El Pelicano Apart-Hotel — Hotel in Samana

First, let me say, this is a hard place to review.. We LOVED El Pelciano and want to return soon. It met all our expectations and more, but it may not be everyone's cup of tea.||||We wanted a place that was quiet, clean, reasonably priced, comfortable beds, in decent condition, close to great beaches and off the beaten track. We wanted an area with no high rise hotels with a homey, small town feel, safe and away from crowds with good restaurants nearby.||||Hans, the manager and his wife were always there for us to answer any question...I had many. He lives on site and they made out visit very special. We left feeling they were family.||||The apartments have recently been sold, November 2015, I believe and they are a work in progress with a new roof and gutters coming as well as other improvements. A new shower area has been installed in all but two of the apartments as of the time we left March, 12, 2016. New refrigerators and stoves are in most of the apartments, although they both are smaller (16 cf refrigerator) than normal and the gas stove does not have a broiler. The kitchen is small, but manageable. There are place settings for 4 in each apartment.||||The location is great (we would have wished for ocean view, but you won't find ocean views at this price point.) It is a 5-10 minute walk to either La Playita Beach or downtown.||||Each unit comes with two ceiling fans, one in the living area and one in the bedroom and mosquito netting. Mosquitoes are not a problem, at least in the winter, except after sunset and not every night. We sat most nights on the balcony and only had to put on repellent a few nights.||||Another thing on our wish list was a covered balcony and of course there is one here. We ended up spending most of our time there.||||The units are missing a few things, blender, which we brought, large fry pan, which we bought and a medium sauce pan. There is a small sauce pan and small fry pan there already.||||A washer/dryer is NOT included, but wash can be done there at about $4.50 US per load, washed and folded back to you, the same day was our experience.||||Each Thursday and Sunday, a vegetable trick comes to the property to supply vegetables to you.||||The property is surrounded by other homes, very well kept and newer as well as two gravel roads that really don't service anyone except the owners, so there is no traffic noise and each road dead ends so the roads are not used as a cut though to other roads.||||We brought two couples and both thought the apartments were very nice.||||We stayed here for over a month and were afraid perhaps there was not enough to do, but were pleasantly surprised. The month went very quickly. There was enough time to give a good look of the area and enough time to just relax and enjoy the atmosphere. Be sure and go to El Cabito and Monte Azul restaurant. They were both highlights. ||||As I said earlier the apartments may not be to everyone's taste. We love nature and love to travel back roads, do easy hiking when none of us is injured. We like to spend time in one spot and learn about an area and we like to cook and not be forced to eat out all the time.||||This area has gorgeous beaches, good restaurants in a very laid back atmosphere. It's the kind of place where everyone seems to know everyone else in town. where there are walking trails along the beach, where the locals will learn your name if you stay for a couple of weeks. ||||Although you don't have beach views from the apartment, the view from the apartments is very pleasant and restful. ||||There are great views nearby and I had a ball with my camera capturing the beauty of this less well known area under different weather conditions. ||||I actually hate writing this review, because I don't want this area to change. I want it to stay the same forever. I feel this area represents just a handful of areas left in the Caribbean that are fast...

Initially we were going to stay in Las Galeras only for a couple of days, but we liked that little town so much so decided to spend several more days. Since we did not book a hotel in advance, we were looking for the place on the spot. I can't say how lucky we were that we were recommended El Pelicano. This is a small and very cozy place in a really great location. It is secluded enough, however, it is within a walking distance from practically anything you need. This may not be a five star hotel, but this place offers probably the Best quality for the price we have ever paid. The beds were comfortable, there were a nice balcony with a table and comfortable couch, fully equipped kitchen, free internet. ||One night we bought an enormous crab that could not fit in any of the cookware. The property manager Hans and his wife went out of their way to help us find big enough pot to fit that 'animal' so we could cook dinner. By the way, the hospitality of Hans and his wife does not have limits. They helped us with every issue and question right away. We ended up staying at this place for four days, and I wish we could stay longer, but we already had airplane tickets. Overall, we had so many positive emotions from this stay and all the activities that little town has to offer, that my family and I can't wait to be back there again....

After the wife did a bunch of research she booked the El Pelicano. We loved it as soon as we arrived. Only 10 apartments and they have everything we needed. At the end of our stay it appeared every room was booked but it was still really quiet day and night. We were the only ones ever at the pool. We didn't even know it had a pool when we booked it. It is located down a road that has another hotel and some really nice looking residential homes on it. Very much a hidden gem. Walking distance to everything. Beaches, bars and restaurants all within 10 or 15 minutes stroll. The only thing we didn't know is that motorcycles are not allowed down the entrance road only cars. But Luis the check in guy directed us to a back entrance using another road and we were able to ride our bike to the apartment and park in front no problem. The next time we stay in Las Galeras we will stay again at El Pelicano for sure. I think it would be perfect for long term stays too because we were...