Cayo Levantado
Cayo Levantado
4
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Top ways to experience Cayo Levantado
The area
Best nearby
Restaurants
2 within 3 miles
Attractions
10 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.0
166 reviews
Excellent
87
Very good
32
Average
23
Poor
9
Terrible
15
Mauricio Freitas
London, UK37 contributions
Mar 2021 • Couples
From the moment of our arrival my wife and I realised we’ve made a mistake having CL included in our package but it was too late to return to the boat!
The island was overcrowded by trashy tourists, too many vendors, loud music and trash everywhere!
There wasn’t a single spot in the beach where we could seat down to enjoy the view without been disturbed by vendors selling cigars and alcohol, loud music blasting from under every parasol, it looks mandatory for Dominicans to bring amplifiers and Speakers with them... and the music, the louder the better!
Long queues to restaurants and no social distance was observed. Not a good food variety on menu and all restaurants serves exactly the same food.
The trash produced in the island stays in the island. Not only organic but plastic, glass and polystyrene too. The place has been completely ruined by the Dominicans!
After lunch we headed straight back to the pier and even our waiting time was dreadful.
Many boats arrives at the same time and boarding was a nightmare. It reminded us scenes of a film where people try to escape
from a country and the last option was that
boat!
Never again!
The island was overcrowded by trashy tourists, too many vendors, loud music and trash everywhere!
There wasn’t a single spot in the beach where we could seat down to enjoy the view without been disturbed by vendors selling cigars and alcohol, loud music blasting from under every parasol, it looks mandatory for Dominicans to bring amplifiers and Speakers with them... and the music, the louder the better!
Long queues to restaurants and no social distance was observed. Not a good food variety on menu and all restaurants serves exactly the same food.
The trash produced in the island stays in the island. Not only organic but plastic, glass and polystyrene too. The place has been completely ruined by the Dominicans!
After lunch we headed straight back to the pier and even our waiting time was dreadful.
Many boats arrives at the same time and boarding was a nightmare. It reminded us scenes of a film where people try to escape
from a country and the last option was that
boat!
Never again!
Written April 28, 2021
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.
Naysi O
3 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
The best experience ever, best rated hotel o have been, no words to describe kindness and professionalism from the employees. All of them deserve to be mention here, however there is no space. Karla, Angel, Yulisa, Emilia, Paula, Santa, Eddyl, Flor, Adrian, Geurys, Jasquier, Pablo, Rodrigo, Gabriella, Rebecca. Just to mention some of them. Our best vacations ever 😎
Written September 2, 2024
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.
Tallian G
Austria999 contributions
Apr 2019 • Couples
I have not been saw such a nice island before...it was outstanding to be there and enjoy the caribbien sun and see :)
Breathtaking view and weather we had and of course we dunk a rum...slipping on ..... sun :)
Not bacardi but Brugal is maybe much better taste for you...
It is worth to travel so much to there :) Do not miss out :)
Breathtaking view and weather we had and of course we dunk a rum...slipping on ..... sun :)
Not bacardi but Brugal is maybe much better taste for you...
It is worth to travel so much to there :) Do not miss out :)
Written June 20, 2019
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.
Nico & Esteicy
Cabarete52 contributions
Feb 2018 • Friends
Cayo Levantado or what they also call Bacardi Island because the Bacardi comercial was filmed on this litle Island in the Bay of Samana....if this is true I can not comfirm but its a breathtaking place anyway. Cayo Levantado is best to visit from January till mid April so you can see the Humbackwhales in the morning and have lunch and snorkle on the Island in the afternoon. While sunbathing on the beach you can watch the Pelicans diving in the water and come up with some fish for their lunch. Its a great excursion and a lifetime experience to see the impressive whales.
Written November 6, 2018
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.
Gerri
French River, Canada361 contributions
Jun 2018 • Couples
We took the trip over to Bacardi Island from our resort as it was part of our all inclusive package. The boat ride over was so nice with a wonderful breeze. We stood at the front open window. You sign in and out at a security gate. This is a public beach where all are welcome. We were never bothered by anyone trying to get us to pay for a lounge chair. The beach is stunningly beautiful with aqua water and views that no photo could ever do justice to. We walked about on our own with no issues at all. There are many local venders on the path to the beach and they will hound you to visit their shops. As I absolutely love to barter with them I was in my glory. It was so much fun and I paid exactly what I wanted to for everything I purchased. One local called me ""Mafia "" I found it to be quite funny. We bought a pineapple pina colada for 5.00 US. It was delicious! He carved out all the pineapple put it on a plate fornusnto enjoy and scraped the rest of the inside then filled with rum, juice and even showed us he used bagged ice. We were so full it was a complete lunch. This is a fabulous couple of hours or and entire day if you choose. Enjoy !
Written June 12, 2018
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.
Kelilah H
Calgary, Canada20 contributions
Apr 2018 • Couples
We visited this public beach, please remember it is a public beach, as a small excursion from our resort. It was a lovely place to visit but there are some things to keep in mind.
1. Yes the beach is public, so there are locals enjoying the beach as well, and there are people asking for lounger rental fees. They were not pushy with me. They asked, "How much will you pay?" I said nothing because I wasn't going to use a lounger, I was planning on swimming. They were fine with this and walked away.
2. There is an artisan market near the beach, you can walk around it instead of through it to get to the beach. If someone approaches you, just say "no gracias" and keep moving. They did not chase or harass me. Please also bear in mind that a worker at a resort who works for 8 hours a day, 6 days a week, for 2 weeks is paid $155 USD. Can you blame them for wanting a chair rental fee or trying to sell their wares?
3. There are bathrooms, follow the signs, the lady who cleans them appreciates a small tip. I left her 50 pesos and she was pleased.
4. Bring a snack and some water. There are vendors there but the choices are limited.
5. It's a tropical island! Enjoy it!!!
1. Yes the beach is public, so there are locals enjoying the beach as well, and there are people asking for lounger rental fees. They were not pushy with me. They asked, "How much will you pay?" I said nothing because I wasn't going to use a lounger, I was planning on swimming. They were fine with this and walked away.
2. There is an artisan market near the beach, you can walk around it instead of through it to get to the beach. If someone approaches you, just say "no gracias" and keep moving. They did not chase or harass me. Please also bear in mind that a worker at a resort who works for 8 hours a day, 6 days a week, for 2 weeks is paid $155 USD. Can you blame them for wanting a chair rental fee or trying to sell their wares?
3. There are bathrooms, follow the signs, the lady who cleans them appreciates a small tip. I left her 50 pesos and she was pleased.
4. Bring a snack and some water. There are vendors there but the choices are limited.
5. It's a tropical island! Enjoy it!!!
Written April 9, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Roxan C
1 contribution
Jul 2023 • Couples
BEWARE BEWARE BEWARE
The guy on the beach in orange selling drinks on the public side will take you to a shop to pay with your credit card, then they steal the number and fraud you. I was frauded over 3000$ the very next day
The guy on the beach in orange selling drinks on the public side will take you to a shop to pay with your credit card, then they steal the number and fraud you. I was frauded over 3000$ the very next day
Written July 4, 2023
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.
mgaustin53
Quebec City, Canada34 contributions
Jun 2021 • Family
This place is a giant tourist trap!!! Stay away! We visited today as a family of 7 including our 5 and 11 year old grandchildren. The beach is nice but the sand is full of trash and the people who run the food concession are thieves. We were charged $185.00US for a fried fish, 3 langostinos, 10 shrimp, a tray of awful rice, some tostones and fries (place was FULL of flies too), 4 Presidentes and 3 coconuts. When we received the bill, naturally we complained bitterly and they had the audacity to bring over an armed police with a GUN in his waistband to threaten to take us prisoners if we didn’t pay their mafia prices! My daughter in law is Dominican and she valiantly tried to help. The “helper” on the boat (chartered from the Bannister Hotel in Samana) was in on the whole thing with his ”best friends” as he described when we arrived. Well he was supposed to stay with us and “protect” us but he was totally in on the SCAM! Learn from our mistake and STAY AWAY!
Written June 16, 2021
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.
Andy Smth
Redditch, UK623 contributions
Nov 2019
We only visited Cayo Levantado as we were staying in a private house overlooking it and the google images of it looked amazing.
The reality, I TOTALLY agree with 'romanshorer' in as much as it really is nothing special. It's over populated, overpriced, over crowded and really, most beaches in the Dominican are just as beautiful as this one and depending where you're staying, a LOT more beautiful.
There is in fact 1 beach in the North East of the country which was far more beautiful, 10 times bigger but we only saw a dozen or so people on it, but I don't want to advertise it as it'll just become another mass tourist resort.
Trust me, the beaches in most of the island are just as beautiful as this, but without the mass and shameless tourism, so do yourselves a favour and don't bother with this, we regretted it within 30 minutes of being here
The reality, I TOTALLY agree with 'romanshorer' in as much as it really is nothing special. It's over populated, overpriced, over crowded and really, most beaches in the Dominican are just as beautiful as this one and depending where you're staying, a LOT more beautiful.
There is in fact 1 beach in the North East of the country which was far more beautiful, 10 times bigger but we only saw a dozen or so people on it, but I don't want to advertise it as it'll just become another mass tourist resort.
Trust me, the beaches in most of the island are just as beautiful as this, but without the mass and shameless tourism, so do yourselves a favour and don't bother with this, we regretted it within 30 minutes of being here
Written December 9, 2019
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.
lisa h
Belgium8 contributions
Dec 2018 • Couples
We visited Cayo Levantado (or Bacardi Island) for just a couple of hours (which was long enough for us), as a combined trip with Los Haitises national park (separate review for the park). The island has a very nice beach, quite touristy though. Once you know where to go, it turned out to be a great place for snorkeling. We didn't see many fish when swimming on our own, but then this local guy named Manuel came up to us, and he was a professional diver and snorkeler. For a small tip, he took us on a private 'swimming tour' and knew exactly where to go to see the most amazing fish, starfish, sea urchins, anemones, etc.
Written January 1, 2019
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.
Inés B
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Hola! Como puedo llegar a Cayo Levantado por libre? Leí por ahi que desde Simi Baez (embarcadero del hotel en Cayo) no se si se puede usar o es solo para los húespedes.
O que otro embarcadero? Muchas gracias!!
Written December 6, 2023
Are you able to take a ferry to Cayo Levantado from Samana without having to book a tour or stay at the hotel on Cayo? I am seeking to spend the day along the beaches of Cayo Levantado, do so at my leisurely, but at the schedule of the ferries only. I would prefer not to have a book a tour with a company and just ride the ferry over, lay at the beach, then ride the ferry back to Samana. It has been difficult to find any information specifically on this.
Thank you!
Written December 1, 2020
Daniela V
Montevideo, Uruguay
Consulta, si voy a estar en la Romana, y luego quiero hospedarme en el hotel del cayo levantado alguien sabe que traslado a precios razonables hay desde la Romana hasta Samaná? Y luego desde Samaná hasta el aeropuerto de Punta Cana? Gracias!
Written April 25, 2019
Hola! El tema de los traslados desde Punta Cana o La Romana hasta Samaná son bastante caros. Tienes 4 opciones: La primera es rentar un auto aunque si vas a cayo levantado no lo podrás usar, la segunda es negociar con algún taxista de La Romana que muchas veces pueden acomodar los precios, pero siempre ten cuidado y negocia con la central de taxis el precio, la tercera es llegar a una agencia de viajes y solicitarle la cotización y la cuarta es entrar a alguna pagina web de transporte y seleccionar allí el tramo que quieres hacer, generalmente son precios justos.
Written April 26, 2019
Los botes parten de la bahía de Samana a partir de las 8:30 es un viaje de unos 15 minutos hasta llegar al Cayo. El costo está entre 9 a 10 dólares por persona. En el Cayo puedes disfrutar de comidas y bebidas a precios razonables y por supuesto de una playa paradisiaca.
Written April 13, 2019
Showing results 1-4 of 4
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listingScroll back to Cayo Levantado information