My wife and I and our 2 young children are in the middle of planning a trip this Feb. or Mar. to the Samana area. We plan on renting a private villa for our stay. We have previously been to the DR but only to stay at all-inclusive resorts. Therefore we have no idea what we are getting into as far as the safety of staying by yourself in a private rental. We really want to make this a sightseeing vacation thi9s time rather than lay on the beach and drink the whole time. reading on eof the other message boards I became concerned as it reported numerous attacks on american tourists lately. Is there any truth to this or should it be discounted as someones attempt to scare people away? Any info would be appreciated as we make our plans.