Photographer: Andrea Ceraso
Fifty years ago, Charles Bluhdorn…
– who, prior to his death in 1983, had a residence in the B&NC Mag area in addition to the family’s apartment in New York City, and who’s children, Paul and Dominique, are still locals
– who built Gulf + Western into the first giant conglomerate
of diverse interests, including Paramount Pictures, and Madison Square Garden, and Simon & Schuster, and New Jersey Zinc, and the Consolidated Cigar Corporation, and the South Puerto Rico Sugar Company, whose holdings included a 7,000 acre beachfront property, complete with a dramatic tropical gorge where the Chavon River meets the Caribbean, in the eastern province of La Romana in the Dominican Republic
– who’s the same guy being played by Burn Gorman in the hit Paramount+ series called The Offer, about the making of The Godfather
…determined to develop the 7,000 acre La Romana plantation into what is now Casa de Campo.
From the start, Bluhdorn meant to set Casa de Campo apart! He built hundreds of oceanfront casitas that made every guest feel like a local, and owners feel like Kings; one of the first villa owners was Oscar de la Renta. He built the biggest tennis facility in the Caribbean, a shooting range, and an equestrian facility complete with polo! He had Pete Dye cut his masterpiece Teeth of The Dog golf course into the beachfront! And, high atop the Chavon River gorge, he constructed a 16th-century stone village, named Altos de Chavon – and to herald the opening of the 5,000 seat amphitheater at Altos de Chavon in 1982, Bludhorn had Frank Sinatra perform, and broadcast the celebration worldwide as the ‘Concert for the Americas’.
Everyone knows the old saw in purchasing real estate that it’s ‘location, location, location’…
WHEN PICKING A VACATION, THERE’S MORE TO CONSIDER…
Of course,
LOCATION
is still critical,
and there’s no better
WEATHER, or
CLEARER-BLUE
CARIBBEAN BEACHES,
or greater non-stop convenience flying from New York than at
CASA DE CAMPO.
Today, ‘the resort’, now owned by the Fanjul family – who live on-property, is the mature realization of Bludhorn’s grand vision. Casa de Campo is the integration of a five-star guest hotel, and a tropical enclave that now includes 2,000 homes for wealthy Dominicans, Internationals and Americans – whose spending is a part of why Casa de Campo is able to maintain a scope and grade of amenities greater than any other resort in the Caribbean. …For guests, it’s the ultimate luxury playground, with perfect weather all year long!
But when it comes to having all the elements of a perfect vacation…
Great accommodations are a primary requirement, and the villas at Casa de Campo are exceptional!
Every kind of beachfront, golf course and tropical setting is available, and there are ‘villas’ of every size, ranging from smaller Dominican-styled casitas designed to ideally accommodate a golfers foursome, to grand homes with private pools and hot-tubs, oversized ensuite bedrooms with private hot- tubs, and large-by-any-standards, air- conditioned and open-air, dining, living and sitting rooms and spaces, ample for families or parties of a dozen or more!
The villas come equipped with 4-seat golf carts that are the preferred method of transport around the idyllic neighborhood and for the five or ten minute golf cart trips between hotel, villa, golf, tennis, equestrian, marina, beach and Altos de Chavon; but Casa de Campo also operates a fleet of vans with courteous and punctual operators that are always available, if preferred.
And the villas, which have kitchen and laundry, are staffed with all-day butler, cleaning and cooking staff, as required! Breakfast ordered the night before, ready and served at the appointed hour in the dining room or maybe out by the pool. Daily laundry and linen service. Some cool drinks and fresh fruit in the backyard upon return from the beach.
G R E A T A C C O M M O D A T I O N S
….Casa de Campo will even cater any dinner or party as desired and serve it to the group in your villa, in high style.
Of course, if a villa is not for you, Casa de Campo also has a wide selection of modern, clean and well-appointed hotel rooms and suites, located near the Hotel Center and around the property.
Top-notch FACILITIES & ACTIVITIES are paramount, and the
BEACH, GOLF, TENNIS, AND EQUESTRIAN facilities at Casa de Campo are second-to-none!
GOLF AT CASA DE CAMPO IS unparalleled!
Pete Dye’s masterpiece, TEETH OF THE DOG, is on everyone’s ‘Best Of’ list, and is perhaps the most enjoyable beachfront course anywhere on the planet. Four holes on the front nine and four holes on the back nine feature tee boxes and greens that protrude into the ocean at only a few feet above sea level, where the beach serves as a natural hazard and a part of the hole. The course is in great shape, and a variety of tee boxes can make the course as difficult as desired.
Dye’s second course at Casa de Campo, called THE LINKS, starts and ends at a fully-stocked pro shop and ‘19th Hole’ shared with Teeth of The Dog – near the golf range and practice facility, and all adjacent to the Lagos Restaurant and near the Hotel Center. It winds through old sugar cane fields, now lined with golf villas, and features some dramatic and tight green complexes with almost no room to miss on either side!
And then there’s TO DYE FORE – aka 2DYE4 – the last of Dye’s gems at Casa de Campo, built years after ‘Teeth’ and located several miles away, on the high bluffs near Altos de Chavon, with it’s own pro shop and dining, and with one nine overlooking Minitas Beach, the Marina and the open ocean, and another nine perched above the Chavon RIver gorge. Wind can be a factor, particularly on the Chavon nine, and this longer, impeccably maintained course, has lots of signature-Dye diabolically undulating fairways and elevated and exciting green complexes. While it’s hard to like anything as much as a round on ‘Teeth of the Dog’…somehow TO DYE FORE should be ranked ‘ALSO #1 BEST OF’!
MINITAS BEACH
The beach at Casa de Campo is a wide, white-sand swath, with a clean-bottom, sparkling clear-water, shallow expanse, protected from open waters by a shallow rock jetty. Casa de Campo’s facilities include two family pools, comfortable chairs and umbrellas out on the beach, and a locker room for all necessities. There are fun food trucks and food and drink service is also available on the beach; there’s gear available for snorkeling, sailing and paddle-boating, and; there are motorboats at the ready for water–skiing and deeper-water snorkeling and scuba.
The Minitas Beach Club & Restaurant is just the combination of casual and elegant that makes for the perfect afternoon repast or a romantic dinner at the beach. The fare is billed as Mediterranean cuisine with a Dominican twist – which ends up meaning a variety to suit those looking for anything from champagne and shrimp croquettes, or sushi and salad, to those wanting a fried chicken sandwich or a tasty pizza. It’s the perfect place to take in the ocean view, enjoy the warm breeze, and share some special time with family or friends.
And the separate ‘ADULTS ONLY’ area at Minitas Beach is not to be missed! Private shaded cabanas with private food service, surrounding sundecks and a vanishing edge pool, all set right on the western end of Minitas Beach, make for a St. Barth’s vibe and great place to chill…or to find something hot.
T E N N I S
at Casa de Campo is terrific! With 13 har-tru courts, the tennis center at Casa de Campo is the largest in the Caribbean. It’s a center of Dominican tennis development, and Dominican kids training at Casa de Campo are available to hit or play at any level – or to ball boy.
The tennis center now also boasts 2 pickleball courts and 2 paddle courts.
And Casa de Campo’s EQUESTRIAN facilities – including notably the POLO fields and facilities – are a magnet for the International jet set.
And, quite astoundingly, there’s also ALVON DE CHAVON. The fantastic fort is something
of a folly, but hosts restaurants which serve as memorable dinner destination for Casa de Campo guests: LA PIAZZETTA – an upscale restaurant with traditional Italian gourmet cuisine and CHILANGO – a modern taqueria.
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Then there’s the
MARINA,
which has a grocery store, a pharmacy, a movie theater, an ice cream shop, a bunch of high-end retail stores, and three restaurants: CAUSA – with authentic Peruvian cuisine; LA CASITA – with traditional Spanish cuisine, and; SBG – with what’s described as Mediterranean and International Fusion Cuisine.
For lunch, or all afternoon, to watch the sunset, or for dinner, SBG is the coolest dining experience imaginable – set dockside under a lighthouse, with open-air bar and dining areas, and featuring a glass-walled swimming pool – and is, in B&NC MAG’s opinion, Casa de Campo’s best restaurant. The Pasta prepared tableside in a Cheese Wheel is a must, the ‘special’ charcoal-grilled Lobster dish was delicious, and the tuna sushi on crispy rice was so fresh it might have jumped out of the ocean and onto the plate.
A bevy of yachts and superyachts occupy the MARINA – and a few of these oceangoing giants can even be chartered through Casa de Campo. And the MARINA is also the point of departure for a variety of recreational and fishing boat charters – which can, of course, also be arranged through Casa de Campo – as the waters around La Romana are famous for blue marlin sport fishing.
MORE FOOD
In addition to all the delicious choices for all kinds of food served in Casa de Campo’s several different spectacular spaces, LA CANA, the main restaurant in the Hotel Center featuring Mediterranean and International cuisine, and LAGO, between the Hotel Center and Teeth/Links Pro Shop, offer delectable daily fare. The LAGO’s daily buffet breakfast, with omelets, waffles, pancakes, bread pudding, a variety of tropical fruits, meats, cheeses, pastries, breads and cakes, smoothies-to-order, juices, coffee and tea; served overlooking the Teeth of the Dog’s 18th Hole and the Caribbean; is so good that it’s tough to choose between it, and having a private breakfast made to order and served in the villa!
And, oh yeah, for less than the cost of Uber Eats, Casa de Campo has full-menu room service, to deliver whatever you crave to any room or villa.
SERVICE
makes a big difference – and that includes: pleasant interaction with each and every driver, server, bartender, and other attendant at each of the facilities around Casa de Campo; a fleet of friendly caddies who really know the courses, and; the ability to contact a dedicated concierge who easily makes and adjusts whatever reservations, plans and arrangements are requested.
FINALLY, CASA DE CAMP HAS
S T Y L E
An intangible mix of quality and elegance that suits you, and fulfills your highest expectations. It’s feeling comfortable. It’s fun. And each day is a forever memory.
Just back from a fun-filled week at Casa de Campo…we’re already planning a trip back next year, and on making a trip to Casa de Campo at least an annual event! Everything about our Casa de Campo vacation was picture perfect… except perhaps a few errant golf shots!
And we’re eager to try the new spa, and play the nine-hole LAGOS course being added to the TO DYE FORE facility.
TRAVEL Notes
Commercial air direct from New York to Punta Cana, with transportation for 1-hour drive or 15-minute helicopter arranged by Casa de Campo, is preferred. The busier Santa Domingo airport, 1-hour drive to Casa de Campo from the West, is second choice. Private and intra-Caribbean air may be arranged to La Romana Airport, only 5 minutes from Casa de Campo.
Punta Cana airport (PUH) has a Priority Pass Club – with a small pool!, but there are no other airline clubs.
Touring Consolidated Cigar Corp.’s largest-in-the-world premium hand-made cigar factory, located near the Western entrance of the Casa de Campo property is a worthwhile excursion – particularly for those wishing to acquire fine Dominican cigars.
The Golf balls in the pro shop are expensive, but bags of 20 balls, sorted by brand, and freshly reclaimed from the beach, will be made available for $20 during the course of each round.
There’s an automatic 10% service charge on almost all restaurant bills and other charges. Cash is only useful for paying caddies and other tipping, and U.S. Dollars are welcomed. Don’t forget to include barbecued lobster tails on the menu for catered dinner in the villa!
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