Trying to decide where to stay for 5 days. We are three friends (female) and don't want to rent a car. We'd like to be based in a small hotel/apartment where we will be able to walk to a few beaches and restaurants. We plan to visit the Salto Limon and tour some beaches.
I have read that LT has many more restaurants and nightlife. We are not so much in need of that as long as we are able to walk a few small restaurants and have a cocktail or two at night.
So far I am leaning towards LG but it seems like maybe there are more beaches in walking distance from LT? I also have read LT has more exhaust, traffic, overall noise.
Thanks!
If you want peace and quiet with little activity, except going to the beach everyday go to Las Galeras. Getting from Las Galeras to Limon Falls in about a 45-60 minute ride by taxi. This will be costly unless there is a tour originating out of Las Galeras that will provide transportation. LT has many choices for drinks and dinner. It also has many more options for hotels. Yes LT is busier than Las Galeras. There isn't many tourist areas in the DR that aren't. LT is a nice blend of locals and ex-pats, mainly Europeans. It has a beach town vibe but also this is real world and not an all-inclusive atmosphere. I would look into the Villa Mariposa in LT. It is located down a side road about a 5-7 walk to the beach. This is a very private, self contained small villas around a pool. It is quiet, very good security and ambiance. The prices, I think, are fairly reasonable and as I said it is less than a 10 minute walk to the beach and the "Fishermen's Village of bars and restaurants. If you can afford to spend a little more I would check out Hotel Aliesi or Hotel Colbri on Playa Las Ballenas. If you are interested primarily into the beach these are both great locations. Hotel Colibri is on the nicest stretch of beach in LT. Are you flying from Canada or the US/ If you are flying from Canada you can find a flight in AZS (El Catey /Juan Bosch International Airport. If you are flying in from the US you will have to fly into SDQ, Santo Domingo. From the airport in Santo Domingo it is not an easy connection to either LT or even worse to get to Las Galeras, which is literally at the end of the road on the Samana Peninsula. You will need to connect with a bus or hire a private taxi to get your from the airport to the Northeast coast. This will cost $180usd each way. If you are flying in from Canada into El Catey it is less the 30 minutes to LT and will cost you about $70 for a taxi. The bus option from Santo Domingo to LT is not easy to connect to. First you need to arrive in Santo Domingo early enough in the day to be able to get through the airport and get to the bus station adjacent to the beginning of the Santo Domingo/ Samana highway. From here you can pick up the bus, which originates in the city and will take you non stop to LT. It's about a 3 hour ride. To get from SDQ to the bus depot you will need to take a taxi to get there. It's about $30-40 total. So it is not really easy to get from the airport in Santo Domingo to the Samana Peninsula, especially if this is your first time to the DR and you are not familiar with the terrain or speak the language. It really does make a huge difference of where you are flying into. I hope I did not discourage you but travelling to LT or LG could take a better part of a day coming and going and will not leave much time to relax. If you are flying from Canada into El Catey it is an easy trip to LT. Las Galeras in about an hour and fifteen minutes further down the road. I know you don't want to rent a car but it may be a better option from SDQ. It is about a 2-2hour 30 minute door to door. If you need any additional advise, just ask. Good luck and good travels.