Great Food - Ana's Pan de Coco

If you have an abiding appreciation for homemade bread, you have to try Senora Ana’s pan de coco. Ana makes the delightful loaves at her home halfway between El Limon and Santa Barbara de Samaná just north of the town, Rancho Español.



Be sure to stop for Pan de Coco  made by the local baker, Ana

She usually makes thirty loaves each day – Monday through Thursday. Arrive after noon to ensure Ana has finished baking. Don’t wait too long, though, because when Ana runs out, the bakery is closed for the day.

Ana sells her bread from noon until it's gone, Monday through Thursday

Each morning, Ana gets started at 7:30am in a makeshift kitchen behind her house. She has a plywood counter where she mixes and kneads the bread and forms up the loaves. She uses about thirty pounds of flour, yeast, a little sugar and coconut for the daily quota.

The work space behind Ana's house where the bread is mixed and kneaded

She grates coconut flakes and adds coconut milk to give the bread its distinctive light coconut flavor. It’s not overpowering but it’s that special touch than makes the bread so special.

Ana demonstrates the process of grating the coconut for her baking

Ana has an amazing “bakery.” She has disassembled four full-sized gas ovens to retrofit them as charcoal-fired ovens. She has one tray lined with several layers of aluminum foil in each oven that she loads with the loaves. Then, she piles charcoal on the ground underneath the ovens where the broiler drawer would be and fires them up.

The charcoal fueled ovens where the Pan de Coco bakes

The secret, she says it the yeast strain she uses. She and her neighbors call it “Royal.” It lends a unique texture and flavor to the bread. We’ve found the dense white bread with a crunchy toasted crust is great for toast, bruschetta, even croutons!

Two loaves of Pan de Coco - made in Espanol Royal, Dominican Republic

The process of mixing, kneading and baking the bread takes about four hours and by noon, she’s done with the baking for the day. Then, she sets up shop with her door open and a table with other sweets out front.

The ovens have been retrofit for several loaves to bake on one rack

Stop by if you are in the area. The loaves are RD$50 and will be fresh and moist for up to four days. After the fourth day, Ana recommends toasting the bread if there is any left. I’ve also found the bread freezes very well so stock up! It’s made with love by a lovely baker.

La Escuela Basica across the street from Ana's house

Ana sells her bread out of her home in Rancho Español. Watch for the Brugal Ron signs marking Rancho Español. Ana’s house is across the street from the elementary school – la escuela basica.

Great Food – Pizza Dino’s

The best way to describe Pizza Dino’s setting is in the middle of it all, off the beaten path. Finding your way there, though, is worth the trouble. You’ll be treated to great wood fired pizza in a setting that surpasses most of the pizzerias in Las Terrenas. Pizza Dina doesn’t have a beach front view but it does have comfortable well-constructed furniture, a high canna roof with attractive beams to add ambience and a subtle campo theme with old saddle blankets and traditional Dominican saddles slung over the interior railings of the dining room.

Clean, unclutter interior at Pizza Dino, Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic

The pizza oven is situated at the back of the restaurant – open kitchen style with the bar next to it. Choose a table further back if you want to avoid the street noise. Move further up if you want to watch the evening activities unfold in the neighborhood.

The bar is stocked with the usual Las Terrenas offerings – beer, red and white wine and a variety of liquor. Both the beer and the red wine were served cold but it doesn’t take long for the red wine to achieve a drinkable temperature on a warm Caribbean evening.

Your choices for food are pizza or pizza but the menu has variety of interesting common and uncommon options. I have become a fan of corn on my pizza – a common Dominican topping given their propensity for starches. I chose the Pizza Dominicana with corn, shrimp, green peppers and cheese with a tomato sauce for my dinner.

My husband went for a more traditional Italian offering of anchovies on tomato sauce with garlic and cheese. We both were impressed by the thin, crispy crust and the flavorful toppings. Best of all, the pizzas are big enough that we both had left-overs for lunch the next day.

Our tab came to just over RD$900 with two pizzas, two beers and two glasses of wine. My husband mentioned that on his last visit the group had convinced the chef to make appetizers of toasted bread sticks with cheese even though it’s not on the menu. If you get creative, you might even convince them to make a dessert pizza for something sweet at the end of your meal.

Located next to Hotel Elgancia - take a right from Calle Duarte at Alex's Barbershop

Pizza Dino is located in downtown Las Terranas. Take a right on the second street past Lindo supermarket. Pizza Dino is halfway down the block on your left next to Hotel Elegancia.

Pizzeria Dino is distinctive with it's canna roof and mural

Great Beaches - Playa Anadel – Santa Barbara de Samaná

If you want to go to the beach in Santa Barbara de Samaná, you might think your only option is to head to Las Galeras. In actuality, you have a couple of options close by Samaná Bay that will be easier if you don’t have the time or money to spend to get to Las Galeras or Playa Rincon.

Playa Anadel, Santa Barbara de Samana, Dominican Republic

Playa Anadel is an easy beach to access. If you have a car, it’s a five minute drive on the road that heads east and then north over the hill beyond Samaná Bay. If you don’t have a car, you can catch a cab or motoconchos to the beach. It’s a short ride either way to the small road that is marked with a Brugal Rum sign “Playa Anadel.” 

There are entrances at either end of the beach but the first entrance is better if you are driving because there is space to park your vehicle at the end of the drive. We were greeted by a “security man” who would be guarding our car for us. At the end of the day,we paid him RD$50 for his services despite the fact that we could personally keep an eye on our car from our beach chairs.

You can park close to all the action on Playa Anadel

We rented two beach chairs for RD$100 each and got a small end table and umbrella along with the price of the chairs. Our spot on the beach was provided by a young man who assured us he would provide whatever services we needed including drinks and fresh seafood if we want lunch.

You can rent beach chairs and umbrellas at Playa Anadel, Dominican Republic

The beach is shorter than those in Las Terrenas, bounded on both ends by cliffs. Heading into the water, the slope is gradual and you can wade out into the surf a reasonable distance before you begin to tread water. The waves are gentle and you can swim at Playa Anadel along the beach without much effort. Some small motorboats zipped by close to shore while we were in the surf so be watchful of traffic in the water.

The second entrance to Playa Anadel is beyond the green umbrellas

The crowd at the beach on Sunday appeared to be passengers from the large Norwegian Cruiselines ship anchored in Samaná Bay. They arrived in groups of four or six - American, German and French tourists ready for sun and fun on the beach. They were immediately set upon by locals with offers of cigars, jewelry, massages and hair-braiding. Our friend at the restaurant was quick to deliver drinks in tropical containers – pineapples for the piña coladas and coconut for coco locos – coconut milk spiked with rum.

Vendors on the beach serve all types of Dominican drinks, snacks and fresh seafood on Playa Anadel

We had brought our own drinks in a cooler but that wasn’t a problem for our hosts. We added to their coffers by ordering lunch of whole red snappers, ensalade verde (cabbage with tomatoes and cucumbers) tostones (fried, mashed plantains), rice and habituale (soupy red beans that accompany most Dominican meals).

Too late, I requested the red snapper be prepared “a la plancha” or grilled. Instead, they served up whole fried fish – one for each of us. The fish was not breaded though, so the “fried” quotient wasn’t so bad. The meat was moist and tender once I managed to separate it from the bones and other fish parts.

There are plenty of tables where you can eat a meal at Playa Anadel

Our lunches were a little expensive for the quality – RD$350 apiece. I chalk this up to the heavy cruise ship traffic. I’ve become accustomed to RD$100 plato del dia so this was a little underwhelming. The view, though, was spectacular looking out at Caya Levantado. We also had a view of the Norwegian Cruise Lines ship and could watch the tenders shuttling their passengers back and forth from the ship to shore.

Norwegian Cruise Lines ship anchored in Samana Bay

Playa Anadel isn’t the most spectacular beach on the peninsula but it certainly is convenient and everyone was very hospitable. It’s a great choice if you only have an afternoon to spare at the beach while you are in Santa Barbara de Samaná.

Great Food – Restaurant Luis, Playa Coson

Looking for a great piece of real estate on Playa Coson? Restaurant Luis is made to order. The setting couldn’t be more beautiful but like any great beach front property, it’s for sale. The current open-air location of Restaurant Luis is on a stunning seaside lot offered by Atlantique Sud. Restaurant Luis takes advantage of the current lull in real estate sales to offer up fresh, affordable seafood under palm trees and tarps just feet from the Caribbean sea.

Restaurant Luis sets up shop on Land for Sale on Playa Coson

Once you know what to look for, finding Restaurant Luis isn’t too hard. You head out of Las Terrenas on the road to Playa Coson and veer to the left at the Vivia Wyndam turn-off just past the Centro Educativo  - a small beige concrete block school on the left hand side of the road. The road narrows and then widens as you travel down toward the new highway construction to the east. You’ll be on the highway for a short distance before heading off-road again at a sign that marks Casa Coson on the right.

Stay to the left at the sign for Wyndham Samana to head out to the beach

The sign for Restaurant Luis is easy to see – swing in to the right on the drive just after the sign. Down the road there’s space to park cars, quads and motorbikes. I’m sure they’d let you hitch up your horse too if that’s your preferred mode of transportation.



Watch for the sign for Restaurant Luis when you get out to Playa Coson, Dominican Republic



You won’t find menus at Restaurant Luis but we did find very friendly service. Our waiter gave us the rundown on our choices for the day – grilled fish, shrimp served criolla or with garlic sauce and lobster. If we had ordered lobster, we would have chosen it from today’s catch by heading with our server back to the kitchen. Hint: you might also discover calamari or octopus or additional preparation options like ceviche. Don’t hesitate to ask if you’re in the mood for a specialty.

Restaurant Luis moves up and down the beach as property sells on Playa Coson

We decided to stick with the basics and I ordered the shrimp with garlic sauce. My husband went with the grilled fish and we both had a beer overlooking the turquoise waves while we waited for our meals. As we finished our beer, a warm rain started to fall so we followed the lead of our dining companions and headed for the protection of the makeshift “dining room.”

Gorgeous, tranquil setting for lunch at Playa Coson, Dominican Republic

The weather cleared within the hour but not before we were happily chowing down on our seafood, rice, habituale, papa frites and ensalada verde (cabbage and tomatoes with vinegar and oil). By the time we were done, we were stuffed and the rain had passed. Everything was so fresh – including the breeze. We wanted to start again and enjoy the entire experience a second time.

Grilled fish, shrimp with garlic and all the usual Dominican side dishes

Our lunch was RD$960 – RD$300 for each of our entrees and the rest for bottled water and beer. A small price to pay for seafood straight from the boat prepared fresh to order in a setting worth far more than that.

Siestas and Fiestas - How to Plan Errands and Activities on Dominican Time

In the last three weeks, the Fiesta schedule of the Dominican Republic has taken on a life of its own. The Dominican holidays started with Christmas Eve, carried through New Year’s and are still going strong as we celebrate the official Three King’s Day holiday today – although the actual holiday was January 6^th. January will continue as a series of shortened weeks with Our Lady of Altagracia Day – celebrated from January 21^st until January 24^th – and will encompass Day of Duarte which actually falls on the 26^th of January this year.

In addition to the numerous business and government closings to accommodate those fiestas, the siesta is still a common custom throughout the Samana Peninsula. That means any business may be closed from any portion of the afternoon from 1pm to 3pm. Those hours may be posted by the business, but don’t be surprised if there’s no notice except a closed storefront.

All of that siesta’ing and fiesta’ing means one thing – plan if you can. I find my daily activities are dictated by the schedules of others in a way I would never have expected in the US. Suffice it to say, you don’t run out for a last minute dinner ingredient for Christmas dinner here in Las Terrenas. And you don’t try to pick up a gallon of milk after lunch. The most important thing you can do is get to know the local rhythm.

There are a surprising number of businesses that open between 7 and 8 am – so getting up early to get things done is definitely an option. In fact, today, some business were open – even though it is a holiday – but only until 1pm. Other businesses have been closed since last Thursday in observance of the declared holiday. In the tourism sector, though, many businesses have been putting in very long hours since the long holiday weekends are designed with tourism in mind. Don’t expect the local hotels and clubs to be closing shop early.

Another solution is to focus your business dealing to later in the day. Many Dominican retailers and service providers keep hours as late at 7pm to accommodate their clients. That includes banks, insurance offices and many other businesses you might expect to operate 9am-5pm.

Fefita La Grande at La Terraza Paraiso, El Limon, Samana

On Sunday, December 26^th, El Limon played host to one of the music legends of the Dominican Republic, Fefita La Grande. We had heard of Fefita from a friend in Santiago and couldn’t believe she would actually be performing in our neighborhood. The venue was La Terraza Paraiso in El Limon, Samana – a quick 10-minute ride from our house in La Barbacoa.

Road banners have the best local music info in Dominican Republic

According to Wikipedia, Fefita La Grande was born in September of 1925 1944. She is internationally known for her impressive accordion skills. In addition, and perhaps more importantly, Fefita la Grande has played a key role in the development of Merengue Tipica – one of the national music genres of the Dominican Republic. Her longevity on the music scene here has made her a very influential performer and composer – she has essentially played merengue since it was invented and helped it evolve throughout the last century.

You would never guess she was 85 67-years-old watching her play her accordion. Fefita was definitely the lead attraction – Tina Turner could learn a few moves for her next show here. Fefita plays with a well-rounded merengue band and she towers over the rest of the performers in high heels and big auburn-blond hair. She also provides much of the vocals and sets the pace for the group to ensure the dancers have an up-tempo beat.  She was dressed in a fuchsia pantsuit reminiscent of some of Michael Jackson’s Thriller wardrobe – lots of zippers and snaps.

La Terraza Paraiso also makes sure anyone who wants to dance has a blast. They have a large raised dance floor adjacent to the stage that easily holds forty or fifty people twisting and spinning to the beat. We had plenty of room to scoot to the back and practice our merengue without being seen or interfering with the more seasoned dance partners at the front of the dance floor.

La Terraza Paraiso charged a $250RD cover per person and served well-chilled grande el Presidente beer for $75RD all night long. They also have bottle service available for any cocktails and plenty of ice to keep it all cold. Eat before you go, though. La Terraza doesn’t serve food and that can be a drawback when the show advertised to begin at 6pm doesn’t start until 9pm.

Come prepared to drink and dance – load up on food before the event and plan to merengue the night away. La Terraza Paraiso is located in El Limon, on the left side of the road heading out of town to Samana. If coming from Las Terrenas, turn right at the main intersection in El Limon, shown below.

The intersection to Samana in downtown El Limon