The beach
White sand and palms.
Jens Jäpel — CC BY-SA 2.5 · Jorge Brazil from Brazil — CC BY 2.0 · Максим Улитин — CC BY 3.0 · Максим Улитин — CC BY 3.0
A small green island in Samaná Bay, about nine hundred metres long and five hundred wide, cloaked in tropical forest, with a beach of soft white sand and calm turquoise water shaded by coconut palms at one end, among the loveliest beaches on the bay. Visitors reach it by small boat from Samaná harbour in about a quarter of an hour. The island is split in two: a public beach at the west end with restaurants, stalls and loungers, and a luxury hotel occupying the rest for its guests. In whale season, January to March, many trips combine watching humpback whales in the bay in the morning with an afternoon on the island's beach. Its highest point stands about twenty-six metres above the sea. The public beach gets crowded when cruise-ship excursions arrive; early morning is quieter. Use licensed operators; sea trips are cancelled in rough weather, and the hurricane season runs from June to November. Pork is common in local dishes, so ask about ingredients.
White sand and palms.
Dense and green.
January to March.
Samaná Bay, about 15 minutes by boat from Samaná harbour
No, the public beach is at the west end, and the rest belongs to a private hotel for its guests.