Have fun, JD