We went to the Bahia Principe Cayacoa in Samana for 1 week at the end of March. Although the weather did not cooperate, we had a great time and were very happy with our choice of hotel and location.

Location/weather: Samana is gorgeous. From the moment you step off the plane you are surrounded by lush vegetation. The ride to the hotel (from Samana airport) was about 45min and was fascinating to see the coconut plantations and glimpses of the ocean, as well as the homes along the side of the road, albeit a bit hard to see coming from Canada and being accustomed to the luxuries of home. The condition of the roads was “interesting”, but it was a very comfortable ride nonetheless. The hotel is beautiful and its private beach is great. The only complaint we heard from ppl was that they couldn’t go for long walks along the beach as it’s small, but we enjoyed it and liked having bar and bathroom nearby. There was a daily shuttle to Cayo Levantado beach which was bigger and beautiful light sand and turquoise water. Pools and grounds of the hotel are really nice, though walkways were still under construction. The town of Samana appears charming, though we didn’t have the opportunity to walk around. It rained every afternoon like clockwork. One expects that in a lush tropical location like this it would rain, but we felt this was a bit much – we only had 1 sunny afternoon. It was difficult to get a clear answer from those who work and live there, most said that it was an unusual amount of rain (and indeed there was even flooding in other parts of the country). Rooms were great and clean, and I don’t think any would have bad views unless you’re on the first or second floors.

Arrival: We flew from Montreal, and because they can’t fill flights to Samana, we went through Cayo Coco in Cuba to drop people off, and to pick up those finishing their vacation there and headed home. It was done efficiently but made for a long day (our flight back was direct which was much better). Room registration was done on the bus to the hotel, and the rep from our tour operator (Signature) provided useful information for the stay. Upon arrival you are given juice and because of the timing of our arrival, once we ensured our bags were in the lobby we were swept off to the buffet for lunch before it closed. Once finished, we returned to the lobby and a bellboy took us and our bags up to our room. We needed to change rooms in order to be near the person we were traveling with, and although it took a bit of going back and forth, the staff were very friendly and helpful and took care of everything in the end.

Food: The food in the buffet was excellent, we ate there for breakfast, lunch and most dinners. They are closed for a couple of hours in between meals but if you’re stuck there is a 24h snack bar down at the dock (we ate lunch there the day we returned from Cayo Levantado and wouldn’t choose to eat there again unless we had to). The A la Carte restaurants were an experience not to be missed. The food was not great (except for the shrimp at both the Italian and Pescador restos which was excellent) but it’s worth it just to be served at your table with amazing service and for the pleasure you’ll get from making out the items on the menus (they could do with having someone verify the English translations, though that would really take away a lot of the fun). At the moment only one restaurant buildings is being used for the A La Carte with a view on Samana Harbour, and it switches nightly. Normally there would be 2 other restaurants open each with great fantastic view over the ocean but they are currently closed. Our understanding was that there had been a lot of complaints about the trek to actually get to them, so they’re taking this opportunity, while it’s low season, to refurbish.

Service: the service throughout the hotel, and in particular the restaurants and bars, was impeccable. It helped to speak a little Spanish or to try to as not everyone is fluent in English, but they do try. They are extremely friendly people and have a strong work ethic.

Nightlife: rather non-existent. We only caught one show and were impressed given our low expectations. The setup for the theatre (which converts to the disco after the show) is small and not ideal, and there were not many people in attendance most nights (making it difficult for the animation team as some of their shows are interactive with the audience, but they try very hard). The main bar closes at 11 so if you aren’t ready to go to bed, the disco is the only place to go and unfortunately not many people do, so most nights are quiet. There are a couple of discos and bars in town which apparently are busy at weekends (at night you can hear the tempting music across the water), but we did not venture out.

Hola,

Back from Hotel GBP Cayacoa in Samana, D.R.
Hotel is one hour drive from the new airport.
It is a new hotel with stunning scenic views.
Rooms confortable. Hotel's golf cart takes you down the hill to Samana city (Santa Barbara), where you are able to walk and explore the city on your own.

Signature has a daily free trip from hotel to Bacardi Island (Cayo Levantado), (others pay $ 15.00) , the trip takes about 25 min one way. The boats leave at 9:30 and return at 1:30., Reservation one day before. On Cayo Levantado lovely beach and good swimming, place crowded when cruise ships arrive. .