Where to stay in Las Terrenas | Hotel Viva Wyndham V Samana

We spent a week testing the Viva Wyndham V Samana de las Terranas hotel. Let’s take a look back at our experience at this very special resort!

 

Welcome to Las Terrenas, an old fishing village discovered in the 70s by French explorers who came to the Dominican Republic in search of exoticism and tranquillity. Today, Las Terrenas has become a lively village, a haven for expatriates with a concentration of boutiques, bakeries, French supermarkets and trendy restaurants.

You can choose from a range of accommodation options, some of which are right on the beachfront: small, charming hotels with a dozen or so rooms, where you can enjoy the local way of life and meet the locals without having to rent a car; or villas, apartments or bungalows, where you can enjoy more privacy while taking advantage of the beautiful beaches nearby.

It’s Viva Wyndham V Samana hotel more commonly known as V Samana de las Terrenas, on the Samaná peninsula, where we settled in for a week. We’re not fans of all-inclusive packages, often booked by hungry and thirsty international travelers, who sometimes waste food. In general, we prefer to try out all kinds of restaurants, from the local boui-boui to Michelin-starred restaurants. But these preconceptions disappeared after our stay here on Coson beach.

I also invite you to read all our articles to help you prepare for your trip to the Dominican Republic:

• The authentic Dominican Republic, discover the Samana Peninsula
• Our top 7 of the peninsula’s most beautiful beaches
• We tested the beautiful colonial hotel in Santo Domingo
• Our practical guide to preparing your trip
• What to do in Santo Domingo, discover the city in an unusual way

 

| 5-STAR HOTEL FOR ADULTS ONLY

 

This beachfront complex is for adults only. At first glance, this may seem shocking, but more and more mid-range and top-of-the-range hotels around the world are adopting the “adult only” policy, and don’t want children in their establishments. A choice I approve of and respect, because there has to be something for everyone. It’s also an opportunity to renew friendships and meet new travel companions.

Hotel V Samana opened its doors in 2016 on the beautiful, unspoilt beach of Coson. An ideal location for discovering the peninsula. This human-scale resort offers a chic, relaxed atmosphere with all the amenities you need to make the most of your stay. It’s a far cry from the clichés of ultra-noisy All In hotels, with music blasting from the bass, and the entertainment team coming to see you every 10 minutes to suggest a game or an aperitif! This place exudes calm and serenity. The entrance hall already invites you to travel and relax, with its plant wall and breathtaking view of the infinity pool. (the only one in the resort). The hotel also boasts a huge garden where you can relax in hammocks or do yoga in the shade of coconut palms.

In terms of accommodation, there are 144 rooms in the same style, rather spacious – I’d say around 40m2 – and bright. They are divided into two categories: the V Rooms and the Vibe Rooms, the ones we had, located on the ground floor overlooking the immense garden and the exotic wood Balinese canopies. We were allowed to use your private mini pool, which was pretty cool and tested at 1am! All bathrooms feature a shower with Blue Harmony by Viva Wyndham hospitality products (soap, shower gel, shampoo). Rooms feature individual air-conditioning, TV, a free electronically coded safe with space for a laptop, mini bar and tea and coffee making facilities. As for the king-size bed, it was soft and plush. On a minor note, I would have liked the furniture to have been more tastefully decorated, as the room decoration was rather simple for a 5-star hotel.

 

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| 4 DIFFERENT RESTAURANTS, TWO OF WHICH ARE ON THE BEACH

 

Food and beverage options include 4 restaurants (3 à la carte), a snack bar and a beach bar. We’ve tried them all, and it’s great to have these all-in menus. This allowed us to vary our pleasures and desires. Unlike most all-inclusive resorts, you can enjoy never need a reservation for dinner.

• The Marché is the hotel’s only buffet restaurant. It’s also where we had breakfast every morning under the palapa, a thatched shelter from the sun. They are sometimes seen on beaches and in tropical countries. This is perhaps the one I liked least, as it offers a more classic, international cuisine: pastas, pizzas, salads, sandwiches, but also some more local dishes such as frijoles (cooked red beans), rice and mashed plantains, which you should try.
• The Fusion, my favorite because it offers refined world cuisine with a strong Asian focus: spring rolls, fried noodles, stuffed pasta, tartars.Delicious!
• The Mediterraneas on the beachfront, seating up to 70 guests and offering Mediterranean cuisine with local Las Terrenas inspiration (Italian and seafood pastas, octopus, risotto, carpaccio, tiramisu, pana cotta…). During the day, the place becomes the snack bar Vivaz
• The Mar y Fuego, which seats around 40 guests and specializes in grilled meats and seafood. If it’s the right season, try the lobster (extra charge). Enjoy a romantic dinner on the sand.

The beach bar Entre Palmas is the beach bar that serves a wide selection of juices, smoothies and alcoholic drinks all day long, to be enjoyed on one of the deckchairs at playa Coson or in the pool! Right next to the lobby, you can’t miss the Hip bar, open until about 1 a.m.. This is the hotel’s lounge bar and discotheque. I swayed to the Latin beat on the dance floor!

 

 

 

| A MAGNIFICENT SPA TO RELAX IN

 

Amid lush vegetation, tropical plants and coconut palms as far as the eye can see, lies the spa Coconut Whispers Spa from the five-star Viva Wyndham V Samana hotel. On the program: relaxation and well-being to recharge your batteries and recharge your batteries! Your relaxing and rejuvenating retreat is rooted in the elements of the Samana Peninsula. I promise you won’t be disappointed! Therapists use aromatherapy oils and fragrances made from natural ingredients. A full range of spa treatments is available, including massages, pedicures, facials and wraps.

Open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., the sublime exotic spa features three massage rooms, including a double room for couples, as well as a rather central outdoor Jacuzzi surrounded by deckchairs and linen parasols. On the menu: manicure, pedicure, facials, facial and body massage to the sound of birdsong and relaxing Zen music.

You’re greeted at reception by a wall of greenery that sets the mood… The female staff are neat, smiling and really pleasant. I love testing spas and I have to admit that this one has something special about it, perhaps its natural, open and peaceful setting, but also because it uses only coconut-based products. And we love it!

A dozen different massages are available to suit all budgets: the Deep Blue, a massage designed to relax tense ligaments and muscles, the Holistic Caribbean, a blend of relaxing and energizing techniques combined with essential herbs and citric oils, as well as the Samana Stones which uses different stones from Samana’s rivers at different temperatures. Got a sunburn? no worries, make it Sublime Caress, a treatment based on a blend of botanical and marine ingredients, ideal for skin that has been exposed to the sun, followed by a 30-minute massage from head to toe! Want to be surprised? test the Poetry of the sea, a combination of natural aromas and nourishing oils of orange, mandarin, sesame and soy. Finish with a cleansing ritual for your feet with a glass of sparkling wine. When I tell you that this massage is completely crazy… From $45USD for a 30-minute massage to $165USD for 80 minutes.

The spa also offers special rituals like the Coconut Whispers where you can tone and moisturize your body in the shower! The hide and Seek Ritual offers a steam bath using seawater, herbs and essential oils, followed by a massage using indigenous techniques. This treatment is designed to clear the respiratory tract and remove impurities from the lymphatic system. There is also the surprising Floating Dream Therapy…I would have loved to test this one! Imagine a digitopuncture massage on a hammock with an all-natural eucalyptus-based gel used to release toxic elements from the body through the feet. Quite original! Count on $110USD to $135USD for 80 minutes of bliss.

For beauty treatments, expect to pay around $45USD for a pedicure, $35USD for a manicure and $75USD for the whole package!

After this moment of relaxation, the best is yet to come! Enjoy a fresh coconut to hydrate and recover from your emotions, lying on the deckchair by the jacuzzi! So are you tempted by the experience?

 

 

| WATER SPORTS AND ACTIVITIES TO KEEP YOU ENTERTAINED

Lounging on a beach with turquoise waters, in a hammock or on a Balinese bed is really my thing! But I also enjoy having fun and playing sports. The entertainment team offers daily sports and water activities on Cosón beach and in the garden: muscle toning, yoga and zumba classes, tennis lessons with a coach, as well as catamaran, windsurfing, kayaking and stand-up paddle, which I tried for the first time!

 

 

| SUNSETS EVERY EVENING

Staying in a hotel with its feet on the water, you’re bound to be privileged when it comes to admiring the sunsets. You can choose to view them from the canopies, the pool or from Playa Coson.

 

 

 

| RATES

June was a fairly flat month. There was hardly anyone in the resort. Count between 150$USD and 180$USD per night for this all-inclusive resort 5*

➡️ Check hotel availability and book here

 

| HOW TO GET TO VIVA WYNDHAM V SAMANÁ

The town of Las Terrenas, a 15-minute cab ride from the hotel, is renowned as a Caribbean gem, with its typical restaurants and bars. The resort is just 1.5 hours from Santo Domingo’s Las Americas International Airport and 20 minutes from Samaná El Catey International Airport. Now you have no excuse to go!

From Santo Domingo, you can arrange an airport-hotel transfer to make life easier and avoid searching on site. It’s convenient and time-saving.

 

Please note that as an accredited bespoke travel designer, I offer to accompany you in the creation of your tailor-made stay in the Dominican Republic and create a personalized itinerary tailored to your needs. Please send me an email at : contact@mademoiselle-voyage.fr

Before you leave, I invite you to read our various articles to help you prepare for your trip to the Dominican Republic:

• The authentic Dominican Republic, discover the Samana Peninsula
• Our top 7 of the peninsula’s most beautiful beaches
• We tested the beautiful colonial hotel in Santo Domingo
• Our practical guide to preparing your trip
• What to do in Santo Domingo, discover the city in an unusual way

 

 

 

 

 

 

This article is our experience. It was made possible thanks to a collaboration with the hotel V Samana and the Dominican Republic Tourist Office, whom we thank for their invitation and this discovery.