Journée complète sur l'île de Catalina au départ de Saint-Domingue avec plongée en apnée facultative incluse

Bottom line first: The tour to the island of Catalina was the worst excursion of our trip. Overcrowded, poorly organized, zero rest, questionable hygiene and a catamaran ride that was louder and longer than the actual island stay. Only the weather was fine – the rest was completely disappointing. ⸻ Snorkeling tour: Actually the main reason for the tour – could have been something. The reality: waves that were too strong, yet no avoidance was made. The 30 minutes of snorkeling took place in a completely crowded place, and you were hardly allowed to move away from the boat, as other boats were constantly around you and set off. No sign of exploration or relaxed diving. Uncertain, stressful, pointless. ⸻ Insel & Strand: After snorkeling we went to the supposedly “luxurious” beach. Reality? Out of an estimated 100 loungers, maybe 10 were intact, the rest were broken, stuck or dirty. The toilets were an imposition – unsanitary, gross, unusable. The food was inedible – tasteless, loveless, just bad. The only option: Fruit – and that says it all. And of course here too: Seller. One approached me at least ten times during the two-hour stay – wanted to either turn on fish or sell overpriced drinks. No matter how many times you said “no,” the guys came back. Zero privacy. ⸻ Round trip: The trip by catamaran took longer than the stay on the island itself. And it was anything but pleasant: far too loud music, the “DJ” skipped every song after 30 seconds, no mood, just noise. Recovery? Misrepresentation. ⸻ Summary: The whole trip was a disappointment. Much was promised (snorkeling, luxury beach, chilly catamaran ride), but none of it was kept. Instead: poor organization, miserable infrastructure, pushy salespeople and a zero-buck mentality in execution.

Travel included 2 buses and 3 boats EACH WAY! A total of 2 hours travel to and from (4 hours total) just transportation. If you have any mobility problems, AVOID at all costs this excursion. Imagine getting on a boat and then having to get onto another boat that the waves are pushing it into the other boat. We had two older people on our trip and I was really worried for them getting into these other boats as they are bumping into and away from the other. All it would take is one misstep and you could fall between the boats and get hurt or crushed (aka dead). Snorkeling was bad. They didn’t have the snorkels and masks cleaned from the last trip. They just handed you a dirty snorkel and mask and wanted you to dip it in this bucket (with no soap) to “clean it “ yourself. When snorkeling the water is grey and murky. I saw two small fish. Very lame since they said it’s the “best reef” in the DR. Also saw jellyfish which then I decided to get out of the water because I’m positive they did not have any proper emergency supplies if you got stung. The beach on the other side was nice but the rock shelf that you had to try to walk over to get into the water was dangerous . Another mobility issue. Even if you are firm footed it was ss till east to fall on the rock shelf because it was slippery. The buffet food was rice, watermelon and fatty gross meat. (Note- the food in the DR is downright terrible. I lost weight being there by 7 pounds because even at our all inclusive hotel, the food was practically inedible. Never fresh, always from a bag, frozen and then microwaved. (You quickly realize you are in a 3rd world country and the pretty beach pics weren’t telling the whole story.) Also don’t go to the DR if you don’t speak Spanish. They discriminate against non Spanish speakers by acting and saying rude things to you. You don’t get treated well, Especially if they find out you’re American. Bottom line, travel time in total was not explained to us. We were told an hour by boat but not the additional hour by bus and charging buses and changing boats. It was exhausting and it’s so dang hot you can easily get heat stroke.

The boat ride back was a Caribbean dance party that was SUCH FUN! Snorkeling was amazing. The boat was big and clean. Robert is a fabulous tour guide who speaks excellent English. He went out of his way to make it a perfect day for us. The beach is rocky so you'll want your Crocs or water shoes. I highly recommend it!

Unfortunately we had a bad experience. The trip said it was an 8 hour trip, that picks us up at 6am and breakfast and lunch were included. Our driver arrived @ 6:45am, and then when we got to the breakfast place he made us pay for it. The worst part was that the driver didn’t know where we were going. So he drove us 30 minutes past our boat launch, to a different boat company. When he found out that was the wrong place he drove us to a second boat company that was 20 minutes back towards Santo Domingo. When he found out that was the wrong place, he driver us another 25 minutes to the boat company that accommodated us. So the 1h30m road trip that was supposed to start @ 6am, finally got to the boats at 10:30am. And the boat didn’t leave until 11:30… it was a nightmare. Then since we were so late, they only let us snorkel for 20 minutes and sit on the beach for an hour. We finally got home at 6pm. To the company’s credit they offered us a full refund and they were very communicative throughout the experience apologizing for what happened to us. So, I think it was a new driver who just botched the day all around. But the company recognized the hiccup and took responsibility for it. So I did appreciate that

It was a long trip but it included so much and our guide helped us every step of the way. We had a great time. There were many guests and everyone seemed to be there for a different vibe of excursion, so be prepared to share the boat/beach with people who have different energies than the one you may be looking for. The beach was beautiful, and the food was good.

It's really not worth it, the snorkeling time was very limited, the stay on the island is unsatisfactory, the bathrooms had no water and the buffet was very poor. Those are divine beaches!

the natural pool is undoubtedly a paradise place, with its crystal clear waters which allows visualizing the starfish.

Both the organization and the very good treatment and Service, picked me up in Santo Domingo and accompanied me all the time, personalized, individual and very professional treatment. Fully recommended