Marella Discovery : escursione a terra sull'isola di Saona da La Romana

An excellent excursion, short bus ride from Marella Discovery on to a catamaran a steady sail to the island, dancing onboard, rum included, reggae music all these things making it a real Caribbean experience. Arrived at the snorkelling area shallow enough to stand crystal clear water, here we hoped to see large star fish which there were plenty of on the approach, sadly there were so many other boats and people in the water that all the star fish had moved away. We spent 30 minutes here then back on the boat and off to the island. Off the catamaran onto the island a short walk through the coconut plantation and on to the beach. This is where we had are BBQ buffet lobster, chicken, salad, pasta, fries and plenty other choices delicious. Then on to the white sand and beautiful water for a couple of hours swimming, snorkelling and sunbathing. That done back to the boat only not a catamaran this time a speed boat and a return journey at high speed back to the bus. That was excellent. A very very good day.

This was a nice excursion. The island was beautiful, it was like something you see in a movie. The guides were fun and engaging. The food was excellent. Here is my advice to this company, you should probably provide LESS alcohol, maybe limit it per passenger. The guides were pouring shots of rum, which was fine but there was a family of 3 that drank quite a bit...the guides played music and 2 of the 3 were dancing, the young girl was even twerking. As much as these things don't bother me, I do think it made some of the other passengers uncomfortable. By the time we got back from the excursion, the ride back in the taxi was interesting to say the least. The taxi driver played very loud Spanish music while this family obnoxiously engaged with each other and the driver. At one point I thought for sure the young man was going to be sick in the van, he was passing out. Then we had to pull over so the young girl could get out and pee in front of everyone. As funny as it really was, I don't know how appropriate it is for this group of people to have to experience. Had less alcohol been served, this would not have happened. Overall it was a nice experience, especially when we were on our way to the island. We stopped and snorkeled, with lots of fish! We also got to be in shallow water, that we could just stand or sit and relax right in the water. I would recommend this to anyone looking for something to do. I am sure the things that happened on our excursion, doesn't happen with all. I used this company in the past for other excursions and it was no problem. Maybe it was just our guides trying to be cool and wanting everyone to have a good time, unfortunately some people take advantage of that which can ruin the experience for others.

Taxi on time, boat on time, staff members were excellent the island and lunch were authentic Dominican! We plan to come back and spend more time

Excellent family trip. Great food. Nice staff. Not too much time for snorkeling but it was perfect for us. We saw sting ray, starfish and had a good time in the beautiful water.

We had a great time with Dominican Attitude. Our guidebs were great with the kids. We had a 3 and 6 year old with us snorkeling. We were let off of the cruise late which cut into our tour, however, the guides made arrangements to ensure that we still got to at least see all of the stops on the tour. I wish we had more time to see the turtles and starfish, however, the excursion was great. The pictures don't do the islands visited any justice. I'm defined going to try again flying into the area.

We had a more than perfect day!! Thanks to an incredible team, our day on Saona Island was superb! Magnificent places in a small community to be able to make the most of it!! A caring team!! Thank you for this unforgettable stay!!!

Such a wonderful day! Well organised trip. Even when we got a puncture it was sorted quickly without fuss. Our guide Christian and his team made it a special and enjoyable day packed full of facts, fun, food and laughter. Photos taken of the experience were brilliant too. A very memorable day

You should book this trip instead of the P&O organised one. The payment is taken a couple of days before you arrive in case you need to cancel. Speedboat ride was great with fabulous beachside scenery in the way to Saona. Snorkels, masks and fins provided. Stops include the turtle incubation nursery, a Caribbean barbecue on the beach and private beach stop for coral reef snorkelling (about 200m from beach edge). Also stopped at Mangrove to see turtles and stingrays in the sea and at Natures Garden to go padding amongst starfish, plus stopped mid sea to feed some friendly birds birds. It has more stops than P&O organised tour, full of fun and excitement and the hosts are very hospitable and the free rum on tap! Only take this trip if you enjoy drinks on tap, dancing and laughs all day. Got back at 5pm in plenty of time for boarding. Justine, El Capitan and the crew took good care of us all day.

Superb beaches and places but if you can, choose a small group. Book independently, not through the hotel. It's harder to find, certainly, but certainly more pleasant. There were 50 of us in our group, but we saw small boats with 4 to 10 people on them. Much more mobile and with more personalized service, I think the experience is much nicer.

Fantastic day out and the crew really looked after us. Plenty of rum and spirits me beautiful stops along the way. Recommend