Saona Island: Catamaran, Buffet Lunch and Pick up Included

Underwhelming and Disappointed

Not at all as described. Disappointing to say the least. A/C broke on bus getting to destination. We had to drive with the bus door open to allow for air flow. No drunks offered until you get to the natural pool, and even then, you are offered cola and rum. No water. Bring water, you will not get anything included for 5 hours!!! It is hot! Boat to Saona was a tight speed boat, over crowded. Not a Catamaran as advertised. Tight squeeze, cant move. You do take the Caramaran back from Saona but the ride there is uncomfortable. You will be hasslesd to buy, buy, buy everywhere, repeatedly. They offer massages on the beach and dont tell you pricing or show a list of pricing. My younger cousin who is here celebrating her birthday was tricked into paying $100 for a 15 minute massage. Predatory practice! Tours in Punta Cana are not the same as they were 7-10 years ago. They are watered down, overly crowded and a cash grab. No fruit on boats. You are given coca cola and rum once you arrive to the natural pool. Pictures are taken of you. Then they offer to sell you the 30 pictures they took in 5 minutes for $100. Disappointing and a waste of my time. I would not use this tour company again. Tour guide was nice, friendly, informative. Felt bad for the situation he was put in to keep everyone happy under those pretenses.

via Tripadvisor

Terrible Island tour.

This was a terrible experience,from start to finish.After pick up we drove to a busy petrol station where a lot of mini buses and coaches parked up.We were there for about 45mins,before the driver asked up to go onto another bus that was parked up.....we waited another 10-15 minutes before we drove off. Finally we arrived at the port and we met our guide,who seemed friendly.as the day went on he was so rude to a lot of the people in the group,shouting and been quite aggressive.After an long day he still had a bad attitude when people were getting on the speed boat. At the port we were told to get on coach 56,when I asked if he was sure she started shouting and telling me I must listen....I got off the coach,only to be told by another tourists our coach is number47. All the passengers on our coach found the whole experience to be unenjoyable.

via Viator

WORST experience of our lives!!

Our Most Traumatizing Excursion Experience Ever — DO NOT RECOMMEND! This was, without a doubt, the most traumatizing excursion experience we have ever had. From the very beginning, getting to the island was a complete fiasco. We were picked up at 7:30 AM, but we didn’t arrive at the area where we needed to board the catamaran until almost 12:00 PM. Along the way, we stopped at a gas station and sat there for nearly an hour. While our driver was out of the vehicle, another large tour bus hit our van. What made matters worse was that our driver never acknowledged the accident—not even an apology or an explanation. When we finally arrived at the catamaran area, we were introduced to our excursion guide, who referred to himself as “Black Banana.” From the beginning, his communication was extremely abrupt, and he was unnecessarily rude to a lot of the guests including me when he was asked questions. We then had to walk approximately half a mile to get to the boat. Once on board, a lot of us ended up having to sit on the floor in the heat. We also were not informed anywhere in the fine print that we needed to bring our own towels for the beach. We assumed towels would be provided since this was an organized beach excursion, which has been our experience with other excursions. When we finally reached the beach, we were served lunch, and honestly, the food was not appetizing. There were huge flies and bees swarming around us and all over the buffet, which made us very hesitant to eat. Then came the restroom situation. My husband went to use the restroom and came back telling me that you had to ask for toilet tissue. He was even asked what he needed to do #1 or #2. After using the one available stall, he had to come back outside, get a bucket of water, and carry it back inside to flush the toilet. And the handwashing situation was just as disturbing. Everyone was expected to use the same barrel of water to wash their hands—and we also saw people using that same water for drinking. Absolutely disgusting!. We eventually decided to try to enjoy the beach and get into the water, but that was another disappointment. There were SO many shells and rocks that getting to the sandy portion required walking over them. It was extremely uncomfortable, and we honestly wouldn’t be surprised if people were getting cut. We only spent about two hours at the beach, and honestly, we were perfectly fine with leaving because the entire experience was miserable. We finally made it back to our resort around 8:00 PM, meaning we were gone for approximately 12 hours. We were under the impression that the excursion would last approximately 6–8 hours. Because of the extreme delay, we also missed our dinner reservations at the resort. And to make matters worse, this was our last day in the Dominican Republic, which made the experience even more disappointing. Long story short: WE DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS EXCURSION! Save yourself the time, frustration, and money. What should have been a fun day on an island turned into an exhausting and extremely unpleasant experience from beginning to end. There are plenty of other excursions to choose from—this is NOT one we would ever do again. Please note we have respect for the Dominican culture. We thoroughly enjoyed the resort! We will be back!!! This was a lesson learned.

via Viator

Saona island day trip

We had an amazing time on our Saona Island trip! It was a wonderful experience from start to finish. The trip does take the entire day, so plan to be out all day, but it was absolutely worth it. The beach was beautiful with clear water, and the different stops along the way made the day even more enjoyable. Our tour guide, Jon, was very helpful, friendly, and made sure everyone had a great experience. I highly recommend this trip to anyone visiting the Dominican Republic. Just keep in mind that it is a long day with multiple stops, but the memories and experience are well worth it!

Response from the operator: Thank you so much for sharing your experience with us! We are delighted to hear that you had an amazing time on your Saona Island trip and that you enjoyed the beautiful beaches, crystal-clear waters, and the different stops along the way. We truly appreciate your kind words about Jon. We will be happy to share your feedback with him, as he always strives to make every guest’s experience special. Thank you for recommending us to future visitors of the Dominican Republic. We hope to welcome you again soon for another unforgettable adventure!

via Viator

Good communication

They were on time . The trip was a bit far out but it was worth it .

Response from the operator: Thank you very much for your review! We're delighted to hear that everything was on time and that you felt the trip was worth it. We hope to welcome you back on another adventure in Punta Cana soon!

via Tripadvisor