Bacardi Island: White Sands and Turquoise Waters in the Caribbean

Bacardi Island in the Dominican Republic in the Gulf of Samana is the smallest inhabited island of the Dominican Republic. Next, you will learn everything a traveler needs to know about this heavenly place. Here you will find a lot of useful information, tips and recommendations. Don’t switch over

Bacardi Island in the Dominican Republic

In fact, I lied to you. This island is not called Bacardi and officially it is an uninhabited island. But first things first. I hope that by the end of this article you will not have a single question about this Dominican landmark.

bacardi island top view — *The large beach in the foreground is an open part of the island for tourists. The back part and the hotel among the palm trees is a private area and access to it is closed.*

A very brief history of Bacardi Island

Reprinting Wikipedia is not my strong suit. You can read it yourself. But when visiting any place, you need to know its history, even if only in terms of the abstract. This will not only show your overall development, but can also help you communicate with local people.

Until 1493, no facts about the island simply do not exist. It is believed that native tribes lived here. But how long and in what quantity no one knows and will never know.
The history ofBacardi Island is connected with the history of the Samana Peninsula. In general, throughout history, Bacardi Island was considered an integral part of Adobe.
The date of the island’s discovery and the beginning of its modern history is considered to be the date of Christopher Columbus ‘ discovery of the Samana Peninsula. And this is approximately January 15, 1493. The exact day has not yet been determined by historians.
Bacardi Island began to be settled and developed only in 1746. This is due to the fact that for 200 years, these lands belonging to the Spanish crown, tried to seize the French, then the British. And the Spaniards decided that the easiest way to defend the lands where people live.
And in 1799, Napoleon, the same one, made another attempt to capture Samana and Bacardi Island. History says that a huge fleet and 60,000 thousand soldiers were sent here. But alas. The long march and illness did not allow the French to seize these lands.

kayo levantado boat pier — *Bacardi Island pier. It’s on these boats that all tourists are brought directly here. There is also a pier near the hotel. But it’s not for mere mortals.*

General facts about Bacardi Island

Then the fun begins:

The island area is less than 1 sq. km.
Officially, the population is zero. There are no villages or permanent residents on the island.
The island is located 1 km from the coast of the Samany Peninsula and it is not difficult to find a boat here. But more on that below.
The official name of the island is Cayo Levantado. It has had this name for at least 300 years.
- In 1950, the island became a filming location for an advertisement for the world-famous Bacardi rum.
- For more than 40 years, this brand’s commercials have been shot here more than once.
- I couldn’t find the first videos. But the last video of Rom Bacardi was shot on the main beach of the island in 1991. You can watch it below and feel the spirit of that time.
- What other films or videos were shot on the territory of the Dominican Republic, read here.

Important to know: Rum is not only the main national drink of the Dominican Republic, but also a national idea. Read all about this alcoholic drink, how to choose which one to bring as a gift, the price, where to buy it in the article: rum of the Dominican Republic.

bacardi island beach — Main beach, open to tourists. The first photo in the article is the same beach that is in the foreground. There are already a lot of people under the palm trees, if you look closely. And only 10-30 in the morning. By 13 o’clock we will be here again.

How to get to Bacardi Island

On the one hand, this is not difficult. With the second one, you can’t just get here. There is no road, bridge, or scheduled transport to get here. Don’t forget that the island is officially uninhabited.

There are four ways to get to Cayo Levantado:

Book a room in a luxury hotel on the island. I’ll write about this below.
Go on an excursion for humpback whales, which come here every year from January to March.
- Each of these excursions includes a visit to this paradisiacal island. Follow the link for the best full-day excursion: whales + Bacardi Island + El Limon Waterfall.
  - It is especially relevant for those who do not have a car to get to the Samana Peninsula.
  - If you know English or Spanish — links to excursions at the bottom of the article.
- Read more about how to meet real humpback whales and step-by-step instructions in the article: whales of the Dominican Republic.
Cruise ship. If you bought a cruise ship tour in the Caribbean and the route includes the Dominican Republic, the Samana Peninsula, then you will be brought to this island for the whole day.
Independently by boat from the Samana Peninsula.

cayo levantado island in the morning — *If you are one of the first to arrive in the morning, by boat at 9 am, then the beaches are still empty. Bacardi Island, photo taken from the pier.*

If the first three points are clear and understandable, and there is detailed information on the links above. Then I will focus a little more on the fourth.

You need to come to one of the two marinas of Samana on your own. There you will immediately be swarmed by those who want to take you to Bacardi Island. And then return it back. It is better to come to pier No. 2, see the map below. Since it is closer to the island and it is from here that boats go to Bacardi more often. And always check in advance when the boat sails back. Since only under you it is unlikely to adapt.

Important to know:Always bargain. The starting price will be from$ 20-30 per person. But the standard price is$10.

What should I do?

This will be the shortest chapter of this article. In general, there is nothing much to do here. The area of the island is very small, and half of the island is occupied by the closed territory of the luxury hotel. Therefore, in an open area for everyone, you can:

Sunbathing on the beach
Bathe
Take photos
Walk between souvenir stalls and choose gifts home. True, the prices here are high.
Eat expensive seafood in the restaurant

Important to know:If you are not staying in a hotel, you will not be able to relax on the island in the early morning or evening at sunset. You arrive on the island, just like all the other tourists. And if in the morning-the beach looks really heavenly. That day, on a 500-meter piece of land is quite crowded. Especially on days when cruise ships arrive. And the island’s beach is more like Crimea in season. Where only the top layer of people sunbathe.

Personal opinion of the author: there is nothing much to do here, since there are simply a lot of people in the season. The ideal option is to visit Bacardi Island as part of a whale watching tour. Then you will spend a couple of hours here, go swimming, and swim on. And we looked at novy Island and didn’t spend the whole day on it, especially since there’s nothing to do here all day.

Luxury hotel on Bacardi Island

There is only one hotel built on the island. Its territory is completely closed. If other hotels in the Dominican Republic, at least on their territory, you can easily get there. Then the entire territory of this hotel is private and closed. If an exclusive vacation is your theme, then you are here.

Important to know: According to the law of the country, absolutely all beaches of the Dominican Republic are municipal. This means that anyone can get to any beach. And hotels do not have the right to block off a strip of land closer than 50 meters from the ocean. And this law really works throughout the country, except for the island of Bacardi. I do not know how, but the hotel beach on this island is completely closed. It can only be accessed by being a hotel guest.

The hotel is called-Cayo Levantado Resort. These are the real 5 stars. And service and packages here are sold only under the All Inclusive system.

So that you would appreciate the level of the hotel, here is one fact about the number of rooms. The hotel has about 200 rooms. And all suites or president class rooms. There are no economy, standard, semi-luxury rooms and so on.

hotel in Cayo levantado — *This is what the closed part of the island with the hotel looks like.*

The hotel’s ratings are excellent, about 9.3 points. The reviews are excellent. The hotel has two minuses and one plus, which stand out strongly above everything else.

Minus 1: The hotel is located on a very small island. Only if you want a luxurious holiday in solitude, lying on a sun lounger and drinking Pina Colada, then this is your option.
Plus: the hotel is located on a very small island, and it is a paradise for lovers of luxury holidays and privacy.
Minus 2: according to official data, the occupancy rate of this hotel during the year is 97%. This means that it is extremely difficult to book a room, even for half a year.

NEW OPENING! Cayo Levantado Resort – All Inclusive

Bacardi Island: Travel tips

As corny as it may sound, if you don’t live on the island in a luxury hotel, then I wouldn’t recommend spending the whole day visiting Bacardi Island. Only if you came to the Dominican Republic for 2-3 months to spend the winter, and have already seen everything in general. Then you can visit the beach of Bacardi Island.

But if you’re in the Dominican Republic for 1-2 weeks, it’s best to visit Fronton Beach, which is the most beautiful beach in the Dominican Republic. By the way, it is very close to Bacardi. But if you still decide to sail here, or you have a whale watching tour, and Bacardi Island is included in it, then here are a couple of tips:

bacardi island dominican republic — *It’s almost 12 and there are more and more tourists. By the way, on the beaches of the Samany Peninsula, which are close, there are not so many people.*

Be sure to bring a mask and snorkel with you. The water is very clear here. There are few fish and stars, but you can meet them.
Remember that sun beds, drinks, and snacks are all chargeable. It’s not cheap. Have money with you. But there are excursions where it’s all included, the link was above.
The only thing that is free on the island is a toilet. The toilet, by the way, is clean and modern.
Grab some more water and a snack, just in case.
Remember, if you have agreed with the boatman to sail back, say at 15 o’clock. Don’t be sad if he didn’t arrive in time. Being an hour late doesn’t count as late here.

In conclusion: Bacardi Island is definitely a highly advertised tourist attraction in the Dominican Republic. Often, tourists mistakenly prioritize and try to visit this island to the detriment of other cool places. The island is nice, the beach is great, but you’ve read the cons. I recommend that you lower the priority of this island, and visit it if you have time left or you are swimming towards the whales.

Less people on the beach for you and more gorgeous photos!