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Odd combination a winner
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[Publicity photo]
Gran Bahia was built 24 years ago as an upscale getwaway on the Dominican Republic coast; now it is an all-inclusive resort. |
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The plantationlike Gran Bahia has found new life in the Dominican Republic as a one-price beach resort.
By DOMINICK MERLE
© St. Petersburg Times
published December 22, 2002
SAMANA, Dominican Republic -- Something is definitely wrong with this picture.
This sprawling plantation-style hotel looks like it could be the setting for the Spanish version of Gone With the Wind.
Yet, all the guests are wearing those telltale wristbands of an all-inclusive beach resort. So instead of Clark Gable, we get Mike Myers.
Those were my initial reactions as I entered the lobby of the Gran Bahia hotel overlooking Samana Bay. It just didn't fit the image of the typical all-you-can-eat-and-drink beach resorts that rim the coastline of the Dominican Republic.
But before the end of the first day, I had been won over. Elegance and abundance can be a very nice mix. Even my plastic wristband started to look like a bracelet.
[Times art]
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The Occidental Hotel & Resort chain, based in Madrid, Spain, took over the property in the late 1990s and restored the four-story structure to its original glory.
Occidental was acquiring numerous all-inclusive beach properties throughout the Caribbean and decided to apply the one-price policy to the Gran Bahia as well, even though the hotel and the concept seemed diametrical.
But it's working.
The hotel is inside a natural park, and although it's a few feet from the main road, it's secluded by palm trees and other lush foliage. It is painted peach and white, a peach bonnet on top and white throughout the rambling wood structure.
The pace is slower. You sip your drinks, and you don't attempt to eat everything in sight just because it's there and it's free, or at least included with your initial outlay. That's the kind of spell the Gran Bahia seems to weave.
The rooms are comfortable, not plush, with stark white walls, ceilings and furniture, and peach-tiled floors.
Forget the TV. There is no remote control, and although you can manage a few poorly received channels by hand, this is the type of place to disconnect at, so to speak. And you really do that at least twice a day when there's a brief power outage. In a way, even the occasional electrical failure seems to add to the charm by recalling an earlier, innocent time.
There are two cozy restaurants, one offering an international buffet and the other Italian dishes. There's a small pool and a semicircular beach almost hidden from view. But sitting in silence on the veranda overlooking the bay was my favorite pastime. The view and the colors of the water were beautiful.
Samana Bay is a government-protected sanctuary for the North Atlantic humpback whale. More than 75 percent of the estimated 10,000 humpback whales in existence breed and nurture their young from December to March in these waters, we were told. The sleek giants, some weighing as much as 50 tons, arrive from Maine, Newfoundland, Iceland and Greenland.
About 20 minutes from the hotel by small boat is the deserted island of Cayo Levantado with its beautiful white-sand beach. The island once had a thriving hotel and a small community, but all that remains is the deteriorating hotel and a few small sheds.
Each morning a group of vendors arrives to await the tourists. But beware, a few "sharks" are among the self-described fishermen. They will greet you with baskets overflowing with seafood, urging you to order now or face the possibility of going without lunch.
Be sure to ask the price before ordering. Two members of our group didn't and were charged roughly $35 each for a fish meal that should have cost one-third that much. They were told the price included an island 'tax" that none of the rest of us paid. Our Gran Bahia wristbands meant nothing there.
The Dominican Republic is roughly the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined, and it shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, its neighbor to the west. The Atlantic Ocean surrounds the northern part of the island, including the Samana area. Puerto Rico is a day's boat ride east, and the Caribbean Sea is to the south.
We began our tour in the northwest at Puerto Plata, one of the first tourist areas developed. Today it has 15 all-inclusive hotels with more than 5,000 rooms. After our stay at the Gran Bahia in Samana, we went to the Punta Cana area at the eastern tip of the island. Punta Cana has more resorts and rooms than Puerto Plata and has become the leading tourist destination.
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The scene on a quiet street corner in Colonial City.
[Photo: Dominick Merle] |
We ended our trip in Santo Domingo, the capital, and toured its Colonial City, which has cobblestone streets and sidewalk cafes. Christopher Columbus first set foot in the Dominican Republic on Dec. 5, 1492, and found the first inhabitants, an Indian tribe known as the Tainos. A mausoleum in the Colonial City is said to house Columbus' remains.
-- Dominick Merle is a travel writer and consultant based in Montreal.
If you go
A valid passport and tourist visa are required for entry to the Dominican Republic. The visa can be obtained at any Dominican Republic embassy or consulate, through your travel agent or tour operator, or upon arrival. The cost is $10.
American Airlines, Continental and US Airways have regularly scheduled flights to the Dominican Republic from North America.
Service charges are included in restaurant and hotel bills, but adding an extra 10 percent is normal, particularly in restaurants.
The best buys are amber, the national stone, and cigars, which are beginning to rival the Cuban cigars.
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111
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