Las terrenas or Las Galeras

Both places are very nice, and we had the chance to discuss them on other threads not too long ago.

I am partial to Las Terrenas, because I live there and think it is a great place. If you land at Puerto Plata Airport, you can organize a small plane to fly to El Portillo Airport (Las Terrenas), but a taxi would do the job too (3 hours drive).

There's now a new international airport not too far from Las Terrenas, it's called "El Catey". Maybe you can find a flight, you should look into it.

You could do a day-trip to Ocean World, but it is about a 4 hour drive, so you must be really motivated...

I recommend you to google Las Terrenas. See the photos...

I use USAir from Phillie to Santo Domingo. It's a direct flight, but, they only fly there on Saturdays. It's a 4 hour Caribe bus ride to Sanchez and then a 20 minute scenic taxi ride over the Cordillera Mountain to LT, but I'd bet that is comparable to the travel time to LT from Puerto Plata.

I agree with Squat. I've traveled to LT for several years and, although it's becomming a serious tourist destination and growing away from the small fishing village I came to know and love, it still beats Las Galeras for the amentities and the beaches, which are absolutely stunning.

We are aslo from Philly and have been travelling to Samana for many years. The USAir non-stop from PHL to SDO used to be a daily, then they moved their Carribean hub to Ft. Lauderdale. Since then we've flown from Newark to Purto Plata on Continental. Continental also flies to Santiago and Santo Domingo.

What you want to do is go to Expedia, Travelocity, etc; plug in your dates and look for flights from Philly (PHL) to El Catey (AZS?). (The new airport in Samana) American eagle will be flying there daily from San Jaun staring in December. You should be able to find a reasonable Philly to San Juan to El Catey ticket on American.

As to Las Terrenas vs Las Galeras - You should see which one is more to your tastes for youself. We camp out in Las Galeras, which is a little less developed, but we visit Las Terrenas frequently.

Hope this helps.

I'm planning my next trip for the end of Feb-Mar as well. I seriously recommend the Saturday flight out of PHL as it is direct and less of a hassle. Overnight or spend a day or two in the capitol [taxi from SDQ to the capitol should cost you no more than $25 USD] and then head up to Samana. I'm a little adventurous and have done this trip for several years now and I always have taken the Caribe Tour bus from the capitol to Samana. It's a beautiful way to see the countryside and it only costs the equivalent of $6 USD.

As between LT and LG, I would recommend LT which has one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever had the priviledge of spending time on. Playa Rincon in Las Galeras equally as beautiful, some say more so, however, there is more to do in LT than LG. Either way, you are going to have a great, great vacation. OH, BTW, do not forget the whales that migrate to the Samana penninsula each year during that time. You should not miss the opportunity to go out into the Bay with Kim and her crew and pay them a visit. They are stunning, brilliant, creatures.

Perhaps I'll see you in LT next year. Have a wonderful trip! It will certainly not be your last!