trip to las galeras

Hi there,

Me and my family are going to Puerto Plata (Costambar) in December but have decided to take a trip for about two or three days to Las Galeras on the Samana Peninsula.

We don't want to rent a car so how do we get there? We bring along two small children but we don't mind being on a bus. How long would it take approximately to get from Puerto Plata to Las Galeras?

Also, has anybody out there heard of a small inn or b&b in Las Galeras that you would recommend? El Marinique sounds pretty good but we would appreciate other suggestions as long as they are reasonably priced, not too large and close to one of the nice beaches.

Thanks, Andy

You can take a Caribe Tours bus to Samana, which will cost I think around 50 or 60 pesos per person, but from Samana you'll have to get on a guagua to Las Galeras, which is about an hour ride. It's pretty rural and idyllic, the people here are nice so there shouldn't be any problem. The worst part is that the road is pretty rocky.

Paradiso Bungalows are basic but quite nice and in a nice tree-shaded area. They're also cheap. If you have more money, you can try Villa Serena, which is a very swanky place. Moorea Beach Resort is a more downscale hotel, but still pretty nice, and with a pool. Casa Lotus is also beautiful, but they don't allow children, so you're out of luck here.

If you're looking for something to do while you're in Las Galeras, go either to Playa Rincon, an even better beach to the north. YOu can take a daily ferry there, run by the owners of Paradiso Bungalows -- they also do scuba dives. Or else you can go to Cuevas de Agua, a bunch of Taino caves nearby. Go back down the road to Samana for 1km or so and take a left at the cockfighting arena. It's very remote, but the locals will show you around a bit. Keep walking and you'll find a sheer cliff with the water pounding against it and spraying you where you stand.

Don't have any of the hotel phone numbers on me, but let me know if you want any of them.

Andy,

Just read your message re: Las Galeras and I also read Sean's reply. Let me correct a few things.

First, riding the bus with your family in tow presents no problems except one: the only bus from Puerto Plata to Samana leaves Puerto Plata at 7am and costs about 75-80 pesos per person. This schedule usually necessitates staying overnight in the Puerto Plata/Sosua area and catching the bus in Cherimico next to Sosua. By the time you figure the cost of the room, meals, taxis, etc. you are cheaper to rent a private taxi at the airport to come to Las Galeras. The cost is about $100us and is well worth it. We usually advise our guests to travel this way.

Secondly, there are 8 hotels in Las Galeras with 5 of us being oceanfront. Prices vary from $25 to over $125 per night. There are also small houses you can rent, but none are oceanfront and are in noisy areas near the main street,...lots of loud music and motorcycles running up and down the streets all night. The only hotels that have peace and quiet are well away from the main street.

In regards Playa Rincon, the cost per-person, round trip by boat is $150rd and a number of boats make the trip several times a day. You can either book a boat through Dive Samana/Paridiso Cottages or talk with a fisherman on the beach. Some hotels such as ours will do it for you. It's good that you have decided to visit Las Galeras as we are in the prettiest part of the Dominican Republic and are not heavily developed as are other parts of the DR.

With the change of the millenium I would advise you to make your reservations now as we are filling up fast (as are the airlines). I've talked to the other hotel owners here and we ALL have reservations for this coming season starting in December. We got our first reservation 3 months ago.

If you have any other questions regarding the Las Galeras/Samana area, please don't hesitate to e-mail us. Incidentally, 3 hotels have sites/e-mail: Villa Serena (site only), Club Bonito and us. Moorea Beach should be on line by then (but they're not oceanfront). Cordially, Andy Brachhold el Marinique Las Galeras elmarinique@codetel.net.do

Could you be so kind as to post those internet sites here?

Thanx.

Loren (and everybody else),

Villa Serena and Club Bonito can be accessed from the Where to Stay network, and I also believe they are on the DR1 network. Our site is www.venturesys.com/elmarinique. The foreign investors/business association of the Province of Samana (primarily Las Galeras and Samana and of which we are members) has me working on a website to promote the general area and member businesses. I should have the site up sometime before the first of the year. Watch for it as it will cover a lot of ground and have links to those of us that have sites. Andy Brachhold el Marinique Hotel Las Galeras

El Marinique

First class web site. I have bookmarked it, as I eventually want to make my way up to Saman?, and I will certainly give you a call. How much is the deep sea fishing and what is usually the catch?

Thanx,

Loren