Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
There are a lot of cheesy package tours on offer at numerous agencies along the north
coast. Many involve spending the majority of your day on a gaudily painted 'safari' bus
getting to and from your destination. Be wary of any tour purporting to show you 'Domin-
ican culture' - the 'local school' you'll visit will be more a Potemkin village than an au-
thentic place of learning.
Tours that are most worth doing include rafting in Jarabacoa (four hours each way,
US$60 to US$80), Cayo Arena for snorkeling (three hours each way, US$55 to US$65),
whale-watching in Samaná (from mid-January to mid-March, four hours each way,
US$120 to US$140), and anything involving a boat - catamaran tours (US$55 to US$90)
and deep-sea fishing (US$50 to US$100) are hard to fake, and are generally good value.
Try checking in with
Mel Tours
809-571-2057;
www.mel-tour.com
; Calle
MAP
David Stern)
and
Sosua Game Fishing
(
829-810-8799;
www.sosuagamefishing.com
)
.
Sleeping
Hotel El Rancho
( 809-571-4070;
www.hotelelranchososua.com
; Calle Dr Rosen 36; r from US$40; )
The rather
pleasant leafy pool and garden area is the centerpiece of this small centrally located hotel
only a block from Playa Alicia. A three-story modern concrete building decorated with
vaguely Mexican murals and topped with a
palapa
-style roof for show, El Rancho has
clean, well-kept rooms.
HOTEL
$
Hotel Casa Valeria
MAP
HOTEL
$$
GOOGLE MAP
( 809-571-3565;
www.hotelcasavaleria.com
; Calle Dr Rosen 28; s/d incl breakfast US$55/65;
)
All nine rooms at this cozy hotel are slightly different, whether in size, furnishings or de-
cor. Three units have kitchens (with gas burners), the others are hotel-like rooms with
comfortable beds, attractive furnishings and a pink colour scheme. Rooms are set around a
leafy courtyard with a kidney-shaped pool in the middle; all have cable TV, fans and
ceramic-tiled bathrooms.
Hotel Casa Cayena Club
MAP
HOTEL
$$
GOOGLE MAP
