Saona Island: Unforgettable VIP Caribbean Paradise Escape

I loved this excursion! It is early but it’s worth it! Melvin and Pepe were amazing to me and my aunts. They were so attentive to us and being a small group is a huge plus. Melvin was with us the whole time and gave us a lot of history of the island . The food was amazing and they were so great to us . I would definitely recommend this excursion and will be doing it again. Thank you Melvin and Pepe. We will forever be Melvin family.

My family and I had an amazing experience with Melvin and his crew. I don't feel I need to add much more than what others have added, but it is a great day. Starting in Mano Juan and getting the chance to hear about Turtuga Negro and his amazing work rehabilitating the turtle population of the island, followed by a lovely stop at a beautiful beach for swimming, relaxing, and lunch. You then get the chance to look for sea turtles in the mangroves, stop at a sandbar to see starfish, and lastly, snorkel over. a reef on Bayihibe Bay. The whole time, Melvin and his crew are kind, helpful, and a real good time. I have done quite a few tours over a couple of continents, and this was one of the best and worth every penny.

This excursion was my favorite day of our trip! Melvin is extremely knowledgeable and considerate. It was amazing to meet the locals and see how they live. Melvin is extremely respectful of the animals and nature which is so great to see. I loved how we were able to experience the island with a small group and earlier than all of the other boats. I would absolutely recommend this experience to anyone else!

It was such a fun and beautiful day. It was an early start to the day, but we got 3 hours of the most beautiful beach in Isla Saona all to ourselves as we were the first ones to arrive. On top of that, we got to hold star fish, visit a turtle sanctuary, and snorkel as other included excursions. The tour operator Melvin was incredible friendly and helpful. He took photos throughout the day that he then sent to us for free at the end of the tour. Lunch was also delicious. Overall, a 10/10 day and would do it again.

Really well planned out with most places visited we arrived first and were often the only ones there. It’s also great that the group is small. There is space for everyone to enjoy.

We wanted one full day excursion since we were only here for 5 nights. I searched and searched and came across this one and booked it. It did not disappoint and it was so much fun! The small group and leaving early we got to stay on Saona Island longer and before any other boats came through. It was so beautiful and the schedule was amazing. We got to learn history, about turtles, snorkeling and seeing star fish. We even got to see a big turtle swimming along with the boat at one point. Food and drinks were very good! Highly recommend this excursion! You will not be disappointed.

Melvin and his amazing team gave us the best day in the Dominican Republic! The early start was worth it, we had Saona Island to ourselves before the crowds. Melvin shared fascinating history, took us to meet “Negro Turtuga,” who protects sea turtles, and even showed us freshly hatched babies ready for release. We enjoyed a delicious beachside lunch, swam in turquoise waters with starfish, explored mangroves, and snorkeled a vibrant reef. Every moment felt private, thoughtful, and unforgettable. This tour was pure magic truly the highlight of our trip! 🌴🐢💙

This is the trip that you need to take. Period! Five stars is not enough for this experience. It was 100% the highlight of our vacation in this beautiful country and for sure we will book it again if we ever come back! Just don't get the others because of the lower price because you might even feel it is not worth it. There are so many advantages to go with Melvin, but the main ones are these: 1. Yes, you will wake up early, but trust me it is so worth it when you see in real time how you avoid all the crowds. 2. Since there are 14p max per group, It is quite intimate and you actually get to spend quality time with everyone and actually make some friends. It just happens so naturally and his vibe is a great contribution to this. All the other trip providers are starting the day later, go in big catamarans with many many people and if you choose this option it will be very crowded both on the catamaran and also on the beach or the natural pool. With Melvin and his team, you simply are one step ahead of everyone. We learned many things about the country and about the island and its fauna. You also get to visit the local town, Mano Juan, with only 300 inhabitants, the only ones on the island. Also, you will learn about their efforts for the conservation of the turtles and if you are lucky, you get to see some little turtles (we were, and we saw many cute ones that were only 3 days old!) When we arrived at the beach, we were literally the first ones and we had it to ourselves for like 2 hours. By the time more people arrived, we already had lunch and left to the next point. When we arrived the natural pool, we took many photos with starfish and it was so cool that they got drinks in the water. It was an open bar and we were just chilling there taking our time. We also got to snorkel together with Melvin and we saw so many types of fish, because he kept attracting them towards him with food. Melvin even took many photos for each of us at every step on our trip and made sure we got all the pictures at the end of it. He is such a great man with a big heart. So yeah, everything was just amazing, Melvin and his guys are very professional and on time, but they never make you feel rushed. Believe me, it is so worth it. And we even got back at the hotel at 17:00, which was very convenient for us. Gracias por todo, amigo!

I'll begin by highly recommending this BOOK IT! You may notice that the price is more than other tours but it is WORTH EVERY PENNY. You won't be disappointed. If you're looking for a relaxed, peaceful tour away from the crowds, this is the perfect choice. Melvin was truly the BEST host we could have asked for, providing us with interesting history about the island and his country. Our group consisted of just six people, making the experience even more enjoyable and worth the cost. If it were possible, I'd give him 100 stars. The food was fantastic, and Melvin went above and beyond to capture excellent snorkeling videos for me. I strongly suggest taking this tour.

Great day out, very informative host Melvin made the trip as he is clearly passionate about supporting the local people and welfare of the animals. Well worth the early start in order to be the first people on the beach. Communication was accurate and pick up easy. Breakfast fresh and plenty available. Lunch on the beach was a great fresh tasty selection, with more food than you could eat. Drinks in constant supply all day with a lovely choice. Clean toilets available at several times throughout the day. The turtle sanctuary was good to visit, although very small. Amazing to also see a turtle in its natural habitat and really enjoyed getting the chance to snorkel at the end. Just one thing to watch out for on the island, is there is lots of mosquitoes everywhere and despite using two different types of repellents I got bitten all over in excess of 50 all over my body that wasn’t covered (I am susceptible to bites in general), but my husband also has several too. Would recommend covering up as much as possible. Other than that not a single negative about the day. Bonus on the trip home too, was Melvin air dropped all the photos he took of us for free, wonderful touch.