[ulw7A8Po]

I am flying down for a quick, Thurs thru Tues trip on the 18th of September. I am flying into Santiago and I plan on driving east to Samana then up and along the north coast to Nagua and then along to POP before coming back over the mountain to Santiago and flying back home. Can anyone suggest any good hotels/restaurants along the route or anything else that may be of interest to me?I plan on doing a lot of exploring and stopping in several small towns along the way. I am especially looking forward to seeing samana and I have no idea where to stay there. Also, how long is the drive from Santiago to Samana? Thanks in advance.
Larry