It has chic villas, three world-class golf courses, boutiques, a marina, a spa, a cultural village and, of course, the Caribbean at its feet. The Casa de Campo resort, at La Romana on the Dominican Republic’s south-eastern coast, has been around for forty years but it doesn’t show any signs of aging!

The immense private estate (7,000 acres) is there to discover… little by little. Casa de Campo was born in the head (or the heart) of Alvaro Carta, owner of a Puerto Rican sugarcane firm and of the parent company behind American cinematic giant Paramount Pictures. He already owned a sugar mill at La Romana, and nearby he found an untouched shoreline on which to build the most all-inclusive of all-inclusive resorts.

Country or Seaside Villas

Casa de Campo’s rental villas are the stars of the resort! They are all different, except for different numbers of bedrooms (ranging from three to seven) and for the indispensable pool. Décor varies. Some are real country houses, like the very colonial Villa del Campo, the warm and very contemporary Villa los Triangulos or the four magnificent waterfront residences, and all are truly private. Blended families or intergenerational vacationers will want to consider the option of renting a villa. Children, parents and grandparents can all find their own space, as well as their own outside activities.

Of course, couples or small families will probably find that a room at the hotel or the warm, elegant golf lodge is a better fit.

World-class Golf Courses and Marina

In fact, Casa de Campo has not one but three golf courses, including Teeth of the Dog. Designed by architecte Pete Dye, it is ranked number one in the Caribbean and 47th in the world by Golf Magazine. The marina’s design is inspired by old Mediterranean villages, but it’s outfitted with the newest technologies and trends in pleasure boating. The sailing school has a reputation for excellence, and if you stay in one of the 105 marina apartments or villas it’s right at your doorstep. Nearby you’ll find a number of restaurants where you can have a great Spanish or Asian meal in a “marine” atmosphere.

Sports and Fitness

The resort doesn’t just have a spa specializing in treatments using local products, like sugar cane or coffee, but it offers all the possible watersports, like deep-sea diving, free-diving, fishing, kayaking… Casa de Campo has a shooting club, a tennis club known as the Wimbledon of the Caribbean, and an original polo and equestrian centre. Created by an Indian maharajah, it’s one of the most popular clubs in the Caribbean, with matches nearly every week!

Art and Culture

It’s fairly uncommon to find a real cultural village inside a resort, especially one of this quality! With its picturesque streets and its church, Altos de Chavon is a neighbourhood out of time, like a replica of a village from the Middle Ages on the shores of the Mediterranean.

Surrounded by the scent of bougainvillea, you can stroll to the museum (which offers children’s activities), stopping at the shops of local potters or the workshops of resident artists for a chat. And of course there are nearly a dozen boutiques and, above all, the magnificent Greek-style outdoor amphitheatre used for major shows. It was inaugurated by none other than Frank Sinatra and seats 5,000.

And let’s not forget the showpiece of the whole resort: the beach! There are a number of splendid, isolated beaches to discover at Casa de Campo. A new adventure every day!

VOYAGE RÉGENCE INC.
FRANCINE MARTIN
1410, rue Stanley, Bureau 409
Montréal, QC H3A 1P8
514 284-3366

www.voyageregence.com

Text: Anne Pélouas