La Romana Excursions - page 11

Great half day tour! Picked up directly at our resort, learned about coffee and cocoa and then off to see the monkeys. Johnny Tequila was amazing! He was funny and knowledgeable. We really enjoyed his sense of humour. The surprise for us was the lunch we got to have at the end of our tour. Fried chicken was delicious. Already gave Runners Adventures details to our friends who are coming in a couple of weeks

I booked a round trip through Viator (my first time). My husband and I was supposed to be picked from PUJ to HM Alma de Bayahibe and back to PUJ on our departure date. I was send an initial ticket for the arrival and told that someone would be at the airport with our name. I got no other contact and me being a worrywart, I called and I confirmed with them on the day of arrival. They were helpful and as promised someone was there at the airport on time to pick us up. For our departure, I reached out to them on the day before and based on my flight details they gave me the time the driver would arrive and he was on the dot at the resort to pick us up. Overall this was great experience. The drivers were nice and speaking Spanish helps but if not they were very reliable.

We drove from Punta Cana and arrived at Quetzal in Bayahibe around 8:30 am. After checking in, our guide walked us down to the dock and we took a shuttle boat to the Catamaran. It was a beautiful and peaceful trip out to our first stop at Isla Catalina. The ocean conditions were challenging with strong winds and currents so we only snorkeled about 10 minutes there. We then left for Samoa where the waters were much more calm. We snorkeled about 30-40 minutes, but there was more time if people wanted to continue snorkeling or go ashore. We stayed onboard after snorkeling and talked with guide Charlotte. She was a delightful young lady from France. They then cooked us a great lunch of chicken, steak, pasta, salad, and fresh fruit. There was also an open bar. After leaving Saona, we cruised up Rio Chavon and one of the crew explained the history of the area, including famous movies filmed there like Apocalypse Now. All and all, it was a great time and the entire crew was wonderful.

There was a change to the leave time which we were notified about in the morning of the event - it worked out well giving our group time to relax. The crew also asked at that point if we were celebrating anything which we were (and engagement) so the crew said they would bring champagne. When we arrived the champagne was not there so they went back to shore to retrieve along with a photographer who took pictures of the afternoon which we loved having. The water was too rough to enjoy the snorkeling but we especially enjoyed the slide and the sand bar areas.

We went with our 3 year old and had a blast! Everyone was soooo nice and lively. The photographer on the boat was amazing and took the best pictures! Honestly, was the best part of the trip. Snorkeling was very clear. The sand bar was amazing. They had floating bar, people with monkeys and parrots to take pictures with.