Saona Island Paradise From Punta Cana

The catamaran was fun - and easy to take pictures of the shoreline and any starfish in the water. The stop at the pool is interesting, but you just stand there and have a drink. The actual time at the island isn't long - and you spend an hour of it sitting and rating. It would be better if the eating was more open so you can eat at your chair and not waste time.

This was the worst tour experience I have had in years. The tour was billed as Covid-responsible, but it was anything but. Even given that, other things make this tour worthy of my 1-star review. The tour started with the bus being 20 minutes late. By Caribbean standards, that is practically on time. I was expecting that it would be a van, but it was a full 36 pax bus. The whole process of picking up people from various points and combining buses took way too long and we are then left with a full bus with about 1/3 of the guests not wearing masks (and not enforced or even requested). Our tour then goes to a small coffee shop where you can go to the restroom, get some coffee and buy water. I expected this to just be our coach, but there were about 15 other buses that all descended upon this small little store with no-one practicing social distancing and not much mask wearing. It is a tiny place and there is zero room to move around. Once we get off the bus at the fishing village, we are loaded on a tender and then taken to a catamaran. Once we are on the catamaran, the drinks flow, the dancing starts and forget about anything related to covid protocols. I understand guests will do what they want, but the crew didn't wear masks either. The first stop is this amazing natural lake. The water is an unbelievable blue color and there are no waves. It was a very cool experience and we got some great photos and found a few starfish. We were again loaded on the boat with the next stop Saona Island. Once we get off at Saona Island, it really isn't exactly what I had expected. The island has lots of boats arriving and there are a number of buildings there (more than I imagined). Once off the boat, we are taken to our building and seated on long picnic tables. Again, zero social distancing. The bar opens and quickly runs out of beer, the food opens and a huge line forms and people aren't wearing masks. I get that we are outside, but the tour says all public areas masks are required. They weren't and again, no room to space out. Now the food. This was mostly inedible - and the amount of waste from everyone was amazing. There were three entree choices, pasta, chicken and pork. The pork was the only thing that was nearly reasonable. Had we not been totally famished, it wouldn't have been eaten. So, we have lots of booze flowing and zero food. All this makes for a really bad combination at the end of the trip. Saona Island it really beautiful and we again took some stunning pictures. The water was really warm and the waves were few so we spent a lot of time in the water. At this point, I would normally give a tour 3-stars, add in no covid protocols and it is down to 2. Here is why it gets 1-star. The 'fast boat' back was a fun trip. The boat is packed and you end up 'racing' the other boats. The ride back is maybe 25 minutes and it is a bumpy good time. Before we get off the boat, the captain asks for tips for the crew, so we toss in a few bucks. Most others do not. Getting off of these boats, you are have get in the water - about knee deep. So that requires you to jump from the boat to the water. Our group, my wife, 2 daughters and me are the last off the boat. I am carrying our bag with shoes, phones and towel. My daughters get off the boat no problem, a crew member gladly holds their hand while they jump in. My wife is about to get off the boat and she asked the crew member to hold her hand and he bangs a container and says "Tip, Tip, Tip." She politely tells him that we did tip him and she gets in, with no help from the crew, but lands successfully. Now, it's my turn and I ask for help and get the same, Tip, Tip Tip routine. I ask him to hold my bag...more Tip, Tip, Tip..... Then, I trip, trip, trip...putting me, the bag with our dry clothes, towels and phones in the water. The crew member is now paying attention and works to get me upright. Now, at this point, I stand up and realize something is wrong with my foot. I hobble to shore and try to see what I can find that is dry--nothing. So, we endure the long, cold bus ride back with half the bus still boozing it up maskless. After being back at our resort for a few hours, I realize that I need to have someone take a look at my foot. Fortunately, not broken, but bad sprain that requires me to stay off for a few days and ice. It is now 5 days later and I am not pain free, but able to walk. Okay, so here is the deal. I get you can't get all guests to abide by your polices, it is after all a booze cruise. But your crew should comply, and they didn't. The only time masks were required were when we got to the port and the 'tourist police' were out. At that time, our guide told everyone they had to wear a mask. The crew should also people to at least mask up on the bus, and they didn't. The posted Covid-Safe stuff on here is BS...this tour is run pretty much the same way today as it was pre-pandemic. All of this I can understand, but the crew member at the end literally through me over the boat. I have NEVER given a 1-star review before, so take that for what it is worth.

Pros: The boat rides were great. The island was beautiful. The staff was friendly. Cons: The bus ride there is 2 hrs long after you make well over 7 to 10 stops to pick up other people and another 2 hrs back dropping all those people off. They pick you up at 7am and don’t feed you on time at 1pm. Bring snacks! A couple of the trays of food were decent. This excursion was all of 12 he’s including the longgggg bus ride even though it’s advertised as 8 hrs. Would not have done this if I would have known how long the bus ride was.

Excellent day tour !!! Great staffs !!! VIP package with mor alcohol drinks. Awesome scenery.... I recommend this tour...

The island was amazing but the description is not accurate. The bus ride to the boat took 3 hours. Not exactly "open bar" when all they serve is rum and cokes.

Great guide Benjamin - danced on the catamaran! Beautiful scenery, water, nature. Wish we had even more time. And could explore more of the wild areas of the island.

Dont miss to see this paradise nature. Excellent experience, worth all the money. Ours guide Christian is the best, and we have best bus driver (sorry forgot name).

Benjamin was out your awesome guide. Our photographer took amazing pictures of all of us all day long and worked a package for our group of 16. The entire trip was Perfect! We booked the VIP by mistake and ended loving it. It was worth it!! We were treated as VIPs, really. Lobster and champagne for lunch. Delicious food, and drinks all day long. We sailed back on a catamaran, open bar. This was the Greatest excursion we did in Punta Cana. I highly recommend it.

This island is amazing and the vip is definitely worth it . The only down side is when you get off the bus to get on the boat the locals are very aggressive with selling like no is not the answer . Like I get it but it was a lot of them like we had dollar signs written all over us .This is not a negative on the company or the island . I would recommend this to anyone

Great trip. We had the VIP which included a lobster and champagne lunch. Benjamin was a great guide/host.