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Hotel Ballenas is located in the Samana Peninsula, Dominican Republic. The hotel is nestled into the hillside, surrounded by palm tree forests, and blessed with spectacular ocean views. You will fall in love with our private beach, swimming pool and jacuzzi.
Las Ballenas Escondidas, or "hidden whales" is a bit of a misnomer. The hotel and villas are more hidden than the whales. The location is just outside of Samana, located on a beautiful hillside allowing for some wonderful views from the restaurant, pool and rooms. I was pleasantly surprised by the villa I stayed in. The room had a nice balcony. I had my morning coffee and breakfast almost every morning I was there sitting on the balcony and enjoying the view. The restaurant was new from what I was told. Great food, I had my first langusta (lobster without the claws), and some good crab and pasta. The hotel has a nice little jacuzzi just of off the beach, good sized pool and they also have four wheeler's for rent. They offer tours but I decided to just wing it. That's one of the nice things about this area. You can just go out and really feel part of the community. After spending some time on other trips in the Las Terrenas area, I now know where I'm staying next time I'm down to the D.R. Oh yeah, and the whales are not hidden at all. Go down at the right time of the year and the hotel will take you out right from the beach for a great whale watching trip.Highly recommended!!
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Date of stay: February 2006
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Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We recently stayed at Las Ballenas Escondidas for 3 days. The hotel is built on a sloped hill that leads through a lush, jungle-like garden into a beautiful small, private beach. Our hosts (Delphine and Gerard) were very hospitable and helpful - they made us feel as if we were right at home. Our room was spotless, the bed comfortable, and the shower warm. I would rate this an eco-friendly hotel, and please note there is no A/C; however, it's not really needed as it cools down in the evenings, and you can just open the screened windows. The hotel is approximately 20 minutes from some of the most beautiful beaches in the area. Lastly, the staff is also very nice and helpful - and the kitchen staff even made us a special dinner when we wanted to eat something a little different than what was on the menu. Lastly, the infinity pool offered quiet relaxation at the end of each day - with great pool-side drinks freshly made by Hector. It was a great stay in so many ways - paradise!!
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Date of stay: April 2016
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:the bungalows closest to the pool and beach are bigger. We had room #1, and absolutely loved it.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
POur y avoir passé des petits moments, e peux vous dire que si vous voulez profiter d'un petit coin de paradis avec des gérants d'une gentillesse inoubliable, allez y... Plage privée, coin non touristique, paysage d'une beauté fabuleuse...bref des moments inoubliables!!!!
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Date of stay: August 2007
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Location
Cleanliness
Check-in / front desk
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Business service (e.g., internet access)
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Not always so quiet, at night you hear the ocean waves, tree frogs and insects, I am used to either sleeping or trying to sleep at night but during the six nights that my wife and I spent at Ballenas I spent many hours just listening to nature giving a beautiful performance. We stayed in cabana 5B, very comfortable, no a.c., none needed and the second night we turned off the fan and we were very comfortable. No TV, the WiFi is slow but I read three books which would normally take me months to do. The grounds are well tended with exotic plants that I had never seen before, a private beach and pool, both lovely to swim in. The managers, Delphine and B.B. are very warm and attentive as are all the employees. I am glad we stayed at a Eco-friendly hotel, not the usual resort that gets it's food from Sysco.com with very little money going to the surrounding community. There are a lot of steps, the grounds are on a slope going down to the ocean but we welcomed the exercise.
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Date of stay: April 2017
Value
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We usually stay on the other side of town but on this trip we opted Playa Bonita side. What really struck me was how quiet this side of town was. The beach is also much better with a gentle sloping sandy bottom its truly swimmers paradise. The hotel was nice, clean and comfortable.
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Date of stay: February 2017
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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