- Located walking distance to Eastern National Park
- Also in walking distance of the new Casino Dominicus
- Terrific food; the Italian eatery Rigoletto is superb
- Just 30 minutes from La Romana Airport, one of the easiest in-and-out airports in the Caribbean
- Frightfully long wait to check-in/check-out, wasn’t enough desk staff when I was there
- No wireless internet access in rooms; you pay for it at business center
- Room safes require rental of locks
- Address: Playa Dominicus Bayahibe, La Romana Dominican Republic
- Phone: 888-774-0040 or 866-863-9281
- Rates: $122-$320 per person per night
- Dining: Four restaurants; five bars, most of which serve food. as well
- Spa: Kin Ha Spa (extra charge)
- Other amenities: pool, billiards, water sports, Kids’ Club with pool, dive center, meeting facilities
- Rooms: 532 guest rooms in 12 buildings, and four spacious stand-alone villas
Offshore there are all manner of vessels -- many sunk in days of yore by pirates seeking loot -- that now serve as top dive sites. The resort features a certified dive center that can arrange excursions, including to Saona where you’ll find some of the best coral formations in the Dominican.
The beach is a stunner: white sands, warm water, thatched huts to protect the sun-sensitive, and just a great place to lay about and do nothing (the attentive staff helps with that). The Canoa is part of the Oasis hotel group, which champions environmental preservation (no fools they, since the environment is what makes them money). The Canoa beach has earned a “Blue Flag” award from the nonprofit Foundation for Environmental Education, an exclusive eco-label awarded to 3,600 beaches and marinas in 36 countries.
The Oasis Canoa also features four gorgeous stand-alone villas, all set on a lagoon teeming with birds and fish. Each villa has a large living room, Jacuzzi tub, private courtyard area and deck. The only problem with the latter is when you sit outside other guests are streaming by on their way to the beach or restaurants, so you feel like you’re being watched –- and likely envied. Still, the villas are a must-do and reasonably priced.
