BootsnAll Travel Community

My wife and I will be going to the DR in late July for our 25th anniverary. We're torn between Samana and the Cabarete area. Any one with info on the two areas? We're looking for quiet, natural beauty, good local food, opportunities to use our slightily more than rudimentary spanish and kayaking. From what I have read, no one kayaks there, but thoughts about where to stay (other than AI's) etc would be greatly appreciated.

Cabarete is far from quiet. You'll be better served in the Samana peninsula and not Samana, the city. The further east you go, the quieter it will be. You might want to work your way to Las Galeras.

There's not too much in terms of local food...there are so many European ex-pats, which lends to lots and lots of supplies of schnitzel. No lie!

I stayed at Las Palmerias in Las Terrenas. It was right on the beach, $25USD/night. Definitely steer away from AIs.

Learn the basics of Spanish...especially numbers as this will help you from getting the tourist tax. You will have plenty of opportunities to utilize your Spanish. The Dominicans are very friendly.

Darn it, way late for this posting.

There is a language "Samana English' that is nearly extinct, it was brought over by 'freed' slaves from the USA to the Samana peninsula, their descendants still speak some of it today.

Anyone going around there today might want to look them out and have a chate, be witness to yet another step in the Tower of Babel of this world.