Samaná is undeniably charming, with pretty, spacious
neighbourhoods, winding streets that amble up the hills and a
warm sense of community intact. The centre of activity is the
city's Malecón , a broad, concrete boardwalk across the
street from numerous outdoor cafés, storefront shops and
patches of park. At night the Malecón's restaurants
and bars buzz with activity and music, a fairly mixed scene
of Dominicans,
expats and foreign visitors.
A few blocks back from the waterfront, the old First African
Wesleyan Methodist Church of Samaná popularly known
as La Churcha , Santa Bárbara and Duarte (daily 9am-6pm),
tangibly maintains what African-American culture is left in
Samaná. The prefabricated, tin-roofed structure was
originally shipped over by the English Methodist Church in
1823, in support of a recently emigrated African-American
community that still remains here. These days it's known
as the Dominican
Evangelical Church and often works harmoniously with the
African Methodist Episcopalian Church, another interesting
building
a few blocks further back. Hostels in Santa Barbara de Samana |
ROOMS DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
