Info On Samana NEEDED!!!!!

cris777 said:

:glasses: HI all ..My fiance & I are going to the viva whyndam samana in feb. a few questions????
What airport do we fly into , puerto plata or santo domingo , I understand that a taxi from puerto plata to samana takes approx 3 hours , is this correct?
Also what is the weather like in feb & is this clear water , white sand , warm water??
also is this hotel nice & has anyone got any good info about samana in general..
Thanks ..huggs!!
Cris777

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Fly into Puerto Plata if you rent a car (if you arrive during the day) and drive the three hours to Samana. It is a pleasant drive, quite straight, just head east at all times. Bring a compass to be sure. Just don't drive at night. You need to turn to the north before getting to Samana, shortly after the town of Sanchez. See http://www.dr1.com/national

Or if you will not be driving, fly into Santo Domingo and take the Metro Bus to Sanchez in Samana. From there, take a taxi to the hotel. Bus is less than US$10 for the four hour trip, but the taxi will be about US$25 for the half an hour ride to the hotel. Others who have done this, can confirm.

See http://dr1.com/travel/samana/

samana

Dolores said:

Fly into Puerto Plata if you rent a car (if you arrive during the day) and drive the three hours to Samana. It is a pleasant drive, quite straight, just head east at all times. Bring a compass to be sure. Just don't drive at night. You need to turn to the north before getting to Samana, shortly after the town of Sanchez. See http://www.dr1.com/national

Or if you will not be driving, fly into Santo Domingo and take the Metro Bus to Sanchez in Samana. From there, take a taxi to the hotel. Bus is less than US$10 for the four hour trip, but the taxi will be about US$25 for the half an hour ride to the hotel. Others who have done this, can confirm.

See http://dr1.com/travel/samana/

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If you are going to fly into puerto plata,you can then fly to el portillo,and get a taxi to samana hotel for probably $20. and about less than an hour..

jaguarbob said:

If you are going to fly into puerto plata,you can then fly to el portillo,and get a taxi to samana hotel for probably $20. and about less than an hour..

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Flying is the best option, but at around US$70 each/one way, it is for only a few. After getting to Portillo, they have to take the US$20 taxi anyway, so we are talking of approximately US$160 to get there vs. US$50 for the bus/taxi option.

Dolores said:

Flying is the best option, but at around US$70 each/one way, it is for only a few. After getting to Portillo, they have to take the US$20 taxi anyway, so we are talking of approximately US$160 to get there vs. US$50 for the bus/taxi option.

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The Viva Wyndam Samana is actually in Las Terrenas and not in Samana. It is the old Guatapanal hotel which has been renovated and taken over by Viva Resorts.

Regards
Maggie

If you take bus from SD to Sanchez, be aware that Caribe Tours sends more buses there each day than does Metro. There are vehicles that meet the Caribe Tours and Metro buses in Sanchez to take people going to Las Terreranas hotels the rest of the way.

samana

Ken said:

If you take bus from SD to Sanchez, be aware that Caribe Tours sends more buses there each day than does Metro. There are vehicles that meet the Caribe Tours and Metro buses in Sanchez to take people going to Las Terreranas hotels the rest of the way.

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there are direct busses from sd to las terrenas,about 3 or 4 a day,first one is at 830am,last is about 330.phone number of bus station is 6871470.no sense having to get a pickup to las terrenas

Viva Widham Samana trip report

Take a look at this report:
http://www.dr1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42424
was posted a couple a weeks ago.
You could PM the OP with more questions about the resort.

General information about Samana Peninsula, just google the word samana.

The sand on Playa Coson, where Widham is located, is creamy white, the ocean is a little wavy, and in this part of the peninsula is a good wind for kite surfing.
WebDev

samana

Dolores said:

Flying is the best option, but at around US$70 each/one way, it is for only a few. After getting to Portillo, they have to take the US$20 taxi anyway, so we are talking of approximately US$160 to get there vs. US$50 for the bus/taxi option.

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if hotel is in las terrenas,taxis from pp to las terrenas are about $100.,not $50..guagua is much cheaper though,but again you have to get pickup to las terrenas from sanchez..but if you can aford it,plane is better to portillo,,and taxi to las terrenas is about $10.or motoconcho for 30 pesos...

WebDev said:

Take a look at this report:
http://www.dr1.com/forums/showthread.php?t=42424
was posted a couple a weeks ago.
You could PM the OP with more questions about the resort.

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I am the OP for this link. Trust me on this one! Fly into POP...rent a compact SUV from PRESTIGE...Drive to Viva and have a blast!!! The property is remote, so unless you plan on not leaving the property you will want a vehicle...unless you want to be at the mercy of local transport! The beach is truly great. The accomodations are nice...the food/drinks are OK...the staff is great. Prestige has better-than-average rental rates and will meet you at POP, drive you to Cabarete...which gives you 20-30 minutes to get accustomed to the EXPERIENCE that is Dominican driving...do your paper work and send you on your way. The drive from Cabarete to Viva takes 3+ hours and you will want to finish it during daylight. The reason I recommend a COMPACT SUV is that the roads are kinda rough yet you want a narrow vehicle to drive along some of the beach-side paths during the stay. Go to Punta Bonita (15 minutes from Viva...Jennifer should be able to give you directions) and drive back to the property via the beach path stopping to enjoy the remote beaches along the way. Visit the 1000+ year old tree just before Punta Bonita (I posted pictures in the Media Gallery). PM if you need directions. Most importantly...take the 1:45 drive to Playa Rincon early on a good-weather day. Take the path beyond Ruby's to the secluded beach area that ends at the cliff. If a day here doesn't bring you closer to all that you hold Holy...nothing will! I'm not a religious person...but at the end of the second day on this beach I felt as close to a higher power as I ever have. Eat luch at Minin's and you'll be able to die satisfied. Feel free to PM if you need more specifics

My two cents

I am going to tell you to stay in Las Galeras.

And,

this is what we do when we go --

We call our taxi driver/guide Mr. Green, in Samana - and he meets us at POP or at SDQ.

POP is closer.

Now about driving, I am a mad carzy Italian driving fool, even drive in NYC and have driven mucho in Europe.

And I am not interested in driving from POP to Samana/Las Galeras. Too much hassle. We're talkin flocal olks who remove turn signals from motorcycles and brake lights as well, for style reasons!

One of our games on the way from POP to Las Galeras is to count bikes with no rear lights as the sun sets - usually good for 17-26 bikes.

Not to mention the potholes the size of your bed.

And horses and cows and chickens in the road.

Leave it to a local and close your eyes when it gets crazy. SERIOUS!

Now, one you are in Samana/Las Terrenas/Las Galeras - go ahead and rent a car. Be careful. Do not drive in the dark when you can help it. And do not give in to testosterone when you see young things zipping all around you. They have a 1 in 8 chance of dying this way.

And if you're involved you are in for a nightmare.

Okay, so now if you want a phone number for our driver, Mr. Green "Green" in Samana, PM me. He is a great resource for English speakers and German speakers.

P.S. You need to reserve your trip with Green well ahead of time by phone, but it is worth it.

When booking my trip, I looked at Viva .. and tripadvisors gave them a bad review, Having stayed at their hotel in puerto plata.. I wasn't too happy with them. There are better places to stay. Plus its kind of a long walk from the hotel to the beach.. for those who are considering the Viva Wyndham