Day 7, Samana, Dominican Republic, January 22, 2025

Our last day. While we were having breakfast in the al fresco area, there was a flurry of activity with boats about 500 yards off shore. It was then we saw a humpback whale breach. Very cool sighting. The picture included, was much like what we saw. It was taken by a guest whale watching in Samana Bay. 

Today is the calmest day we’ve had. A nice way to end our holiday and to finally see a whale. Brilliant! In the afternoon while we waited for our room to be cleaned, we sat at the lobby balcony overlooking the pool. It’s a great spot to have a drink and be cooled by the breeze while reminiscing about what a lovely time we’ve had. Today was the hottest day so far at 27 degrees, feeling like 29. We decided to have a swim in the ocean and got pummelled by the waves. Thankfully there was a shower by the pool to wash the sand from our bathing suits. We opted for a swim in the non-chlorinated (salt water) pool. Heavenly!

I have never liked the look of cabana beds with mattress pads and have never used one. I much prefer loungers which is what this resort has. And I can’t imagine wanting to lie on a cabana bed after the rain. Yuk.

Jill was having fun with my hair. I said, if you like that picture, how about this one? We had lots of laughs. Home tomorrow. 

Day 6, Samana, Dominican Republic, January 21, 2025

Today started cloudy but then looking out from our balcony the sky opened up with a torrential downpour and within minutes it cleared into a beautiful sunny day. Surprisingly, we could clearly see the other side of the bay for the first time. After a swim in the pool and lunch, we settled in to the cabana area. I said, “Jill look, there’s a face”. You’ll see it in the picture. Our holiday is coming to an end. We’ve met some really nice people and have had wonderful conversations.

Two more dinners and we are out of here, back to reality.

Day 5, Samana, Dominican Republic, January 20, 2025

Thousands of humpback whales descend on Samana Bay every year where they nurse their young and breed. Sadly we haven’t seen any from our balcony (yet) but I have included a few pictures that were taken by others. I also included an aerial picture of the resort. Our room is on the third floor, third room from the left. Quiet with great views. This morning Jill spotted a cruise ship entering the bay. It was moving down the bay to the town of Samana where tours were being tendered.

On most days the sky darkens and then sends a deluge of rain and minutes later it passes and the sun reappears. We opted to not take any excursions as we are happy just enjoying the resort.

Day 4, Samana, Dominican Republic,January 19, 2025

We awoke to a beautiful sunny day. After breakfast we toured the resort and realized that we were just three rooms from the very end. No wonder it was the quiet section. I took a picture of a plant that was attached to a wall. We were surprised to see that the skinny root made it’s was up the wall to become this large plant with very large leaves. The gardens throughout our resort are so lush. Our room overlooks the gardens and the hot tub area. 

We made our way to the pool and slathered on sunscreen. The ocean was a little too rough for swimming today. The lifeguards were telling people not to go in. After a while we moved to the cabana area  overlooking the ocean and away from the music. The restaurant for lunch was steps away then it was snooze time. After a walk on the beach, it was shower, a stop at the lobby bar before our second a la carte dinner. It was scrumptious. We then settled on the patio and played a game of scrabble while listening to the entertainment. Of course, Jill won again.  Tomorrow I might get lucky.

I’m 

Day 3, Samana, Dominican Republic, January 18, 2025

The king bed is luxurious, we are sleeping so well - great pillows. The buffet breakfast is absolutely delicious and the seating is alfresco. The tables are set with white table cloths and white cloth napkins, all you would ever want to start your day. 

The daily temperature has been 25/26 with low humidity, perfect. A storm came in today so we played scrabble on our balcony. Jill won again. After our buffet lunch we headed for the pool loungers. Jill fell in love with frozen margaritas and the two of us have both enjoyed the mojitos. She couldn’t stop laughing when a fly made its home in my hair. Could have been the rum.

We caught some sun then walked for a while on the beach. The waves were stormy, a little too rough for a swim, although possible. Our room is in the quiet wing, as requested which is so appreciated, especially for our pre-dinner snooze. Tonight we went to one of the a la carte restaurants - 2 are included in our package. Beautiful seating overlooking the pool, but sadly we weren’t impressed with the food, although the wine was good :)  Jill took a picture of me when she suggested, with tongue in cheek, that we go to the buffet after we leave the restaurant. We headed for the lobby bar and chatted with our new friends, Frank and Joel from Toronto. We sat outside for a bit then called it a night. It was a lovely day of heavy heavy rain then clearing, then more rain. It doesn’t matter to us, it is the rhythm of the weather down here. We took advantage of  between deluges.