Samana

Hola. Require more info (with photos, if possible) on Samana. Is there a website catered specifically to this region of the DR?
Gracias

There is a website on this absolutely stunning part of the Dominican Republic. It is to be found here: <A HREF="http://www.samana.com">www.samana.com</A>

However, it is still being developed and not yet very thorough - or at least it wasn't last time I checked in. There is mainly information about Las Terrenas and a little about Las Galeras. If you want to see pictures of Las Galeras, I suggest you try these sites: <A HREF="http://www.elmarinique.com">www.elmarinique.com</A> and <A HREF="http://www.club-bonito.com">www.club-bonito.com</A>. Both have beautiful pictures of the region.

Las Galeras is very small and very quiet, a hamlet really, with a magnitude of coconut palms and turqoise waters. The main beach of Las Galeras itself is better for snorkeling than for swimming due to the amount of corals but a walk can bring you to a better beach for swimming. And if you chose to go by boat, 4WD or horse you can reach Playa Rincon, an absolutely amazing Robinson Crusoe like beach with creamy golden sands. There are a couple of small supermarkets, some good hotels and restaurants and local artist shops in Las Galeras. But don't expect loud nightlife.

Las Terrenas is larger and more lively but also more influenced by tourism. The area there is also very beautiful and you can take some great trips around. That goes for both places, really. And then there is the town of Samana itself, which is pleasant, noisy and with an interesting market.

Personally, I like Samana best of the areas in the Dominican Republic I have been to. It is verdant, with rain forest and coconut palms everywhere and green, green low mountains. Also it is still not spoiled by a magnitude of all inclusives. Little pensions and small hotels still dominate.

All in all my recommendations would be to go to Samana if you can. Either for the whole holiday or at least for a few days. If you ever wanted to feel far away from it all and really being in the Tropics, this is it.

Regards,
Susanne

Re: Samana - one more link

Ooops, I forgot this one, which is quite informative as a broad description of the region and what it has to offer: <A HREF="http://www.samana.org.do">www.samana.org.do</A>

Regards,
Susanne

Re: Samana/New Network

There is still another network on the Samana Peninsula that is in its infancy. I can't say a lot about it yet but it will be up and running sometime this summer. I can say that I am one of the principals involved and after acting as the unofficial information service for Las Galeras and the Samana area, it was suggested that I may as well make it official. So a partner and I are going to give it a go. We have registered the network name and as soon as I have more information, I will pass it along. I can also say that of the dozen tourist related businesses I've spoken to this past few days here in Las Galeras, I've been given a resounding YES to going forward with this project.

This network will be devoted to the Province of Samana and will, I hope, bring the beauty and warmth of this part of the Dominican Republic to the rest of the world.