Cayo Levantado is a small island in Samaná Bay, a short boat ride from the town of Santa Bárbara de Samaná on the Dominican Republic's Samaná peninsula. It is best known by its nickname — Bacardí Island, earned when a 1970s Bacardi television campaign used its palm-leaning beach as the definitive image of the Caribbean. Today the island lives a double life: part of it is a public beach anyone can reach by boat, and the rest belongs to a luxury all-inclusive resort. Here is how to visit, which side fits your trip, and when to go.

Key Takeaways

Boat-only access, typically 10–20 minutes from the Samaná town waterfront; excursions also run from Las Terrenas and combine the island with whale watching or Los Haitises.
The island has a free public beach area with vendors and food — you do not need to stay at the resort to visit.
The Cayo Levantado Resort (Bahía Príncipe's luxury flagship) occupies most of the island; access to its grounds is for guests or by arrangement with the hotel.
Best window: pair it with humpback whale season, roughly mid-January to late March — and aim for weekday mornings, avoiding cruise-ship days.
Bring cash for the boat and beach vendors, and take everything you brought back off the island.

What Exactly Is Cayo Levantado?

A forested islet sitting in the mouth of Samaná Bay, small enough to know in an afternoon. Its white-sand beach, calm bay-side water, and photogenic leaning palms made it famous long before the modern resort era — the Bacardi ads fixed it in the imagination of a generation of travelers, and the nickname stuck.

The geography matters for planning: because the island sits inside the bay, its waters are usually calmer than the peninsula's ocean-facing beaches — comfortable for swimming most of the year, and part of why day trips run so reliably.

The Public Beach

The public section of Cayo Levantado is a classic Dominican beach day: white sand, shallow turquoise water, and a working economy of vendors — grilled fish, tostones, cold Presidente, fresh coconuts. It gets lively; that is part of its character. Visit on a weekday morning and you may share it with a handful of boats. Visit when a cruise ship is anchored off Samaná — the island is a standard tender stop — and you will share it with the ship.

There is no entrance fee for the public area; your cost is the boat. Cash is essential, as vendors and boat captains do not take cards.

The Cayo Levantado Resort

Most of the island belongs to the Cayo Levantado Resort, relaunched in 2023 as the luxury flagship of the Bahía Príncipe group — an adults-oriented, all-inclusive property that markets itself around wellbeing and the island setting. Resort grounds, restaurants, and its beach sections are for registered guests; if you want a resort day rather than a public-beach day, contact the hotel directly about availability and day-visit arrangements rather than relying on what boat operators promise.

For most travelers based on the peninsula, the honest advice is: the public beach is the experience. The island's beauty does not check your room key.

How to Get There

From Samaná town (Santa Bárbara de Samaná): boats leave from the waterfront throughout the morning — organized excursions and independent captains both operate. The crossing is short, typically 10–20 minutes depending on the boat. Agree on the price and the pickup time for the return before you board.

From Las Terrenas: it is roughly an hour by road to Samaná town, then the boat. Tour operators in Las Terrenas sell the whole package — transport, boat, and often a stop at El Limón waterfall on the way — which removes the logistics entirely. For the wider lay of the land, see our Samaná peninsula guide.

In whale season, the classic combination is a morning of whale watching in the bay followed by lunch and a swim at Cayo Levantado — most Samaná operators run exactly this itinerary. It is the best-value way to do both.

When to Go

Mid-January to late March is humpback whale season in Samaná Bay — the peninsula's signature natural event and the best reason to combine trips.
Weekday mornings are quietest on the public beach year-round.
Check the cruise calendar if crowds matter to you: when a ship calls at Samaná, the island absorbs its passengers for the middle of the day.
Water in the bay is swimmable essentially all year; brief tropical showers pass quickly.

Visiting Responsibly

Cayo Levantado is small, and everything a visitor brings stays unless it leaves in the same boat. The practical rules are simple: pack out your waste, skip single-use plastic where you can, don't take sand or shells, and don't touch coral or seagrass when swimming. Spend your money with the local vendors and captains — that income is what keeps the island's economy in local hands. If the thinking behind that approach interests you, we've written a full explainer on what ecotourism actually means — Samaná is one of the Caribbean's better working examples.

Worth Combining With

The island slots naturally into a Samaná itinerary alongside the peninsula's other headline experiences: Los Haitises National Park's mangroves and caves, the El Limón waterfall, and the beaches of Las Galeras and Playa Rincón on the peninsula's far side.

And if a day on Samaná Bay turns into the larger question — what would it be like to live above this bay? — that is, candidly, how many residents of the peninsula started. Sienna sits in the hills above Las Terrenas overlooking this same coastline; the Discovery Tour is the low-pressure way to see the view for yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you visit Cayo Levantado without staying at the resort?

Yes. The island has a public beach area reached by boat from Samaná town — no resort booking required. Resort grounds and facilities are separate and for hotel guests.

How do you get to Cayo Levantado?

By boat only: 10–20 minutes from the Samaná town waterfront via excursions or independent captains. From Las Terrenas, operators sell full day trips including the roughly one-hour road transfer.

When is the best time to visit?

Mid-January through late March, when trips combine with humpback whale watching in Samaná Bay. Weekday mornings are quietest; days with a cruise ship in port are busiest.

Why is it called Bacardí Island?

A 1970s Bacardi television campaign filmed on the island made its leaning-palm beach one of the most recognizable Caribbean images of its era, and the nickname has outlived the ads.

Cayo Levantado earns its fame the honest way: it looks exactly like the postcard, and you can be on it for the price of a short boat ride. Go on a quiet morning in whale season, eat grilled fish on the public beach, and you'll understand the nickname without needing the commercial.