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Casa
de Campo
A 7,000-Acre Retreat in The Dominican Republic
by Holly Reich
Think you can't have a romantic getaway with kids along? Think
again. Resorts like Casa de Campo give couples private time and
kids an experience they'll always cherish.
Some resorts are so
intimate that you get to know the entire property in one afternoon
(drink in hand, of course!). And then there are places like Casa
de Campo, a 7,00- acre resort on the Southeastern Coast of the
Dominican Republic, where it could take you weeks to explore (and
many drinks). Its locations like this where one can be delightfully
anonymous.
In fact, Casa De Campo, "Country House" in Spanish,
has been described as a small country. Located outside La Romana,
a sleepy town with a newly opened cruise port, Casa De Campo has
its roots in something sweet--sugar. The property, originally
purchased in 1911 by Puerto Rico Sugar Company, evolved into a
resort in the early 70s with Teeth of the Dog a seaside
golf course, Appointed #1 in the Caribbean by Golf Magazine, the
Links and Dye Fore have since joined the roster of famous courses.
BTW--the week we were visiting, Bill Clinton was doing his rounds.
To adequately describe this diverse property in less than 1,000
words in a visually enticing way is a prospect as overwhelming
as trying to cover the whole resort in one week. (Ill just
take a deep breath and plunge in!)
The main hotel area is a lofty thatch-roofed open-air environment
with shops, restaurants, bars and double-tiered swimming pools
surrounding a tropically planted courtyard. We had several dinners
at Tropicana, which serves delicious skirt steak and has BBQ ribs
and sirloin steak on the kids menu. Off the main area theres
intimate groupings of 300 Mediterranean-style garden guest- rooms
(red roofs, white stucco, inlaid tiles) with individual balconies
or patios.
If youre traveling in a group, I would suggest a villa.
There were 8 of us including 5 kids ages 9-12 and 3 parents. Our
vast 4-bedroom had a separate wing for the kids, ceiling fans
and air-conditioning, a swimming pool and a well-kept garden.
The butler, Freddy, and housekeeper, Lourdes prepared huge Dominican
style or American breakfasts, kept the house clean, the towels
replenished, closed the shutters to the afternoon sun and basically
became part of our family. Lourdes entertained the kids by chasing
down geckos and Freddy remembered all the details (like having
my hot milk and coffee ready by the swimming pool every morning).
I was spoiled!
It
would have been more than easy to stay at the villa all day every
day. But we decided to take in the Casa experience. To get around,
most people use golf carts that cruise along at 15 mph (available
for rent or they come free with a villa) or shuttle buses which
dont necessarily run on schedule.
We spent mornings at Minitas, a beach cove with little huts for
outdoor massage, merengue lessons, and trinket shopping. The beach
boys set up cushy chairs for us to lull on. Theres also
snorkeling, windsurfers, kayaks, and snorkeling. If you are an
avid snorkeler or scuba diver ask about Catalina Island. Our 12-year-olds
took a beginning scuba course with an excellent instructor who
was extremely patient and caring. To note: There are no jet skis
or parasailing at Minitas (ahhh
the quiet) but there is banana
boating if you crave the rush! The beachside bar and restaurant,
El Pescador, serves everything from hamburger and fries to mahi
and the food was quite good.
Many of our afternoons were spent at La Terraza Tennis Center,
a 12-acre club with dividing stone walls and a brick stadium in
a pre-Columbian village like setting. Along with 13 Fastdry
har-tru-courts (10 lit for night play), theres also a swimming
pool, snack shop and changing rooms. The instructors were fabulous
and our boys had a terrific time playing handball with a group
of local ball boys.
One morning we put our 9-year-olds in the kids center ($31
per day including lunch, free with all-inclusive package) to go
horseback riding at the Equestrian Center which has 40 riding
horses, 15 jumping horses, 80 polo ponies and polo matches during
the season. Its a facility for serious riders.
They girls came back with smiling reports on how the camp counselors
"were just like us".
The year-round childrens program, which is divided into
groups for ages 4-7 and 8-12, has bi-lingual counselors and activities
that make use of the resort. The older kids (13-18) can hang the
clubhouse, El Bonche, a rec room/hut with computers, pool table,
ping-pong, movies, karaoke, big screen TV and free Email.
The shooting center looks like it came out of a Moroccan movie
set. The outdoor restaurant /bar has carved wooden furniture covered
in restful tropical fabrics. The kids took a skeet-shooting lesson
with Omar, who teased them about "dancing meringue"
instead of standing still and watching the clay pigeon.
Casa
de Camp is full of places to explore. Theres Altos de Chavon,
a village in the cliffs above the Chavon River, home to an art
school that partners with New York Citys Parsons School
Of Design. It was constructed in 1976 by local artisans, under
direction of Roberto Copa, the Italian cinematographer. No, this
is not Disneyland. In fact, the handcrafted cobblestone streets,
stone carvings, grotto fountains, and Spanish architecture indeed
give Altos the feel of a 16th century Mediterranean Village.
One night we ate dinner while serenaded by musicians on the stone
terrace of La Piazzetta, a Northern Italian restaurant. After
dinner the kids played with some kitties and a burro in the main
square and then we sat on stone steps at the 5,000 seat open air
amphitheatre which has hosted personalities like Julio Iglesias,
Gloria Estefan, and Shakira, who owns a place at the resort. After
the show that evening all got on stage and danced with the performers.
Another night we took a sunset cruise and feasted on steamed dumplings,
crab sushi, etc. etc. at La Chinois at the Marina and Yacht Club.
This Porto Fino-like town by the sea has sherbet colored townhouses,
chic European shops, and outdoor restaurants surrounding a courtyard
where everyoneincluding crawling toddlers-- converged at
night.
Did I cover it all? Not yet. The rest is for you to find out.
And you should know
there are clean, well-decorated bathrooms
everywhere, not everyone at Casa is bilingual so it helps to have
some knowledge of Spanish, bugs are abundant so bring your spray,
service is slow but waiters are very kind, friendly and do not
pressure you.
You can fly direct to La Romana International Airport. Las Americas
International Airport in Santo Domingo or Punta Cana International
Airport are a 75-minute drive.
For More Information:
(800) 877-3643
www.casadecampo.cc

Holly
Reich is a travel and automotive writer based in Manhattan.
All text copyright Holly Reich. No part of this article may
be reproduced without written permission from the author.
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