Struggling with a Beautiful Dominican Beach..

[KPfromCT]

HELP!!!!!

 

Haven't heard great things about this island..........

 

We are beach people. Beautiful sand, and water, drinks and food available, and we are happy campers.

 

Suggestions?

 

The Port of Calls boards are DEAD........

 

TIA:D:D:D:D

[IMSAILING]

We are going in May and have booked to go to the Dreams All Inclusive Resort for the day. $60 for a day pass which includes beach access, use of pools and food and drinks.

[vamartha]

I second Dreams. BUT factor in the taxi ride to and from in your overall costs because they are expensive. Very expensive. It can't be much over fifteen miles from the port to Bayahibe where Dreams is located. The taxi rate is $45 each way. Split between a large amount of people it isn't too bad but if it is just two of you, it can be prohibitive. We knew about it beforehand so we didn't have sticker shock!

[ellenvana]

We went with the all inclusive thru Carnival.. Everything was great about it, beautiful beach, beautiful pool, drinks, but the food was horrible.. They advertised it as either a buffet or a BBQ but there was no BBQ.. The food on the buffet looked ok but was basically inedible.

If you can make arrangments to go to Dream I would.. I looked into going to Dream but since there was only 2 of us the transportation was quite expensive.. Enjoy!

[KPfromCT]

Thank you everybody for your replies!!!!! Are kids allowed at that resort? We both have 15-year-old daughters.

 

 

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[bucks724]

Go with Seavis to Saona. It's not all in all a relaxing beach day, but BEAUTIFUL.

 

If you don't want the adventure, go with Dreams.

[blue_water]

Yes kids are allowed, it's a family resort, we're staying there next month. If you just want a beach, drinks, and food Dreams is it although the beach is small.

 

For an amazing day and a gorgeous beach look at the Seavis Saona Island tour for Carnival folks. We're returning to Bayahibe because of that experience. Check their site andvreviews on tripadvisor before dismissing it.

[jlev4588]

I recommend Cayo Levantado if you are beach people! It was our favorite beach day last year and we are looking forward to be going back in a few weeks!!

 

 

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[ferretface]

It may be too far, but Macao beach is incredibly beautiful! It's also fun to play in the waves. The waves aren't overwhelming but fun to body surf or boogie board.

[Dalton51]

Good info here. Anyone else wanna share which beach is the best?

 

How far is it to some of these beaches y'all are talking about? Besides the Dreams that seems like what everyone does here.

[mandysmom2]

We just arrived back yesterday on the Breeze. We had never been to the Dominican Republic and were very apprehensive especially after reading the boards. We originally arranged for a day pass at the Dreams Resort. The taxi's are very controlled and you have to wait at a gate and are organized into groups as to where you are traveling. We were the only two waiting to go to the Dreams Resort when we arrived for a taxi. The cost for a two people taxi round trip was $90 on top of the $60 a piece day pass to the Resort. We discovered a couple of other people wanting to go to a beach at the stand. Eight of us split a taxi van for $60 round trip for the whole van to Bayahibe Beach. We agreed amongst us for a return time and our taxi driver stayed at the beach as well. It was about a 30 minute drive to the beach and it ended up being right next to the Dreams Resort!!! The beach was clean and well shaded. Chairs were $7 a piece. Restrooms were available. Food and beverages were available. We did not purchase any food but our pina coladas were $7, beers $4 and soda $3. Our group decided to lay close together and there was security walking around. I would definitely recommend this beach.

[MsTee]

I second Seavis to Seona Island. We did this tour in November and LOVED it. It's a mix of adventure and relaxation. Speedboat ride to Isla Seona, relax at the beach (lunch included), then stop at the starfish sandbar on the way back to La Romana.

[blue_water]

I second Seavis to Seona Island. We did this tour in November and LOVED it. It's a mix of adventure and relaxation. Speedboat ride to Isla Seona, relax at the beach (lunch included), then stop at the starfish sandbar on the way back to La Romana.

 

Not to mention the Piton rocks and the mangroves, great day.

 

We just returned from a 2 week stay in Bayahibe at Dreams and enjoyed a full day on the Quetzal, a 70 ft luxury cat offered through Pro Excursions. Snorkel the aquarium and wall off Catalina Island (or enjoy swimming off the gorgeous beach) then cruise Casa de Campo and the river. Excellent day that, but you need to be staying there to have time for it. Otherwise the Seavis Saona Island Special is an excellent day!

 

mandysmom, Bayahibe Bay beach is pretty decent, a few minutes further east is the Dominicus public beach and that's even nicer. But glad you were able to enjoy yourself, we probably walked by you on our way from Dreams to Bayahibe!!!

[blue_water]

Good info here. Anyone else wanna share which beach is the best?

 

How far is it to some of these beaches y'all are talking about? Besides the Dreams that seems like what everyone does here.

 

30 -40 min taxi to Dominicus public beach, less to Bayahibe and Dreams.

[brepri_h]

So Carnival didn’t like my review and would not post it on their website, so here it is for you to read.

 

 

 

Overall I would suggest this excursion. The only exception would be if you get sea sick easily, then I would not suggest it.

 

 

 

Carnival states that there is a 35 minute tender ride to this island. They fail to mention that there is a 5-10 bus ride that brings you to the boat first. Also, the tender ride was 45+ minutes. On the ride to and from I could only find a seat on the upper level of the boat and had no coverage from the sun. Therefore I’d suggest bringing a hat and putting on your sun screen in advance in case the same happens to you. Please know that the water is VERY choppy on your ride over to Catalina Island which is completely normal but if you’re prone to sea sickness you won’t want to choose this excursion. I’m never sea sick and even I was feeling queasy by the end of the ride.

 

 

That being said, once I arrived at the island it was beautiful! There are so many palm trees to relax under! We received our complimentary drink as we stepped off the dock and we were provided with chairs and umbrellas by the island staff. Be aware that they are expecting a tip for bringing them to you. The water was gorgeous and warm. This is a great island to relax and let your cares drift away.

 

 

There were only 2 people walking around trying to sell you things. There was one lady who wanted to massage your feet and one man selling coconuts. The woman we refused twice and she left us alone and we did actually buy a coconut for $3. He cut it open for us to drink! There are souvenir huts/tents, one of the owners came by to tell us about them. My mom and I decided to go take a look and the minute we started to walk towards them we were whisked away by one of the shop owners to their specific shop. We picked out a total of 3 things and he gave us “a discount” of $85. Haha we offered him $40 and he took it as we were about to walk away. We couldn’t do anymore shopping because we told him that was all we had and since the shops we so close he would have known we had more. I’d personally suggest just staying away from the shops and they won’t bother you.

 

One other thing to mention is that the bathrooms aren't handicap accessible. There are about 20 steps to get up to them.

 

 

 

Like I said though, overall I’d suggest this as long as you aren’t prone to sea sickness! =)

 

 

http://www.carnival.com/Activities/Excursion/428004

Edited May 6, 2014 by brepri_h

[brepri_h]

So Carnival didn’t like my review and would not post it on their website, so here it is for you to read.

 

 

 

Overall I would suggest this excursion. The only exception would be if you get sea sick easily, then I would not suggest it.

 

 

 

Carnival states that there is a 35 minute tender ride to this island. They fail to mention that there is a 5-10 bus ride that brings you to the boat first. Also, the tender ride was 45+ minutes. On the ride to and from I could only find a seat on the upper level of the boat and had no coverage from the sun. Therefore I’d suggest bringing a hat and putting on your sun screen in advance in case the same happens to you. Please know that the water is VERY choppy on your ride over to Catalina Island which is completely normal but if you’re prone to sea sickness you won’t want to choose this excursion. I’m never sea sick and even I was feeling queasy by the end of the ride.

 

 

That being said, once I arrived at the island it was beautiful! There are so many palm trees to relax under! We received our complimentary drink as we stepped off the dock and we were provided with chairs and umbrellas by the island staff. Be aware that they are expecting a tip for bringing them to you. The water was gorgeous and warm. This is a great island to relax and let your cares drift away.

 

 

There were only 2 people walking around trying to sell you things. There was one lady who wanted to massage your feet and one man selling coconuts. The woman we refused twice and she left us alone and we did actually buy a coconut for $3. He cut it open for us to drink! There are souvenir huts/tents, one of the owners came by to tell us about them. My mom and I decided to go take a look and the minute we started to walk towards them we were whisked away by one of the shop owners to their specific shop. We picked out a total of 3 things and he gave us “a discount” of $85. Haha we offered him $40 and he took it as we were about to walk away. We couldn’t do anymore shopping because we told him that was all we had and since the shops we so close he would have known we had more. I’d personally suggest just staying away from the shops and they won’t bother you.

 

One other thing to mention is that the bathrooms aren't handicap accessible. There are about 20 steps to get up to them.

 

 

 

Like I said though, overall I’d suggest this as long as you aren’t prone to sea sickness! =)

 

 

http://www.carnival.com/Activities/Excursion/428004

 

Sorry I don’t know why this was moved here, I posted it as it’s own thread. I’d delete it but that doesn’t look like an option.

[Ontario_Cruiser]

Breanne - thanks for the comments about the Catalina Island excursion, but like you I can not fathom why it was moved into this other thread. I am leaning to doing this one. I first considered the Seavis tour, but the taxi situation has me concerned. For this reason, I am looking at a Carnival excursion and this one seems to be nice.

[blue_water]

As I mentioned we took the Pro Excursions tour while staying at Dreams, excellent day on a gorgeous cat.

We also took the Seavis Saona Isnand excursion when on a cruise, would highly recommend that too.

Both are top notch outfits and great friends.

 

Would recommend doing these excursions on your own over the Carnival options, much better and great people to deal with.

Edited May 27, 2014 by blue_water

[svjen]

My daughter gets seasick on sailboats or catamarans but could probably survive a speedboat ride. Do you recall how rough it was on the boat getting to Sanoa Island? How long of a boat ride? Thanks

[blue_water]

Actually the cat was very smooth, they ride much flatter than a monohull sailboat.

 

The motorboats are speedy and there can be some bumps but we found the ride to be fun and not that rough. Most ppl feel that way while some feel it's rougher. Sea conditions can vary of course. You can see videos and pics on their site and on youtube.

[Mcabwilde]

We had booked the Sonoa island excursion through Pro Excursions. As directed we took a large taxi from the port to Bayahabe where met at the Pro Excursion building. Nadine was at the door to check us in. We waited until all of the passengers arrived for our tour before boarding a speed boat for Sonoa. The office was a shaded building with bathrooms and there was coffee, water and cake available while we waited. They also have a small gift shop with scarves, tshirts, etc.

 

Our guide today was Jessica along with our boat crew. The excursion took us out to Sonoa island. On the way we stopped at a beach area for 20 minutes to snorkel. The snorkel area was an old pier that was destroyed during hurricane David in the early 70's. Lots of small fish and a nice quick stop for a dip.

 

Next they took us through the mangroves as Jessica provided a little information about how mangroves evolve. After we headed to the secluded beach on Sonoa. There were nice cushioned beach chairs along the beach both in the shade and the sun. The water is crystal clear. We had about 40 mins before lunch was ready. The bar had beer, rum, water and soda available included. There are locals there selling massages and coconuts. I did get a fresh coconut to eat for $3. The gentleman chopped it up perfectly to drink some of the milk and then to eat the meat. Delicious!

 

Lunch was provided as a buffet. There were nice tables set up, however I did get a few mosquito bites while sitting under the trees during our lunch. Lunch choices were pork chops, saffron chicken or fish with salad, pasta or potatoes. Some fruit and coffee for dessert. The pork chops were very good.

 

There are facilities available during your stay with a fresh water shower and a small shop to purchase local crafts.

 

In total we had about two hours on the beach before we packed up for our next stop.

 

Last stop was the "Natural pool". A four foot deep sand bar area where you can wade in the water and look for sea stars. Also our crew provided beverages during this stop. Of course rum drinks were flowing freely.

 

The crew was wonderful and took great care of us.

 

We would recommend this trip to anyone. We had our 7 year old son with us and he enjoyed it as well.

[Cruiser 4 Life 66]

Bayahibe was very nice, with a row of small shops/restaurants at the back of the beach, along with a couple restrooms. Water is very clear and beach is beautiful.