Going to Samana this June :)

xiv said:

Hello there,

I am visiting the DR this June and going to stay at the "Casa Marina Bay" in Samana. I read some positive reviews about the place and heard (till today) only one negative comment which was that the guests are usually German and/or Italian and mainly stick to "themselve" and don't speak English.

Is there any of you that already been there? Any comment (positive or negative)?

I heard about whale watching. Is it worth doing? Is June the right time? Any other place / excursion that I cannot miss? Any comment will be appreciated.

Thank you,

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We stayed there for a few days this past October, and we enjoyed it very much. The grounds are quite nice. The beach is gorgeous and lined with palm trees. We didn't catch a show but they appeared to be well attended in spite of the fact that it was slow when we were there. The buffet was good, very similar to other places that we have stayed. The disco was fun. Good music, pool tables, etc. We didn't bother with other tourists as we were only there for two days so I can't really comment on that. One bonus is that you are really close to El Limon and Playa Rincon which are both great spots to see. Also, the drive to the hotel is quite something. You've never seen so many cocos! Breathtaking! The town of Samana and Samana Bay are very nice places to see as well.

Samana

June is not the right time to watch Whales

www.samana-peninsula.com

It says at the archived news section

Whale season starts 15 January 2004 till 15 March 2004
The whale-watching season officially begins. The two-month-long season of frolicking giant whales is an exciting time of the year to visit Samana province

Well their is a lot to do, CAYO LEVANTADO, LOS HAITISES NATIONAL PARK, EL LIMON WATERFALL, and much more, if you visit the next pages you will see more things to do!

http://www.samana-peninsula.com
http://www.samanaonline.com
http://www.samana.net

Samana

When i am going to the DR i am always (90% of my vacation) in the Peninsula Samana (Las Terrenas), ok i have family their and i am also born in Sanchez, Saman? but it is a beauty place!!

Hi xiv,

In my opinion, the only "down side" to your trip will be that it will spoil you for much of the rest of the country . Our first trip to the DR was to the Peninsula (the Gran Bahia) and while we have always enjoyed our other trips, the Samana Peninsula has always been the benchmark. We finally got back there for a couple of days in December, and all I could think was, "yes, this is it!!!!!"

From my admittedly limited experience, it does seem to be heavily European influenced, often with whole families vacationing there for extended periods of time (green with envy) so it is not surprising that they seem to "stick together". That being said, we have had some great times with Europeans in many places in the DR despite some language barriers. Make an effort to be friendly, and if you get rebuffed, just ignore it.

I have noticed that older Europeans and the younger kids have the most English, and are willing to speak it. It also might be a good idea to practice some common French, German and Italian phrases as well as some Spanish. It might come in handy for trying to "break the ice" if you are really interested in socializing with the other guests.

You are going to have a great time and I look forward to your trip report when you get back (hint, hint).

Rose

Make sure you take the ferry from Samana to Sabana De La Mar....It costs 100 pesos and it was a blast....It takes about an hour.....and the ride is a blast. I sat on the upper level while everyone and a motorcycle were squished below. I got splashed numerous times as it was quite windy.....but I felt like I was on a sailboat or some fantastic ride. I'll have to check my notes (was in the DR from March 3 to 17th)...as it's all fading away too fast...but I had come from Sabana De La Mar...stayed overnight at some rough hotel, but met good people...ate well...went to the National Park with Francisco (tour guy) who took myself and Nick from Belgium on a hike through the rainforest like jungle to our boat for an extra $5 bucks.....well worth it! and took the ferry to Samana. I was quite exhilerated from that boat trip!! (being in the middle of Canada, I don't get to experience that kind of ride often!)
El Limon waterfall was fantastic...easy to hike in.
Playa Rincon amazingly beautiful....
Dominican people I met, simply amazing...always smiling
Presidente beer.......can it be any colder? They should teach my city how to store beer!

When I have a chance, i'll post more about my first trip to the DR. Loved it, missing it, am coming back for sure. XIV you will love the DR! Make sure you read through the threads on this website.....there is such a wealth of good information here.

If you get to Sosua, make sure you stop in at Rocky's and have the ribs.....fantastic!
Great bakery in Las Terrenas! Great B&B in Las Galleras!
Cabarete Surf Camp....very cool place...meet surfers and non surfers from around the world.

Might have to change my name to Raingirl....still have snow, but it's melting!!