Wedding anniversary
We decided late in the year to take a year-end trip to celebrate our 10-year wedding anniversary and the New Year abroad. We decided the Dominican Republic would fit the bill nicely, and planning began in haste. We decided to spend a few days in the Colonial Zone in Santo Domingo, then spend a few days on the Samana Peninsula before heading to our AI resort in Punta Cana. After much research, we decided the nightlife and excellent dining opportunities in Las Terrenas made it more attractive than Santa Barbara de Samana, so we began searching for lodging. As many rentals were already booked during the busiest travel time of the year, Villanoria and only a few others were returned by our search, and based on the pictures, location, and quick responses by Hans, we decided to quickly book the villa before someone beat us to it!
We arrived on 28-Dec for our three night stay, and were immediately in awe of the beauty in the Coson-Las Terrenas area, including the drive up the mountain to the villa. The narrow, single-car-width road wound up and around through beautiful foliage that, had it not been our first time on the steep road unsure of where we were going, would have been even more relaxing. Once we arrived, Hans showed us to our villa, consisting of two bedrooms upstairs (each with a full connected bathroom) connected by the outdoor deck and a fairly well-appointed kitchen, living area, and half bath downstairs. The bedrooms each have a single-room air conditioner (small extra charge for electricity), but we never needed it during our stay, as the night temperatures were very comfortable and there was always a breeze to keep air moving. Hans then provided us some great information about the town of Las Terrenas and graciously answered our questions regarding recommended restaurants, clubs, tours, etc, and let us know how to reach him with any other questions.
We unpacked and stepped out onto the deck to sit and relax for a few minutes before our adventure into Las Terrenas. The view from the deck was so beautiful that we sat for over an hour admiring it, and decided to go into town only to buy food at the store we could bring back and prepare at the villa so we could enjoy the view at night! I can't say enough about the terrific location of this villa - set atop a lush, green mountain overlooking the coast, with Las Terrenas only a few minutes away. Next time we travel to the DR, we will spend our entire vacation at Villanoria and the Las Terrenas area!
Jeff