My husband & I just returned home from our 11 day stay @ Monte Placido, having celebrated our 10 yr wedding anniversary. This is our 4th time to the DR but our 1st trip to the Las Terrenas area, so we consider ourselves "seasoned" DR travelers. With that said, a.) we will probably never vacation in another area of the DR again & b.) we will be staying at Monte Placido when we return (we will never go back to doing all inclusive ever again). Don & Diana are the absolute BEST at what they do. Although we knew we wanted this trip to be "outside the box" from our others, I was still a bit nervous & did not know what to expect. We wanted a place where we didn't have to deal with the all inclusive madness-you know the crowds at the buffet, the fighting for a chair at the pool or beach, the watered down drinks. We wanted time alone, the quietness, come & go as we pleased. The personal guidance & advice that Don & Diana provided during our stay was second to none. This is by far THE BEST way to get to know the land, it's people & their culture. We could not have done it without the assistance of these 2 wonderful people. We stayed in Lilka which had absolutely gorgeous views of the "hills" and the ocean from our terrace. We took advantage of several optional services that Don & Diana offered. This included the pick up/drop off service to/from the airport, rental of their onsite vehicle (much cheaper than renting at airport so take advantage of it), massage service (wow is all I can say-pure coconut oil-my skin is the softest it will probably ever be!) & 2 dinners cooked for us by Molly. Probably the best dinners you will ever get on the entire Samana peninsula! Absolutely incredible! The amount of food she cooked for 2 could have easily fed 4! Her cooking skills are worth far more than what we paid so we made sure she received a very generous tip! Speaking of tips (propinas), please be mindful of the people who work hard to keep the grounds beautiful and the homes clean. Be generous, after all they are working hard for you to enjoy your vacation and will go out of their way to make sure that you are not disappointed. A big thank you to Jean Claude, Nana, our housekeeper, masseuse (I forgot their names and I apologize) & of course Molly. You were all wonderful & should all be commended for the hard work that you do. If you want to get away from the madness of your everyday lifestyle, this is the place to go. You will NOT regret it!