Dominican Republic, Day 4: Experiencing Las Terrenas

After 48 hours in Santo Domingo and three hours on the road, we arrived in Las Terrenas, ready for some serious r&r. Little did we know what we were getting ourselves into...

Wooden fishing boats in Las Terrenas

I'm just going to be completely honest: Las Terrenas was not exactly the tranquil island paradise I had been hoping for. The beaches, though, were indeed beautiful.

So, how did we decide to go to Las Terrenas? It all started with this article from Budget Travel and our preference for independent travel. The rest we would figure out as we went.

We had pre-booked a cabina at the popular Casas del Mar Neptunia after finding it on Trip Advisor, one of our go-to places for travel information.

View of the grounds from our front porch

At only about $50 US per night, this place was in our shoestring budget (after recently purchasing a sailboat) and had everything we were looking for: close proximity to the beach and town, free parking, and even hot showers.

Outdoor shower for washing off beach sand

 Dominican-style cabin

When we checked in the expat Canadian owners explained that the cabin we had rented was having a water issue and in the process of being fixed, so would we mind staying in another room and switching the following night? We were just glad to have a room since we heard them turning someone else away on the phone who didn't have a reservation. Also a big plus were a safe and a secluded parking spot off the main road for the rented bean can.

Quiet side road where we parked the car

We put our valuable stuff (i.e. credit cards, passports) in the electronic safe (you set your own passcode) and then set out to explore the town and get some lunch.

Scotty counting our "fun tickets"

The first thing we realized was how busy the roads were with motorcycle traffic. As the local and obviously preferred method of transportation, "motos" were also available to rent. Not only that, but we would be offered one literally twenty times a day. I was like just the fact that you were walking instead of riding seemed strange to them and an obvious sales opportunity. They were also very, very noisy, especially when they traveled in droves.

Las Terrenas town center

And, as it turns out, walking is not the easiest thing to do in Las Terrenas. When trying to get around town, we had to be very careful when crossing or walking along the street, lest we get hit. Once, while walking on the shoulder of the road, a moto skimmed mere inches away from Scotty's feet.

After that we tried to walk on the beach instead as much as possible. I was pretty sure that if one of us gotten run over, no one would have stopped. And then add in a few four wheelers... yeah, no thank you. And the air pollution from these things is a whole other story...

We did find some really great restaurants in town. One beachside place, Mojitos, quickly became one of our favorites. Run by a Cuban expat, the menu featured some awesome appetizers and entrees, including three types of some of the best ceviche I've ever had. After a lot of traveling and driving, the cuba libres and sound of the waves helped us finally chill out a bit.

Digging into some fresh ceviche and fish "fingers" at Mojitos...

... and the view was pretty nice, too.

Las Terrenas is home to many European expats and also most heavily frequented by French, Italian, and German tourists. While Punta Cana, Dominican Republic is one of the most popular international destination for US citizens, they definitely weren't where we were. In fact, we saw only a handful of state-siders, after happening upon a Mexican-themed lunch stand owned by one (now expat).

Curious what else was in store for us? Check back soon for more of our adventures in this little corner of the Caribbean.