Cayo Levantado

Cayo Levantado is a small island in Samaná Bay, only about 0.9 by 0.5 km and about 5 km off the town of Samaná. The public beach is on its western side, with white sand and calm, shallow turquoise water; the rest of the island is a resort that day visitors can't enter. It became known as 'Bacardí Island' after a rum commercial was filmed there in the 1970s. Most visitors come for a beach stop of 2 to 3 hours with lunch, as part of a full-day Samaná trip from Punta Cana that usually includes whale watching or El Limón: about 1.5 to 2 hours by road to Miches or Sabana de la Mar, then a boat across the bay. From Samaná town, a water taxi takes 10 to 15 minutes. The beach gets crowded on days when cruise ships call. February to April is the least rainy stretch. No excursion we photograph goes here, so photos at Cayo Levantado are a private shoot, arranged in advance.