Beautiful water, but the bugs and the food made it a little hard to enjoy - We booked the tour to Isla Saona, and overall it was a very long day with some highs and a few major lows. Our day started extremely early — we were told to meet at 6a for a 6:15a so we left our hotel in Santo Domingo around 5:30a. Even though we arrived on time, the group didn’t end up leaving until much later. The drive was long but we did stop for breakfast and souvenirs, which was nice (and where I bought a towel I forgot to bring). Once we arrived at Juan Dolio/Bayahibe, we transferred from a small boat to a larger one that took us to Isla Saona. The water was absolutely beautiful. Before reaching the island, we stopped at the natural pool, which was deeper than expected. It was too deep for my 9-year-old to stand, so she would’ve had to tread water the whole time, but the spot itself was gorgeous and we got great photos with the photographer. The island looked amazing at first sight, but the bugs were overwhelming. I’m not sure if they were mosquitoes or gnats, but there were so many that it became uncomfortable. We were basically only bug-free when we were in the water, so that’s where we stayed most of the time. Eating was almost impossible — bugs were landing on the food, in our faces, everywhere. When we got back to the hotel, I found a bunch of dead bugs at the bottom of my bag. That part really took away from the experience. The lunch wasn’t great either. The cucumber and tomato salad was delicious and honestly the best part of the meal, but the rice and peas were bland, the chicken was dry, the pasta was undercooked, and the fruit (which was good) was hard to enjoy with all the bugs around. Leaving the island was also a bit chaotic. It looked like our guide was having some disagreements with colleagues — I’m fluent in Spanish but didn’t pry, though it was clear there were issues. Our return was on a speedboat that stopped a few times out on the water for reasons we didn’t understand, though it eventually kept going. Once back in Bayahibe, we boarded the bus, stopped again at the same rest stop, and returned to Santo Domingo. The bus ride itself was smooth and we were dropped off right where we were picked up. Overall, Isla Saona is gorgeous and the water is unforgettable, but I took off two stars because the bugs made the island stop almost unbearable, and the food was not good at all. If you go, be prepared — bring strong bug spray and snacks.