My wife and I and another couple recently returned from a 7 day cruise on the Norwegian Dawn that stopped in Samana on November 13. Just wanted to share a few experiences that we had there.
First of all, the weather was not cooperating this day. When I woke up, we were pulling into the bay and it was just starting to rain. The rain got heavier the closer that we got to shore. I realized that I might have to alter my plans a little. I knew that the majority of my fellow 2500 passengers were probably planning on going to Cayo Levantado so I wanted to avoid going there although it seems like it would be nice to see when it?s not crowded. I figured the rest would take an excursion to Salto el Limon. So my plan, thanks to info that I got from my friends here on DR1 was to go to the remote beach on the eastern coast of Samana called Playa Rincon. We were a little nervous that we would have enough time to do this since we would not get on shore until at least 11, and needed to be back on the ship by 6. The plan was to find a cab that would be willing to drive us out there (which is no easy task as the last mile or so does not have a good road to it) and would wait for us for a few hours until we were ready to return.
Since it was raining, I decided to try to catch a cab to Las Galeras which is the town on the coast right before Playa Rincon. I would decide there if I wanted to continue or turn back. Because there is no port for cruise ships in Samana, we had to get ferried from the ship to the dock. It was a long process since we could only use one side of the ship to exit from due to the weather. When we arrived on shore, it was still sprinkling. We were greeted by a small group of guys playing Perico Ripiao. Then, we were approached by taxi drivers and tour operators and kids trying to sell sea shells and men selling hats and cigars. Even though it sounds chaotic, it wasn?t as bad as I was expecting. After a simple ?no gracias?, most moved on. We negotiated a price with a driver to go the Las Galeras. As we were getting into the taxi, the heavens opened up and it really started to rain. Our driver assured us that it would not be raining in Las Galeras 30 minutes to the east. The trip was interesting as we got to see a lot of the country side and what real life is like in Samana. As we approached Las Galeras, the rain stopped and you could tell that it hadn?t even rained there from the dry ground. We walked around the beach at Las Galeras and studied the skies. My friend dove in to check out the snorkeling but couldn?t see anything probably due to the weather. We decided to take a boat for $12/person to Playa Rincon because the road would be too difficult to drive there from the recent rain.
The boat ride was an adventure in itself. We were going pretty fast over some large waves and feeling every bump. We got to see the coast line and an atoll of the coast. Eventually, we curved around and saw what I recognized to be Playa Rincon. It was still cloudy but it was beautiful. It is so natural there still. There?s a few restaurants there but not much else. Our taxi driver rode with us on the boat. I promised him that I would buy him lunch so this may have helped motivate him to come along too. We ordered our food since it takes over an hour to prepare and began swimming and snorkeling. Couldn?t see much under the water but I?m sure it?s better on a different day. My wife and I went for a walk on the beach and enjoyed being far away from all of the crowds of the cruise ship and surrounded by mountains and ocean and palm trees. It was sad to think that probably within 10 years, you won?t even recognize that beach. I?m sure it will eventually have resorts and stores and all of the other tourist attractions. I?m glad I got to see it before it was too late.
We enjoyed our fried fish and rice. The fish was of course fried whole with head and tail but it was very good. I was disappointed that he didn?t have any habichuelas or tostones to give us, only rice and potatoes. It was neat to see the cook gather wood to cook the fish with. This was the real deal.
We returned to Las Galeras and quickly headed back to Samana keeping an eye on the time. We got there with some time to spare so our driver took us to a colmado to get some Brugal and vainilla and to the new mall area by the malecon. A lot of the shops are still empty so the mall wasn?t that impressive yet. It looks like it will be nice. All of the buildings are colorful and welcoming to the crowds that will slowly start to trickle into this area. However, I preferred going to the smaller area of tents set up where you could buy the typical cheesy souvenirs and imitation clothing for cheap.
After this we got back on the ship. Not a lot of time to see all that I would have liked to but it was a nice taste of what Samana has to offer. I would like to return some day and maybe visit some of the other parts of the area, probably in February to see the whales.
I can honestly say that Samana was the most authentic stop on our cruise and therefore stood out from the rest. Hopefully, the locals can figure out a way to benefit from the tourism industry without losing the natural and warm appeal that Samana offers.
Feel free to ask me any questions about the trip?oh and click on the link below to see all of the pics.
samana pictures from friends & fun photos on webshots
Vince D.
First of all, the weather was not cooperating this day. When I woke up, we were pulling into the bay and it was just starting to rain. The rain got heavier the closer that we got to shore. I realized that I might have to alter my plans a little. I knew that the majority of my fellow 2500 passengers were probably planning on going to Cayo Levantado so I wanted to avoid going there although it seems like it would be nice to see when it?s not crowded. I figured the rest would take an excursion to Salto el Limon. So my plan, thanks to info that I got from my friends here on DR1 was to go to the remote beach on the eastern coast of Samana called Playa Rincon. We were a little nervous that we would have enough time to do this since we would not get on shore until at least 11, and needed to be back on the ship by 6. The plan was to find a cab that would be willing to drive us out there (which is no easy task as the last mile or so does not have a good road to it) and would wait for us for a few hours until we were ready to return.
Since it was raining, I decided to try to catch a cab to Las Galeras which is the town on the coast right before Playa Rincon. I would decide there if I wanted to continue or turn back. Because there is no port for cruise ships in Samana, we had to get ferried from the ship to the dock. It was a long process since we could only use one side of the ship to exit from due to the weather. When we arrived on shore, it was still sprinkling. We were greeted by a small group of guys playing Perico Ripiao. Then, we were approached by taxi drivers and tour operators and kids trying to sell sea shells and men selling hats and cigars. Even though it sounds chaotic, it wasn?t as bad as I was expecting. After a simple ?no gracias?, most moved on. We negotiated a price with a driver to go the Las Galeras. As we were getting into the taxi, the heavens opened up and it really started to rain. Our driver assured us that it would not be raining in Las Galeras 30 minutes to the east. The trip was interesting as we got to see a lot of the country side and what real life is like in Samana. As we approached Las Galeras, the rain stopped and you could tell that it hadn?t even rained there from the dry ground. We walked around the beach at Las Galeras and studied the skies. My friend dove in to check out the snorkeling but couldn?t see anything probably due to the weather. We decided to take a boat for $12/person to Playa Rincon because the road would be too difficult to drive there from the recent rain.
The boat ride was an adventure in itself. We were going pretty fast over some large waves and feeling every bump. We got to see the coast line and an atoll of the coast. Eventually, we curved around and saw what I recognized to be Playa Rincon. It was still cloudy but it was beautiful. It is so natural there still. There?s a few restaurants there but not much else. Our taxi driver rode with us on the boat. I promised him that I would buy him lunch so this may have helped motivate him to come along too. We ordered our food since it takes over an hour to prepare and began swimming and snorkeling. Couldn?t see much under the water but I?m sure it?s better on a different day. My wife and I went for a walk on the beach and enjoyed being far away from all of the crowds of the cruise ship and surrounded by mountains and ocean and palm trees. It was sad to think that probably within 10 years, you won?t even recognize that beach. I?m sure it will eventually have resorts and stores and all of the other tourist attractions. I?m glad I got to see it before it was too late.
We enjoyed our fried fish and rice. The fish was of course fried whole with head and tail but it was very good. I was disappointed that he didn?t have any habichuelas or tostones to give us, only rice and potatoes. It was neat to see the cook gather wood to cook the fish with. This was the real deal.
We returned to Las Galeras and quickly headed back to Samana keeping an eye on the time. We got there with some time to spare so our driver took us to a colmado to get some Brugal and vainilla and to the new mall area by the malecon. A lot of the shops are still empty so the mall wasn?t that impressive yet. It looks like it will be nice. All of the buildings are colorful and welcoming to the crowds that will slowly start to trickle into this area. However, I preferred going to the smaller area of tents set up where you could buy the typical cheesy souvenirs and imitation clothing for cheap.
After this we got back on the ship. Not a lot of time to see all that I would have liked to but it was a nice taste of what Samana has to offer. I would like to return some day and maybe visit some of the other parts of the area, probably in February to see the whales.
I can honestly say that Samana was the most authentic stop on our cruise and therefore stood out from the rest. Hopefully, the locals can figure out a way to benefit from the tourism industry without losing the natural and warm appeal that Samana offers.
Feel free to ask me any questions about the trip?oh and click on the link below to see all of the pics.
samana pictures from friends & fun photos on webshots
Vince D.