I guess there are as many “best” beaches as there are people making lists.  Playa Rincon is a must-see because it’s on someone’s list of the five best beaches in the world. So we hired a driver to take us to yet another “best” beach. And we were not disappointed!  There are five kilometers of easy walking on a beautiful bay.  The water is a perfect temperature, and you can easily float as the waves come in so I felt like I was in a wave pool.

But the thing I loved most about this beach?  Closing my eyes and listening to the waves. You could hear the waves making some noise while they gathered steam, and as they neared the boiling point there was an enormous explosion of satisfying sound. And then–dead silence for a moment. It was as therapeutic as a massage!

The ride to and from the beach was as enjoyable as the beach itself. The Dominican landscape is covered with palm trees–I don’t remember seeing such a concentration of palm trees anywhere. The road to Playa Rincon is “less traveled” and passes through numerous villages with typical Dominican homes. The houses are a simple framework of posts covered by long strips of bark. Many are painted in tropical colors.

In every village there’s an ongoing dominoes game with serious competitors. The players THROW the dominoes down on a specially made table that provides a tray to hold the tiles.  We saw scooters loaded down with bread making their daily rounds, or hauling supplies like a load of bark for building homes. And many children going to school in their crisp uniforms.

We stopped at a fruit stand that had a beautiful display. The woman helping us grated a hunk of chocolate that looked like a potato. She gave us a taste of a drink made with the grated chocolate and warm water which I wasn’t interested in, if I’m honest. What a surprise–it was tasty!  Then she sliced some miniature bananas, grated chocolate on top, added honey and vanilla. Yum!  I’m coming home with potato shaped chocolate balls!

I think the Samana Peninsula is the nicest place to vacation in the Dominican Republic.  It seems less spoiled than the more populated areas, and offers beautiful scenery, beaches, food, and people!