📱 CONTACT US ON WHATSAPP : +1 (809) 979-7359
When planning your vacation in the Dominican Republic, you’ll quickly come across dozens of offers to visit Saona Island, with prices ranging significantly: from $50 to $159 per person. Many travelers are tempted by the cheapest excursions, thinking they’ve found a great deal. But what they don’t always tell you is what you’ll actually experience once you’re there.
Because a low-cost excursion isn’t just a “deal” or a “promotion.” It’s often a compromised experience, where corners are cut on everything that should make your day an unforgettable memory.
From the early morning, you’re picked up in an overloaded bus, doing rounds of the hotels for over an hour to collect all the participants. You’re not really heading on an excursion – you’re loaded onto a group transport, with no comfort, no privacy.
Once in Bayahibe, it’s time to board. But again, the atmosphere is far from relaxing. You get on a crammed speedboat, noisy and jolting at every wave, where every single inch is taken. Forget quiet moments, comfortable seats, or space for your belongings – here, you’re cramped, compressed, just another body in the crowd.
The sea can be rough, the bumps intense, and for children or those prone to motion sickness, the ride becomes unpleasant or even risky. There’s no planned comfort: no shaded area, no toilets, sometimes not even music – only the roar of the engine and the shouts of the staff trying to manage the floating crowd.
Once on the island, you don’t find the postcard-perfect paradise. You’re dropped off on a crowded public beach, overrun by tourists arriving in dozens of groups. As far as the eye can see: rows of plastic sun loungers, speakers blasting music, and street vendors insisting on selling you souvenirs or massages.
Yes, the sand is there, and the sea is turquoise… but there’s nothing relaxing about the atmosphere. It’s hard to find a peaceful spot, shade is rare, children scream, and groups pile up. That moment you imagined as pure serenity ends up feeling more like a break at a noisy amusement park.
Then comes mealtime. You’re directed to a communal buffet, under a makeshift shelter or sometimes right on the sand. The menu is basic: rice, chicken, salad, a bit of fruit. Not necessarily bad, but soulless, careless, tasteless. The real issue? You have to wait in line, sometimes 20 to 30 minutes, to be served. Once you finally have your plate, you search for a spot to sit—often a plastic table shared with others, under the blazing sun or in a noisy area.
And all that time spent waiting to eat is time taken from your excursion. On a tightly scheduled day, you easily lose a whole hour between waiting, eating, and getting back to the boat. An hour you could’ve spent swimming, relaxing, or exploring…
This type of excursion attracts so many participants that it’s impossible for organizers to offer a personalized service. The guide, if there even is one, doesn’t have time to answer questions. The schedule is tight, instructions are rushed, and everyone is in a hurry to finish so they can board again.
The return trip happens under the same conditions as the departure: a speedboat packed to the brim, followed by a bus with multiple stops. You return to your hotel tired, not truly amazed, and with the feeling you took part in a standard activity, just like everyone else, with no particular emotion.
At Quetzal Excursions, we made the opposite choice. We wanted to create a unique, privileged day, where every step is designed for pleasure, relaxation, and authenticity.
Everything begins in Bayahibe, where you board our luxury catamaran, spacious, elegant, shaded, equipped with nets for lounging, a bar, and every comfort you need. The crossing becomes a moment of pure bliss, lulled by the sea, with a cocktail in hand and background music.
The first stop is in Catuano, for a snorkeling session in crystal-clear waters, discovering tropical fish and preserved reefs. No need to dive deep—everything is visible on the surface, even for beginners.
Then we head to our private beach on Saona, accessible only to our group. Calm, spacious, immaculate white sand—everything you imagined the island to be is finally real. You can swim, explore, or simply lie back and enjoy.
Meanwhile, our crew on board prepares a high-quality lunch, served at the table: avocado, tomato, cheese, salad, pesto pasta, grilled chicken and beef, with exotic sides, fruits, wine or cocktails. You dine peacefully, in the shade, by the sea, with no queues and no stress.
At the end of the day, we stop at the natural pool of Las Palmillas, where you can swim in crystal-clear, shallow water, and admire starfish in their natural habitat. It’s the perfect moment for one last cocktail with your feet in the water.
Our excursion is offered at $159. Is it more expensive? Yes. But nothing is left to chance. The boat, the service, the food, the locations visited, the organization: every detail has been carefully crafted to make this day one of the best moments of your trip.
You’re not paying just to “go to Saona.”
You’re investing in a genuine experience: human, comfortable, exclusive, and unforgettable.
👉 Book your premium excursion now with Quetzal Excursions, and treat yourself to the luxury of experiencing Saona the way it truly deserves to be lived.
Based in Bayahibe, Quetzal Excursions is a local agency specialized in small-group sea trips to Saona, Catalina, and the most beautiful hidden gems of the Dominican Republic. We focus on comfort, safety, and authenticity, aboard high-end boats with a professional crew.
📱 CONTACT US ON WHATSAPP : +1 (809) 979-7359
Contact Quetzal Excursions to plan a trip to Saona Island from your place of stay, with included transport, small group, professional guide, and high-end services.