This Overlooked Dominican Republic Beach Town Just Got a Marriott Resort With Four-Bedroom Villas

Marriott has quietly planted a flag in one of the Dominican Republic's least-developed beach towns. The Donoma Las Terrenas Resort & Villas, Autograph Collection has opened at Playa Las Ballenas in Las Terrenas, on the Samana Peninsula on the country's north coast.

The resort has 94 rooms, suites and villas, a spread that stretches from deluxe rooms and junior suites all the way up to one-, two- and four-bedroom villas. The largest villas are the headline: the four-bedroom units come with private pools and are built for groups traveling together, while a one-bedroom villa runs roughly 1,850 square feet with a full kitchen, living area and private terrace.

There are three pools on property, split between an adults-only pool, a family pool and a children's pool, plus a kids club, a fitness center and a spa with a hydrotherapy circuit included with stays. Dining runs through the resort's Solmarella restaurant alongside the Splash Bar and Sunset Bar, and guests can pick between a breakfast-inclusive plan or a full Autograph Collection all-inclusive stay.

The location is the real pitch. Las Terrenas has built a reputation as a low-key alternative to the DR's mega-resort strips, with a restaurant scene shaped by Dominican, French and Italian influences and easy access to Samana's whale-watching bays, El Limon Waterfall and Los Haitises National Park. The closest airport, Samana El Catey International, sits about 30 minutes away.

For Marriott Bonvoy members, it fills an obvious gap: a loyalty-program resort with both traditional rooms and residential-style villas in a corner of the island that has largely stayed off the big-brand map. Rooms start at around $195 a night, with villa rates beginning near $315.