Hotel Review: Takuma Boutik

Tulum in Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula has had a lot of attention lately; and during the pandemic, it appeared that every blogger or influencer had hit this tourist spot at least once – and for good reason, it really is an instagram dream; there are hundreds of spots all over this cliquey town that are just made to be photographed, the reality of it is that everyone has the same idea and you will likely have to get up at sunrise if you want a chance to get a photograph at one of these iconic spots, which lets face it, is not ideal when you are meant to be on a relaxing vacation. And with this uptick in tourism to the area has become an increase in general cost – hotels and restaurants have been taken advantage of the elevated traffic to the area and their prices reflect that. Why go and fight the crowds when you can go off the beaten path to a more untouched area for half the price?

I had the privilege of staying at a relatively new boutique hotel in the Dominican Republic, aptly named Takuma Boutik Hotel. It is situated in a small diverse town called Las Terrenas in the Samana Peninsula.

All of the elegantly decorated rooms have a small mini terrace that opens up to the long swimming pool that dissects the property. Each room has access to the shared central pool; a wonderful feature which I definitely took advantage of after a long day of adventuring! The rooms are all equipped with air conditioning, full bathroom with shower, various shelving units and a TV with Netflix installed. Our room also had another bed in the loft area, meaning it could easily house 4 adults. 

To my surprise, breakfast is included in the room rates, and it was nothing short of fantastic. There is a diverse menu for which you can choose a range of dishes, cooked to your liking, plus the standard coffee and freshly squeezed fruit juice. Breakfast is served in the courtyard area which looks out over the manicured garden and pool area. It is worth noting here that if you have an early excursion in the morning, you can notify the front desk and they will tell the kitchen staff to arrive a bit earlier to make breakfast before your travels. 

While the hotel does not offer dinner, they do open the bar in the evening for a wonderful selection of fresh cocktails served poolside. During our stay the staff at Takuma Boutik recommended an app for us to download, Komida, which is similar to that of Uber Eats and Door Dash. When you open the app, there is an extensive list of different restaurants in the area that are open and able to deliver to the hotel for a small fee. We used this service a few times when we got in late or fancied a snack later on after dark. You will need cash to pay the driver and a WhatsApp number so that they can call you when they arrive outside. 

The location of Takuma Boutik is another favourable aspect of the lodging – the close proximity to the centre of Las Terrenas, not to mention being walking distance to the beach and a plethora of fantastic beachfront bars and restaurants really takes this boutique hotel to the next level. One of my favourite restaurants that I had the pleasure of visiting, El Lugar, is just a short walk away down the street. It has a wonderful al fresco dining area upstairs which looks out over the ocean, and a great viewing spot for people watching! 

During our stay, the owner, Max,  gave us his whatsapp number, which made it incredibly convenient to communicate any questions or queries. We were able to coordinate an early breakfast when we organised a last minute excursion the next day, and confirm check out among other things.. There is also a security guard that is on duty overnight which did give us some peace of mind during our stay; however at no point did we ever feel unsafe. 

My expectations of Takuma Boutik were more than exceeded during our stay in this hidden gem of a boutique hotel that is nestled in the vibrant and upcoming town of Las Terrenas and I highly recommend booking a stay here if your travels lead you to this charming area of the Samana Peninsula. You can find out more about my stay on my “Dominican Republic” Highlights reel on Instagram @chase.the.rainbows

BOOK YOUR STAY HERE. 

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