Las Terrenas Travel Tips (Add This To Your Dominican Republic Itinerary)

If you are looking for white sand, turquoise water, and laid-back Caribbean vibes, consider Las Terrenas as an off-the-beaten-path alternative to Punta Cana for your trip to the Dominican Republic.

I’ve been grateful to have visited Las Terrenas twice: once in 2019 and again in 2021 to visit my friend Cristina, who now lives there for part of the year!

Here are some tips for traveling to Las Terrenas!

You can find additional tips about Las Terrenas in my full 2-week Dominican Republic Travel Itinerary, which also includes Punta Cana, Santo Domingo, and La Romana/Bayahibe.

Where is Las Terrenas?

Las Terrenas is on the northern part of the island of the Dominican Republic, on the Samana Peninsula. This whole area is beautiful!

How To Get To Las Terrenas

It takes a little over two hours to drive from Santo Domingo to Las Terrenas. There is a small airport on Samana, though I know it saw very few flights before 2020 and I don’t think it is even operating at all right now.

Luckily, Santo Domingo is a busy airport with many flights going in and out from around the world. If you are coming from the USA, you can often find direct flights from NYC or Miami.

I would not recommend flying into Punta Cana unless you are planning to actually stay in Punta Cana. If you want to visit both Punta Cana and Las Terrenas, you will need to somehow get to Santo Domingo and then transfer to Las Terrenas (unless you can find a private form of transportation that can take you directly from PC to LT). You can read more about this in my 2-week Dominican Republic Itinerary!

There are a few options for getting to Las Terrenas from Santo Domingo:

Take a public bus (about $20 USD each way) from Santo Domingo, the capital (the Santo Domingo bus station is not next to the airport; you will need to take a taxi or Uber to get to the bus station)
Book a private taxi for about $150-180 each way
Take a regular taxi from the airport for about $180 on the way there (you’ll need to find an alternative way to get back. Also, this would commit the taxi driver to leaving the capital and spend most of their day driving, so they might not want to do it. I would recommend booking a private taxi instead or one of the other options).
Rent a car - there are many rental car companies to choose from at the Santo Domingo airport

While it takes some time to get up to Las Terrenas, the views are worth it. After driving through windy roads through lush jungle, you’ll see gorgeous views of the water as you make your way down toward the coastline!

Getting Around

Moto-conchos (or “conchos”) are motorcycle taxis and they are all over! You’ll know which motorcycle drivers are conchos and which are regular people since the conchos wear neon yellow vests.

It is super cheap to take a concho somewhere - even getting from Playa Bonita to Playa Ballenas only cost me 200 pesos roundtrip (I might have been able to negotiate further, but didn’t). And getting around Playa Bonita typically only cost me 50 pesos for each ride (though in Playa Bonita we walked almost everywhere since it is quite small)!

Keep in mind that if it is raining, the conchos take shelter and wait for the rain to pass before getting back out on the road.

You won’t find public buses except for the main bus that drives to and from the country’s capital, Santo Domingo, and other cities outside the area. Uber is also not available in the Dominican Republic outside of Santo Domingo.

Where To Stay in Las Terrenas

The first time I was in Las Terrenas I stayed at Hotel Alisei in Playa Ballenas. The second time, I stayed at Cristina’s apartment in Playa Bonita. These two beach towns are the ones I am most familiar with, though you can also visit Playa Cosón (a little quieter), Cabarete (known for surfing), or a bunch of other towns around the peninsula!

Personally, I loved the vibe of Playa Bonita. It feels like everyone is on the same page; super chill, down to have a fun time or go for a surf, and not take life too seriously. We hung out at Mosquito Hotel in Playa Bonita every day (when we came to LT in 2019, we stumbled across it and loved the vibe)!

There are some really nice and cool boutique hotels or resorts lining the water in Playa Bonita.

Playa Ballenas is the main beach town for Las Terrenas and while it is still tiny compared to, say, Santo Domingo, it is the main town. You will find a lot more people, stores, shops, and groceries in Playa Ballenas. It is a super quick moto-concho ride from Playa Bonita!

Hotels and Resorts in Las Terrenas

The smaller boutique hotels in Las Terrenas might feel refreshing compared to the massive all-inclusive resorts in Punta Cana. Whether you are looking for an affordable place to crash at for a surf trip or a quieter Caribbean getaway, you are likely to find what you are looking for in Las Terrenas.

Budget

Fata Morgana Hostel - This hostel has great reviews that say it is clean, quiet, and has a super nice owner. Great budget option for Las Terrenas.

Mid-Range

El Mosquito Boutique Hotel - Playa Bonita - I’ve been to Las Terrenas on two separate DR trips and always find myself hanging out at Mosquito! The bar & restaurant is right on the beach and they also partner with a local company right on-site for surf lessons. The staff is really chill and welcoming.

Hotel Alisei - As mentioned above, we stayed at Hotel Alisei and really enjoyed it. With its delicious breakfast, shared pool, and apartment-style accommodations, you get the best of both worlds in terms of hotel amenities with a private, home-y feel.

Saman Boutique Hotel - This hotel is about a mile from the beach and offers room service, breakfast, and free Wi-Fi. The decor looks very Tulum-inspired: trendy, beachy, and exotic!

Luxury

Mahona Boutique Hotel - This luxury boutique hotel is relaxing, trendy, and coastal. The rooms are spacious and it is very close to the beach.

Bahia Principe Grand El Portillo All Inclusive - If you are looking to shell out for an all-inclusive resort in Las Terrenas, the Bahia Principe looks stunning. It seems much larger than the typical boutique hotels along the peninsula, but if you are looking to have anything you need while hardly lifting a finger, this could be a great option.

Not fully sure what you are looking for? Click here to find other hotels in Las Terrenas. I recommend filtering by 8+ rating and also looking via the map to find the best properties in the best location!

Weather in Las Terrenas

Since the Dominican Republic is located in the Caribbean, the weather in Las Terrenas is tropical.

It is warm year-round and has a wet season (rainy season) and dry season. The dry season is typically mid-November through early May, and the wet season is typically May through mid-November.

When it rains it pours (truly) and in Las Terrenas, similar to other places that have tropical climates.

When I was there in March (both of my visits were in March), it was hot and sunny during the day most days. We had a few days in a row where it would dump rain off and on all day, and with the clouds, we couldn’t do much on the beach.

When it was warm and sunny, the turquoise color of the water would return and it would be perfect for swimming and being outside!

Brush Up On Your Spanish

The main language in the Dominican Republic is Spanish, and it is ideal to know at least the basics of Spanish if you are visiting Las Terrenas, in my opinion.

Outside of the resorts in Punta Cana, people speaking English and other languages might be tough to come by in the Dominican Republic. However, there are many wonderful boutique hotels and resorts in Las Terrenas, where the staff often speaks at least some English.

I always find it is best to try to learn at least a little bit of the local language before you go anywhere if you can! While I am far from fluent in Spanish, being able to speak some Spanish was very helpful for getting around and taking moto-conchos.

Things to do in Las Terrenas

Explore! If you love beaches and the jungle, you’ve come to the right place. On both visits to Las Terrenas, we mainly took advantage of the beach, warm weather, and surfing.

You can also visit the Limon Waterfall, which is supposed to be gorgeous, or take day trips to other beaches around the peninsula.

If you are in Playa Bonita, you can walk down to Punta Bonita for beautiful sweeping views of the water.

Don’t forget to slow down! You’re on island time. Have some coconut water. Go for a surf. Enjoy the colorful sunsets. Then do it all over again the next day.