December 2020
Our flights to Santo Domingo are booked for February 14, 2021. Now it’s time to check out places to stay in the Las Terrenas area.
We considered staying at Viva Wyndham V Samana, which is an all inclusive resort in Coson Bay, and is only 5 kms from the village of Las Terrenas, but we wanted a stay that was more representative of life while living here, so we started looking for homes and villas through Airbnb. There is a lot to consider!
Las Ballenas Beach has many resort style places to stay, on or within walking distance to the beach and also within walking distance to shopping and restaurants, however it is very busy with tourists. Not necessarily how we would want to “live” in the area.
We wanted a place that was close to town and yet had a pool or a view, or preferably a pool and a view. Condominiums and apartments offered beachfront units with pools and were within walking distance to shopping and restaurants, but seemed too much like our annual spring break trips to New Smyrna Beach, which I was trying to avoid. Villas in the mountains had pools and spectacular views, but it was a drive to the beach, shopping and restaurants.
This villa offers “Amazing sea views” and a pool, but the reviews say that the driveway is steep and you need a 4×4 or tall SUV to get there. I am already imagining some stress with operating a car in this area and do not want the additional stress of getting “home” every day. Generators and AC units are luxury items. Power outages are common in the area and generators can be a life saver if the power stays out for more than just a few hours. Some places have AC units only in the bedrooms and many places don’t have them at all. It is also customary for an Airbnb to charge extra for electricity usage and can get expensive if there is an AC unit running all day. We love the heat and humidity and do not have a problem being without AC. The thought of not having power for more than a few hours could be a problem though, so we chose to focus on places with backup generators. After much deliberation, we decided on “Playa Bonita Beach Houses-Truly on the Beach”.
Casa #2 is oceanfront, with spectacular views, within walking distance to restaurants and only a short drive into Las Terrenas. It has an optional AC unit and generator backup. Its only drawback is that it does not have a pool. However, after looking at all the gorgeous pictures of the ocean views, we decided it was worth the sacrifice.
The hosts, Arno and Birgit responded to all of my questions and gave us invaluable advice about the area. On December 27, 2020, we booked the “Playa Bonita Beach House” on Airbnb. I used Travelocity to rent a car, since the trip from Santo Domingo to Las Terrenas was more than 2 hours away. We also wanted our freedom to see the area and come and go as we pleased. Be sure to read all the reviews on the car rental companies that are based at the airport. Some are small, locally owned operations that have bad reputations for high prices and unsuitable cars. We booked a Kia Sportage type vehicle, with unlimited mileage and extra insurance, through AVIS, for less than $500 for the week. Flights…check. Villa on the beach…check. Car rental…check. Next on the list is to find a real estate agent to show us some properties while we are there.
Everything seems to be falling into place. And then we get word that all international travelers coming into the US need a negative COVID test, effective January 26, 2021. Now that throws a wrench into all of our plans. Look for my next post on the scramble to accommodate the mandatory negative COVID test from a foreign country.
