Saona Island Day Trip From Punta Cana with Lunch and Open Bar

Amazingggggggggg

It was an amazing excursion! My friends and I had the best time. Everyone working for the company was so friendly and helpful. The travel is kind of like (90 minutes) but it was so worth it! By the end you’re tired so you just sleep the whole ride back and it’s great!

via Viator

Mostly commute and many surprise charges

The experience was mostly COMMUTE! I got picked up at 6:40, had a 3 hour bus ride to the port (could be shorter but there were a lot of pickups along the way), then a 1.5 hour boat ride (you take pics and dance which was fun) to the natural pool which was BEAUTIFUL but it was mostly for pics. You have 30m to swim around in while the photographer takes pics. Then 30m more min boat ride for the Saona Island for some lunch that was not actually good (I am Dominican, so I KNOW good Dominican food). We started having lunch at 1:35 and had to leave at 3:30… so eating and swimming for 2 hours. Then a 1.5 hour boat ride and then another 3 hour bus ride. We left the island at 3:40ish in a speed boat, got to the port at 5 and didn’t get to our resort until 7:40pm. All of the commute was not worth the 2.5 hours of enjoyment if you can even call that enjoyable for my husband and I. Our resort food at excellence was good and our beach here BEAUTIFUL, we should have picked a different excursion or stayed back. But at least now we have this knowledge. This experience may have been slightly funner with a bigger group perhaps. Also they take professional pictures of you and then you have to pay them to airdrop it. He started at 150, we brought it down to 115ish. To me it was worth the price bc my husband and I need more pictures together but just so you know. They will put a Dominican cap on you in the catamaran … let you wear it for 5 min then come back and ask for 5 each. We gave it back and said no. Also on the lunch if you want pina colada not soda it will be $10 extra. Lots of extra charges.

Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback about your Saona Island experience. We sincerely regret to hear that the tour did not meet your expectations, especially regarding the long transportation time, the amount of time spent commuting, and the overall feeling that the experience was not worth it for you and your husband. Saona Island is located quite far from Punta Cana, and the tour does require both ground transportation to Bayahibe and boat transportation to the island. Since this is a shared excursion, the transfer time can vary depending on the number of hotel pickups scheduled that day. However, we understand that a long commute can affect the overall experience, and we apologize if this made the day feel too rushed or tiring. We are sorry to hear that the lunch did not meet your expectations. Your comments are very important, especially as you mentioned being Dominican and knowing the quality of Dominican food. We will share this feedback with the tour provider and the operations team so they can review the food service and improve where needed. Regarding the professional photos, hats, piña coladas, and any other optional purchases, these are offered by independent vendors or third-party providers during the excursion. They are not mandatory, and guests are always free to decline. That said, we understand how these repeated offers can feel like surprise charges, and we will reinforce with the team the importance of clearly communicating what is included and what is optional. We truly appreciate your honest comments. While we are sorry this was not the best excursion for you, your feedback helps us improve the information we provide to future guests so they can better understand the travel time, itinerary, and optional expenses before booking.

via Viator

Saona Island 🌊🏝️😎

We visited the Saona Island yesterday and overall it turned out to be a very good experience, even though it wasn’t exactly what we expected. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to swim with the sea stars as planned, but we still saw many of them clearly from the boat, which was beautiful in its own way. Saona Island itself is truly stunning, with tall palm trees, soft white sand and the incredible turquoise color of the Caribbean Sea 🌊 The scenery alone makes the trip completely worth it and despite a few small disappointments, I’m glad we went and enjoyed the day 🏝️😎

via Tripadvisor

Great Island BAD tours companies.

The Island and natural park are beautiful BUT, the tour companies are BAD. Terrible logistic, large amount of people, too may boats to enjoy the view, open bar is just rum with Coke or Sprite. You arrive at Bajahibe and you have to wait for a small boat to taxi you to a large boat. 40 Minutes wait to get off the boat at the end of the day. Photos are a rip off....$100 for a package of photos. Vendors at Saona beach botherring your to make a purchase. It was a waste of a day and cash. Everyone wants a tip...the boat captiain, the tour guide, and the bus driver. I understand that this is how they make a living but please stop asking for cash for a while and let the peopel enjoy the day. The food was not bad but, not aout of this world. Do your research before booking a tour for Saona island and ask alot of questions regarding the size of the group you will be with. I would like to give it a minus 1 star if I could.

Response from the operator: Dear Guest, Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re truly sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations. We appreciate your honest comments about the logistics, waiting times, group size, and the overall flow of the day. Saona is a beautiful destination, but we understand that long transfers, crowded areas, and delays at the port can affect the experience, especially during busy days. We also regret that you felt uncomfortable with the beach vendors, photo pricing, and repeated tipping requests. While some of these services are handled independently at the destination, we understand how frustrating this can feel and your feedback is very important to us. We’re glad to hear you found the island and natural park beautiful, and that the food was acceptable, but we sincerely apologize that the rest of the experience did not match what you hoped for. Your comments help us improve and better prepare future guests with clearer expectations about logistics, group size, and what is included.

via Tripadvisor

Poor English translation!

The trip was very confusing. There was little English translation and confussion. People were sent to the wrong boat causing major confusion and the uneasy feeling of being left. Then at the end the tour guide wanted a tip!! Wouldn't recommend this trip with Indiana Jones!!

Response from the operator: Hi there, thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. After reviewing your comments, it appears this experience may not have been operated by our company and may have been posted on the wrong listing/profile. We take guest experience very seriously, and what you described (confusing logistics, lack of English guidance, and being directed to the wrong boat) does not reflect our standards. To help you get this addressed with the correct operator, we kindly recommend double-checking the booking confirmation (operator name) and submitting the review under the appropriate listing. If you can share your booking reference via private message, we’ll be happy to confirm whether this was with us and guide you to the right place to report it.

via Tripadvisor