We took a much needed break from the Arctic cold and headed south to Samana in the Dominican Republic. This area is less developed than other areas in the country and only has four hotels. I don’t usually book all inclusive, but this year an easy warm vacation seemed like the right thing to do. We didn’t regret it! The hotel was very nice, the food was quite good, the staff was amazing, the amenities great and we had a wonderful room.
We mostly hung out at the beach and pool. The kids enjoyed the water immensely, however, we decided to head out on a whale watching tour, since all the humpback whales were in Samana bay for birthing and mating. Seeing the animals that close was amazing. The Dominican Republic is part of a huge research program related to the humpback whales, with very limited tourist visits and detailed tracking of the whales.
Next up a full-day excursion of the peninsula, visiting a school, plantations, marble quarries, small towns, road side restaurants and more beaches of course. It was a wonderful break from the cold. All of us loved it! Enjoy the photo overload!
Photos by Giulia Doyle and Bruno Doyle
