Cayo Levantado

Cayo Levantado is a small palm-covered cay in the middle of Samaná Bay, famous worldwide as 'Bacardí Island' ever since a 1970s rum commercial was filmed beneath its leaning coconut palms. Its public beach is the image everyone pictures of a Caribbean desert island: soft white sand, luminous turquoise shallows you can wade far into, and palms bowing toward the water. It's a favourite stop on Samaná day trips, often paired with whale watching in season, and one of the most photogenic beaches in the country. Our photographers capture that idealised desert-island frame — leaning palms, white sand and clear water in a single shot — at its calmest and brightest in the December-to-April dry season.