My 4th time in Dominican Republic and I love it more and more each time. This was my favorite trip to DR thus far. I went for my girl Christine’s bachelorette trip, hosted by the Dominican Republic Board of Tourism @GoDomRep. The past 3 trips to DR I’ve spent my time around the Punta Cana area which is where most people stay when visiting because its known for its beautiful beaches and all inclusive resorts. This time we explored the north coast hitting the beautiful beach towns of Samana, Cabarete and Puerto Plata. This was one of my favorite trips- it was an incredible group of girls and it was just good vibes the whole time. I wish I can go back to re-live some of these moments again. I breakdown our loose itinerary below!
Everyone always ask me my favorite place I’ve ever traveled to. Besides the food, culture and beauty of a place, the energy of the people is what makes a place for me. You can have all of the above but if I don’t vibe with the energy of the people and the local culture, it takes away a lot from a place. I really love the genuine good energy of the people in Dominican Republic. The food, culture, music, beautiful beaches, nature and scenery just make it that much better. I love visiting and hope to be back for my 5th time soon 🙂
SAMANA
I landed in Santo Domingo and met the rest of the girls on the trip (everyone came from different cities) before we drove a few hours to the Northeastern shore of the Samana Peninsula. We stayed a few nights at the Bannister Hotel, located on a beautiful marina, and had the opportunity to explore different parts of the Samana region for the first few days of the trip. Samana is known for its secluded and wild beaches and pristine little islands that surround the coast, as well as rainforests, coconut plantations and a home to whale watching, as thousands of humpback whales migrate there once a year to mate and have babies.
WHERE WE STAYED
The Bannister Hotel- I shared the penthouse suite with the bride to be on the top floor of the Bannister Hotel and it was amazingggg. It was huge and had a beautiful wrap-around balcony with beautiful views of the marina and ocean. (I posted a tour of the place in my Dominican Republic story highlights on my IG). They also had an infiniti pool overlooking the water which was a beautiful place to watch sunrise and sunset.
WHAT WE DID
Playa Fronton- We took a boat out from Las Galeras beach to Playa Fronton which was a beautiful secluded beach with clear water. We spent about an hour exploring and hanging on the beach drinking out of fresh coconuts. It was heaven and definitely a beach worth visiting. Videos of this beach on my IG DR highlights as well!
Dominican Treehouse Village- We visited the eco-friendly Dominican Tree House Village located in the untouched Caribbean jungle in Samana- a unique place to stay for an authentic nature experience. The open air treehouses makes you feel completely connected and at one with the nature around you, and I personally love staying in places like this. (I am aware it’s not for everyone though). We didn’t stay here overnight we just spent a few hours exploring the grounds and had a tour of the treehouses. If you are down for an experience like this, it’s worth checking out as a unique place to stay in Samana.
Las Terrenas- Another cute beach town with great night life, bars and restaurants. We had dinner at La Terrasse which was such a beautiful restaurant with great food! It was all white and right on the beach and gave me chic Greece/Santorini vibes.
CABARETE
We drove through the cute beach town of Cabarete to get to the second place we were staying on our trip- Sea Horse Ranch. We stopped and had lunch at Fresh Fresh Cafe on the way for a delicious healthy meal, and the place was real cute too. We also got to make a quick stop at a fruit stand off the side of the street for a cute photo opp 🙂
WHERE WE STAYED
Sea Horse Ranch- After a 3 hour drive from Samana to Cabarete, we arrived at our insanely stunning ocean-front indoor/outdoor villa at Sea Horse Ranch. It had 6 spacious bedrooms surrounding a beautiful living area, separate house for the kitchen, and a huge backyard with a pool right on the beach. This place was absolute heaven on earth. We spent a lot of girl time at the villa relaxing by the pool and beach and enjoyed home-cooked Dominican meals by our amazing villa chefs. It was the first time I actually got to relax on a trip in years and it was such a treat. Sea Horse Ranch has different size villas and it’s a great place to stay for family and group trips. I love that they also offer options for your own private chefs and you can get private massages and facials in the comfort of your own villa.
Aside from enjoying fresh cooked meals at our villa, we dined out (but still on Sea Horse Ranch property), at the Beach club restaurant for both lunch and dinner. Located right above the ocean, the open air restaurant had amazing views and offered a diverse menu with delicious food. Enjoy a great meal with a refreshing sea breeze- and also a convenient and close option if you don’t want to have all meals in your villa.
WHAT WE DID
Catamaran Tour of Sosua Bay- My favorite days in life are boat days! We spent a half day at sea on a catamaran cruising around Sosua Bay. We stopped to snorkel and swim and had lunch on the boat while relaxing and listening to music. Such a fun day with the girls!
Horseback Riding on the Beach- We rode horses on the beach in Cabarete near Sea Horse Ranch. This was also so nice and relaxing as we walked through parts of the jungle and beach listening to the sounds of nature. It was therapeutic and so beautiful.
PUERTO PLATA
Just a short drive from Sea Horse Ranch in Cabarete, we ventured out to Puerto Plata for the night to explore and have dinner. We spent some time exploring the colorful and charming streets of downtown Puerto Plata, admiring the Victorian style houses and stopping for some gelato. We had dinner at Los Tres Cocos in Puerto Plata and the food was so good and the place was vibey. We shared family style plates and every dish was delicious. I highly recommend going here for dinner if you’re out and about in Puerto Plata.
The last night we had a beautiful dinner on the beach at our villa put together by Sea Horse Ranch. It was the perfect end to a magical trip with very special people. Thank you to Dominican Republic Board of Tourism for an unforgettable trip with memories to last a lifetime, as well as showing me a different side to the country I had never seen before. I left wanting to see more of the North Coast and will definitely be back again soon to explore more.
