Top Things to do in Las Galeras
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What to do and see in Las Galeras, Dominican Republic: The Best Places and Tips
Discover the best top things to do in Las Galeras, Dominican Republic including Rudy's Rancho, Las Galeras Divers, La Playita Beach, Playa Fronton, Joel and Ludi Excursions, The Dive Academy, Massage Las Galeras, Playa Madama, Sunshine Holiday Day Tours, Cool Raoul Excursions.
Restaurants in Las Galeras
1. Rudy's Rancho
Overall Ratings
5 based on 235 reviews
Horseback Riding in Las Galeras, Samana Dominican Republic - Located 500 meters from the nice Grand Paradise beach, Rudy's Rancho offers horseback riding excursions to discover the flamboyant nature and wonderful sea views of Las Galeras. Rudy shares with you his passion for horses and for the Peninsula of Samana, with professionalism and kindness. German, French and English spoken perfectly! ( Information : Las Galeras, Samana is located 6 hours from Punta Cana, 3 hours from Santo Domingo and 5 hours from Puerto Plata and 1.25 Hour from Samana El Catey International Airport. )
Reviewed By cjclark64 - Salt Lake City, Utah
this was a very interesting experience culturally and scenically. we live in the DR but we were able to get in the excursion playa, campo, pueblo, a closer view of the Dominican life. Our guide Ezekiel, (nicest guide ever!!) knew everybody and was very interesting...MoreHola! Gracias por su comentario. We enjoy to guide, to show and to make discover Las Galeras, and the culture here. Many people realize their dream to have a galop on the tropical Beaches, and we feel very happy with this. See you ! Rudy
2. Las Galeras Divers
Overall Ratings
5 based on 118 reviews
The dive center of Las Galeras - Samana Peninsula - Dominican Republic. We speak English, French, Spanish and German. Las Galeras Divers is a small family dive center offering a personalized service. A maximum of 6 people per group allows to dive into safety and all the dives are always accompanied by PADI certified instructors and qualified divemasters. Diving excursions are offered every day of the year. Given the poor diversity and marine life directly accessible from the shore, all the dives are done from the boat. The dives sites are located between 5 and 20 minutes of navigation, 40 minutes for the farthest points. The diving center Las Galeras Divers exists today for 5 years.
Reviewed By Luo_Qing81 - London, United Kingdom
My friend and I dropped by Las Galeras Divers to enquire about doing a couple of dives with them on the strength of their consistently good TripAdvisor reviews and were pleased to find a friendly, relaxed and family-run dive shop able to accommodate us. The Swiss owners, Serge and Christine, are very welcoming and helpful, and the equipment we rented was well maintained and in good condition. Prices were in line with the average I have seen quoted elsewhere on the north coast of the DR - we paid US$75 each for a two tank dive plus US$10 each for equipment rental.
The corals and sponges were beautiful and very healthy at the two dive sites we went to but the reefs here look to have been the victims of overfishing as we saw surprisingly little marine life. We did however have both dive sites entirely to ourselves which was really nice after diving much more crowded sites the previous week off Bayahibe. We visited towards the end of shoulder season and got lucky with the dive conditions on our first day with calm seas and okay visibility. I stayed on to do an extra day of diving but was less lucky with the weather the next day. I was impressed that, rather than taking my money for dives in poor conditions, Serge and Christine preferred to recommend that I not dive again if it meant having a disappointing experience, even though that meant a day of lost income for them.
I was less impressed that our DM Jose told us that he was hungover, didn't provide a proper dive briefing, and didn't really make much effort to accommodate the fact that my friend (who is a less confident diver) was diving for the first time in several years and could have done with being walked more slowly through his pre-dive checks and maybe a quick skills tune-up in the water. Consequently my friend was very nervous and so did not enjoy his first dive - I think he would have had a better experience with a more supportive/attentive DM. As a more experienced diver I would have been fine with diving with Jose again on the second day but less confident or experienced divers might not be as comfortable.
The dive shop is literally round the corner from the beach - they take the tanks and equipment down in a pick up truck so you just have to stroll down to the boat. Dive sites are all accessed from a small boat by negative entry. We enjoyed our surface interval on shore on the beautiful Playita beach with fresh fruit, water and biscuits provided.
Overall I would happily dive with Las Galeras Divers again and would recommend them, but perhaps not to a novice or more nervous diver.
3. La Playita Beach
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 558 reviews
La Playita Beach in Las Galeras. Famous white sand beach and cristal clear waters located only 2 kilometers from downtown Las Galeras in Dominican Republic. Snorkeling equipment rental, Massages on the beach, and Volleyball court. La Playita Beach Restaurant & Bar serving fresh seafood ; Langosta, Shrimp, and Fish of the day !
Reviewed By CaliTraveler23 - California
This little stretch of beach was uncrowded. There a tables and beach chairs for rent or just walk in and throw your towel down. There are 2 resturants and a little dive shop. The beach was small but nice. The swimming is average as there are some grassy/rocky areas. Overall good place for an afternoon.
4. Playa Fronton
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 146 reviews
Reviewed By FLtrotter - Jacksonville, Florida
Pretty beach, with rock and sandy beachhead. And hardly remote as boats bring tourists over en masse and the beach area isn’t that big. But the clear water and cliffs are breathtaking. The snorkeling was so-so, the water being low tide and turbulent. Didn’t see near as many fish as Bahamas and Virgin Islands. Lots of black spiny sea urchins, take caution. Fun boat trip and return boat about 2000RD, included quick stop try at madama beach which bring choked with sargassum we didn’t land. Boat operator came to pick us up earlier than we asked, a bit annoying.
5. Joel and Ludi Excursions
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 145 reviews
The Dominican Republic is an authentic destination where the Dominicans knew how to protect their lifestyle. Even more isolated, the region of Samana remains to discover with Its hidden Beaches, its nature exhuberante. The village of Tired Had a hard time is situated in the extreme nord/est of the peninsula of Samana at 3 am of road of Santo Domingo. The isolation protected for a long time the authenticity from Tired Had a hard time. Today still, we are far from the mass tourism which we can find in the other regions. To discover urgently for dream holidays. Of our boats you can take advantage of magnificent views on the coast and to see whales and dolphins during the period of reproduction... Tired Had a hard time is the ideal starting point for numerous activities and boat trips.
Reviewed By Remo A - Boulder, Colorado
I advise you to avoid this company. I agreed to pay $100 usd for four hours, going to Fronton, Madama and Rincon. When the weather turned stormy I returned after just 2 hours. But I had no problem paying the $100 as agreed. But the main guy Solie turned up at the house I was staying at to demand aggressively that I pay $200 because I brought 3 friends with me. Nothing was said about that when I arranged the trip, nor was anything said when I turned up with the friends. When I told him this was not reasonable he became threatening. The actual places we visited were very beautiful. The boat was a typical local panga.... I just did not enjoy being strong armed. I guess slow season brought out the worst in this company.
6. The Dive Academy
Overall Ratings
5 based on 81 reviews
Las Galeras' premier Scuba Diving School & Water Sports Adventure centre. English is our first language but we also speak Spanish, French, German, Danish, Swedish and Italian. We offer everything from Try and Tandem Dives to Instructor Courses, guided qualified dives over beautiful corals and the world famous 'The Tower'and Tibisi; all inclusive sailing & water sports day excursions - with skiing, snootering with our DPV's, diving and lunch on a beautiful sail boat to mini Live Aboard breaks. First Class Service with Economy Class Prices. We offer our clients professional and friendly, safe and affordable FUN.
Reviewed By umbrellabird - Seattle, Washington
We arrived to inquire about snorkeling, and were lucky to meet Diane. Her ebullient nature and frankness about what to expect was rather a cultural shock to us; after traveling in DR for 2 weeks and being accosted by untold numbers of guides who would tell you whatever they thought you wanted to here, it was a welcome change indeed to hear Diane say, 'the water these next couple of days around Las Galeras won't be fantastic, but you can see some fish', was like a breath of fresh air. And she was right, and understated--which I like. We had a great time, the visibility wasn't outstanding but it was fine for our purposes and we saw some beautiful fish. The burritos at her place were delicious, too. Thanks, Diane!
7. Massage Las Galeras
Overall Ratings
5 based on 50 reviews
A place to relaxe, to find the peace of mind and Serenity.A truly relaxing and zen experience in a quiet and private location, near the Grand Paradise Resort, into the Nature. KOBIDO, Japonese facial natural lifting, Relaxing and unifying massages, reflexology (feet and facial), ho'oponopono (healing hawaiian technic), energy. My purpose is to offer you one hour of sweetness, to reconcile body and soul, and to welcome well-being and deep relaxation.
Reviewed By Karlene W - New York City, New York
I was able to schedule a couples massage for my friend and I through Carolina. She is a cute, little french lady who speaks English, French and Spanish and is very hospitable. Before our massage, we had went swimming at Cayo Levantado so we were very sandy. Carolina allowed us to shower in her house, which is beautiful. He massage parlor is right outside of her house. It's like a little tiki hut; very relaxing and my friend and I were able to watch the sunset outside. The next hour and a half was bliss. Carolina was my personal masseuse and gave me the best massage of my life. My friend said her massage was the best she had as well. After the message, she invited us on the porch for water and we talked to her and her lovely husband Rudy for hours. They are great people and I can't wait to come back to DR. They will make you feel at home. If I could give Carolina 10 stars I would be cause she is that good!
8. Playa Madama
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 205 reviews
Reviewed By Rachel E - Orcas Island, Washington
Similar to the reviewer on March 9, a friend and I were robbed this past Friday, November 25, 2016 by two men with masks over their faces and carrying large knives. They jumped out of the bushes yelling and took just about everything we were carrying, which thankfully wasn't a lot because we knew that robberies in this area were a risk. It was still a terrifying experience though because the beach was completely deserted and isolated. We had hiked in from our hotel in Las Galeras. We had been looking for Playa Fronton, but the trails are confusing and unmarked, so we ended up here at Playa Madama instead. The owner of our hotel said it was fine to hike to Fronton without a guide, just not to carry any valuables. However, based on our experience, I completely recommend going with a trusted local guide who knows the way or taking a boat from town. Also, the beach was covered in plastic bottles and trash from the recent storms and there were strange red spray paint markings all over the trees. The whole place was really creepy even before getting robbed. And sadly we didn't even make it to Fronton.
9. Sunshine Holiday Day Tours
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 47 reviews
Reviewed By Maja_y_Luka - Ljubljana
Took 2 tours. The first one was to Los Haites National Park. We were promised an English speaking guide, but Angel could indeed speak English, except you couldn't understand him much, really.
Then our boat broke down, and we continued our journey with another boat. Nothing wrong with that, it happens. But when we described our experiences to Marcel (agency's owner) he more or less ignored this event. Usually, tour operators at least apologize for any mishappenings.
The 2nd tour we took was a trip to Playa Rincon by ATM. That was a nice trip, but I think Marcel just hired a guy from another agency doing this tour with ATMs. So you might try booking it just there.
10. Cool Raoul Excursions
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 39 reviews
Located in Dominican Republic, your guide Raoul offers various excursions, tours and activities in the way you won't forget your holidays!
Reviewed By Pizzawolf - Des Moines, Iowa
I paid for a whale watching tour. First, my lady friend and I were told to be at the pickup point at 8am. Raoul did not show up until 9, apparently he got drunk at a wedding the previous night. Raoul made a lot of promises such as:
1. You will be on a boat with less than 20 people.
2. There will be an open bar on the boat.
3. There will be beer and liquor served at lunch.
4. There will be food for lunch.
5. If there are any problems a refund will be issued, no problem.
Uncool Raoul Excursions failed all all but #4...partially. When we got in line most of the food was gone and they had no more so I had a tiny bit of food for lunch. Other people were also enraged about the fact that so many of his promises were broken. The group we rode back to Las Galeras with yelled at Raoul's employee, Jackson because Raoul was not around. I chose a more diplomatic route and spoke with him calmly. I stated that I did indeed see whales and I didn't want a full refund. Jackson stated that "this never happened before" and tried to make a big fuss about it. I told him words didn't matter, action matters, so make the refund. He stated that he could not do it and we would have to speak with Raoul. We returned the next day and Jackson avoided us at all costs and Raoul was not there. We returned later and my lady friend asked for the refund. Raoul played all the typical "tin man" style sidestepping and would not make the refund. When my friend stated that she would hurt his business with a bad review he became enraged and began threatening her life while making threatening physical gestures at her. I stepped between them and told him to calm down. He then pushed me and jumped back behind one of his henchmen with his fists up. I told him I was happy to fight him if that is what he wanted. He ran to his car and I again told him to get out of his vehicle and be a man about this situation. He then continued threatening our lives and drove off.
Sooo.....lesson learned and let my lesson guide you to any other excursion dealer besides Uncool Raoul.
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