Driving directions from Puerto Plata to Las Terrenas

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The Virginian

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Mar 16, 2007
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Could someone provide driving directions from Puerto Plata to Gran Bahia Principe El Portillo just outside Las Terrenas in the Dominincan Republic?
thanks Phil
 

Squat

Tropical geek in Las Terrenas
Jan 1, 2002
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Drive straight from, Pto Pta to Sanchez, then take a left after the Gas station to go to Las Terrenas. Once there, go all the way to the ocean, take a right, and drive all the way to El Portillo resort.
;)
 

J D Sauser

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  1. Set your odometer at ZERO when leaving or passing the Playa Dorada complex at the East end of Puerto Plata.
  2. Just go straight on the road leaving Puerto Plata East bound following signs towars "Nagua". At odometer reading of about 36kms, when passing thru Sabaneta de Yassica, keep on going "straight" East bound towards "Nagua" (don't turn right at an intersection which indicates "Moca"!)
  3. Depending on yur speed and stops about 1 to 2 hours or so later you reach NAGUA, a small town which you pass thru straight until at it's East end
  4. you need to head sharply LEFT at a 3 point intersection which is marked "<-Samana / San Fancisco de Macoris ->". Your odometer could read around 125km at that time.
  5. Less than an hour later, after going thru a long road which leads you thru a coconut palms forest immediately along the shore, and then crossing the rice fields which separate the Samana peninsula from the rest of the island, you will bypass Sanchez to your right and get onto the peninsula on it's Southern side (bayside). Shorlty after Sanchez (about 5km after or approximate odometer reading of a total of +/- 163kms), the road separtes (yes, it's marked " <- Las Terrenas / Samana -> ) and you will want to head off left (North) up OVER the hills.
Be extra careful when crossing the peninsula (over the "hill"), it's a windy narrow road in not always optimal conditions (but it's not real bad at all). Still, you need to take into account that, some locals, in their lifelong quest to always risk their and everybody else's lives to be firster than every body else, are constantly fighting the temptation to indiscriminately invade lanes, usually reserved for oncoming traffic, in order to pass a even firster driver before them when they CAN't see somebody else coming on, on that other lane. Quite often they dearly fail to resit that urge... and on that road it can very quickly create chess mate situations if YOU are not the one to go S L O W , run high beam lights and make generous use before every curve of your vehicle's locally most valuable asset, the horn.
Also tourists, just like you can pose a risk when their attention is being diverted by the beautiful views over the Samana bay and later on the North side, coming down, the Atlantic Ocean. There are some stopping possibilities which you can catch as long as you come slowly.
  • Reaching Las Terrenas on the other side (North side of the peninsula), I can't tell you with certainty on which side your hotel will be, but I trust somebody from the region will jump in here and give you final directions and if not, you will find locals most helpful to direct you into the right directions (there is a gas station at the entry of the village). But being called "Portillo" it would indicate that your hotel would be located on the East side (right when coming down from the hills) of the village (?).
The trip from Puerto Plata to Samana is in my opinion one of the most rewarding ones as far as the scenery and trip experience. You will be amazed as to how the general ambiance and vegetation can change, almost every 20 or so miles.
When having visitors on board, it takes me about 4 hours to reach Las Terrenas, for stopping here and there and just gazing at the nature.
I'd suggest you'd plan in some time to, it would indeed be a waste, not to give it that time.

The trip is in my opinion also one of the easiest ones to make for newcomers as far as Dominican road traffic goes (except for he mentioned part above), as there is usually little traffic and the villages are easy to pass.

Have a save trip... J-D.
 

mountainfrog

On Vacation!
Dec 8, 2003
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Juice after Nagua

... NAGUA, a small town which you pass thru straight until at it's East end
[*]you need to head sharply LEFT at a 3 point intersection which is marked "<-Samana / San Fancisco de Macoris ->"...
The turn off is still inside Nagua where there's a small park just after passing 'Clinica del Norte' on your left. Then after about a quarter of a mile at the traffic lights (which do not work at times) you keep right. Then it's all straight ahead to Sanchez.

Good natural fruit juices in Matancita (approx. 4 miles out of Nagua; always vehicles stopping there).

m'frog
 

The Virginian

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Mar 16, 2007
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Thanks everyone for your help on this. Our son is getting married here in June. We thought we would send them to this place for a few days get away. I told him, having been married for 39 years that if he had any issues or questions regarding marriage or women, to please ask someone else, as I am STILL trying to figure it of. LOL.

thanks again Phil
 
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