Samana, Cayo Levantado

Samana
In 1855, Dominican General Pedro Santana offered to sell the Samana Peninsula to the United States government. The vote in the U.S. Senate to confirm the purchase came in just shy of the required majority, although many would argue the senators who voted “nay” must have not have actually stepped foot anywhere near Samana. The Caribbean just doesn’t get any prettier than this.

The entire peninsula is carpeted with thick, impenetrable swaths of palm trees whose huge swaying fronds cast shadows over endless miles of mostly deserted beaches. Even more majesty defines the interior mountain passes running along the entire spine of the peninsula. The panoramic views are jaw-dropping, and on a clear day reach almost to Haiti. If you get a chance, take a drive through the rugged countryside along twisting roads up into the clouds. Visitors finding themselves here are not too far removed from the West Indies of centuries ago. Delicate little homes constructed of warped palm tree trunks with heavily thatched roofs dot some forests so dark and green that only tiny slivers of sunlight illuminate the tips of a few errant leaves.

Head over to the north coast of the peninsula and you’ll bump into the hidden little town of Las Terrenas, where retired CIA agents, expatriated American businessmen, and a global band of backpackers have escaped to over the years. The community is a rollicking mix of small European-style inns and colorful restaurants and bars sequestered between the beaches and forest. Rumor has it there’s still treasure among the plethora of sunken galleons offshore, a fact not gone unnoticed by the many scuba divers visiting town.

The oceanfront El Portillo Beach Club and a small airstrip for intra-island flights lie just east of Las Terrenas. This outpost has a strong following, thanks to the lush tropical garden setting where countless bromeliads, hibiscus, bougainvillea, traveler palms, water lilies, and even wild orchids seem to grow out of every nook and cranny. If you have the time, take the hotel’s daylong horseback tour to El Limon to visit the Dominican Republic’s most dramatic waterfall.

Santa Barbara de Samana (or just Samana) of Bahía de Samana was destroyed by fire in the 1940s and now serves mostly as a gateway for tourists to Levantado.

Lovers & Levantado
Imagine the West Indies 100 years ago, or even 500 years ago, when there were no telephone wires, hotels or cars. All that existed were delicate little homes constructed of warped palm tree trunks with roofs of giant palm fronds tucked inside an impenetrable forest so dark and green only tiny slivers of sunlight illuminated the tips of a few errant leaves.

Well, the peninsula of Samana province is not exactly that way today. But some parts are pretty close. While there aren’t really people who catalog this type of thing, Samana is probably inundated with more palm trees per square land mass than any other region in the Caribbean, if not the entire western hemisphere.

Words fail to describe the beaches rimming Cayo Levantado, a small atoll in the middle of Bahía de Samana’s calm waters. This islet could be the Dominican Republic’s most romantic hideaway, and judging from the dreamy looks of the couples here, you won’t get an argument from them. To get there, venture over to the hillside port city of Samana. Hop on the sometimes scheduled ferries or any itinerant fishing boat for the short 30-minute hour ride over the waves, and make sure you close your mouth while taking in the scenery or the crewman will look at you funny.

In the 1970s, the distillers of Bacardi Rum could have chosen anywhere to film one of their first large television campaigns. After mucking about the Caribbean, they stumbled upon Levantado and stopped looking. The fat tropical palms leaning heavily over the water’s edge at “Bacardi Beach” are still there, although the one that appeared in the commercial was wiped out in a hurricane. Careful—this paradise is predisposed to spontaneous wedding proposals.

To get to “Bacardi Beach,” all you have to do is board a small ferry or fishing boat out of the main city of Samana for a 1/2 hour ride to Levantado. Other larger beaches on the island are good for lunch. Beachside vendors provide long picnic tables under large blue tarps for shade, which will most likely be your base camp for the rest of the day as you mingle side by side with other sun worshippers and snorkel buddies.

MUSTS:

• Take a leisurely drive through the mountains on the road connecting Las Terrenas and the city of Samana. You will quickly understand why they call this the Coconut Coast.
• Hop on a boat headed for Cayo Levantado and its sparkling waters and white beaches. Bring lots of film.
• Horseback riding: Ride the 1-hour trail to El Limon waterfall on horseback.
• Jump on a whaleboat to hang out with the thousands of humpback whales who come here to breed every winter.
• To really get away from it all, take a day trip to Playa Rincon and the sleepy little community of Las Galeras—a favorite escape for wealthy Dominican vacationers.

Photos Courtesy of The Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism

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