Casa de Campo

La Romana, Dominican Republic

Airport.

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We chose to arrive at Santo Domingo’s Las Americas International Airport (code SDQ, Aeropuerto Internacional Las Americas or AILA) instead of flying directly into La Romana because we would have had to connect. It was faster to arrive in Santo Domingo and drive to Casa de Campo than it was to connect via air, and we also didn’t have to worry about missing our connection.

Our voucher had told us to go to some desk (I can’t remember what they called it), but I couldn’t find it. Some taxi guys out front (there were dozens of them pleading to be my driver) directed me to a Tropical Tours bus, but our name was not on their list of passengers going to Casa de Campo. They directed us to a Taxi van and we were told to pay the driver US$60, but that the resort would reimburse us. The voucher I had indicated that our transportation provider should not charge us, but if they did, to get a receipt and that the hotel would reimburse us. So, we decided to go in the taxi and therefore had our own comfortable and air-conditioned ride to the resort.

I directed the driver to stop at a colmado (small store) so we could pick up a few beers for the road and I bought the driver a Coke. There, Veronica got her first taste of the Dominican Republic in the area near Santo Domingo’s Las Americas International Airport. A bunch of small children came up to us and were begging for money. One was rubbing his stomach to indicate he was hungry and gave a big frown. His friend smacked him in the face and he returned to a smiling little boy with his hand out. We passed out Peso coins (valued at about US$0.07 each). They thanked us and waved as we left.

The ride to the resort, although advertised as 1 ½ hours took 1 hour and 10 minutes. The road to La Romana, where Casa de Campo is located, is only about 5 years old since it was redone is in excellent condition. It is a two-lane highway made of smooth asphalt. The trip was uninteresting. The only real town we passed through was San Pedro de Macoris. The landscape is mostly rural.

Arrival.

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When we arrived at the resort, I asked the driver for a receipt, but he didn’t have one, so I told him to come into the reception area with me. I explained to the front desk that my voucher from GoGo Tours had indicated that the hotel would reimburse me if the driver charged me for transportation, and that since the driver was here now, they could just pay him directly, which they did without discussion.

The reception area was small and unimpressive. We were checked in minutes and after some brief explanations about what was included and where things were located, we were given a map of the resort, some papers describing what we had been told, and two plastic cards that could be used as charge cards throughout the resort and the town of Altos de Chavon. We were taken to our room via the bellmen on a golf cart. We were on the golf card about 5 seconds and we were at our room. We commented how if we had know it was only 50 feet away, we could have walked. It happened to be about the most convenient location on the property, with the pool and hotel area, along with the only restaurant open for breakfast all within very close walking distance. We were in casita room 209. Note that there is a villa located elsewhere with the same number, as during our stay, several deliveries meant for the villa ended up mistakenly at our door.

The Room.

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We stayed in what the resort calls a casita, which translates roughly to "little house". The casitas are hotel rooms that are all connected side to side, with a terrace out the backside, the entrance in the front (some with car ports), and all 1 story. The setup is similar to a 1-story motel except the rooms have terraces on the backside. The room had a cathedral ceiling.

On entering the room, there was a small counter with a coffee maker and coffee. Below it was a mini refrigerator stocked with liquors, soda, water, and munchies. Because it was stocked, there wasn’t any room to make personal use of it, but we managed to rearrange things to that we could store the free bottle of Champagne that Continental Airlines had given us on the flight over. Items in the mini-bar are not included, but the only items we took from it during our trip were bottles of water (4-5 a day), cigarettes, and a candy bar. The mini-bar was restocked every day about noon.

Inside the room (via a modern electronic door lock – the kind where you insert a plastic punch card – we were given two) were two double beds, a small walk-in closet with a chair and a full length mirror, an average sink, a hair driver, and a bathroom with a bidet. The closet also had an iron and full size ironing board, as well as an electronic digital security safe (you enter 4 digits of your choice to lock and the same digits are entered to unlock). The back wall is lined with doors, wall-to-wall, and each door has a screen, shudder panels that can be opened or closed, and an additional glass door over those. These doors open up to the back terrace, which has a small table and two chairs. Our terrace didn’t overlook anything spectacular – just a courtyard with more casitas.

There was a book in the room that explained all that was available at the resort, as well as short descriptions of excursions and restaurants.

Food.

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There are numerous restaurants, but only 1 for breakfast. Most of the restaurants require reservations, long pants and collared shirts for the gentlemen, and nice attire for the ladies. We sampled all but two restaurants (El Sombrero, a delightful little place serving TEX-MEX fare, and El Pescador, located at the beach and serving seafood).

Lago Grill.

No Reservations needed, casual attire (shorts and T-shirts allowed).

This is the only restaurant open for breakfast. Breakfast is a buffet with all eggs cooked to order and the usual array of breakfast stuff. It was as good as any breakfast buffet I’ve experienced in the Caribbean and overlooks part of the golf course and the sea. Eggs were cooked up quickly, as there were always two cooks, each operating 6 burners. Breakfast was served until 11:00am.

19^th Hole Bar.

No Reservations needed, casual attire (shorts and T-shirts allowed).

This was the only place to eat between 3 and 5pm. All they have are sandwiches. You select from a variety of ingredients and breads and they custom make your sandwich. This place was located adjacent to the pro-shop and we ended up eating there twice by default. Nothing special but a really nice view over the golf course and out to the sea.

Tropicana.

Reservations required, long pants, collared shirts, etc.

Located right at the main hotel building, this was a steak house. Their food was incredibly good and served in a romantic setting overlooking a tropical garden. Angus beef is served here, two inches thick. We chose this place our first night because it was the only reservations-required restaurant that we could walk to.

El Patio.

No Reservations needed, casual attire (shorts and T-shirts allowed).

A simple country restaurant with simple but tasty menu items, including Dominican Stew and other local culinary specialties. Located within the main hotel building, the food was very good and the service was speedy and attentive.

El Cano Bar.

No Reservations needed, casual attire (shorts and T-shirts allowed), swimsuits allowed with cover-up.

This is mostly a bar with musical entertainment in the evening. They also have Cuban and club sandwiches, fried chicken, French fries and popcorn. Tables are small lounge style tables and I would describe the place as a lobby bar.

La Piazzeta.

Reservations required, long pants, collared shirts, etc.

A fine Italian restaurant in Altos de Chavon. Food and service were excellent and the ambiance was wonderful as well. Their pasta bar was excellent and I had ostrich, which was the first time I had ever had it. It tasted like medallions of beef in a mustard sauce. It was OK but I don’t think I’d order it again.

Café del Sol.

No Reservations needed, casual attire (shorts and T-shirts allowed).

This is a nice pizza place and they also serve ice cream. Half of the seating is outdoors and is situated in the center of Altos de Chavon. The setting was very relaxed. I’ve had better pizza. The service was fast. We ate there late in the afternoon (about 5:00p) and we were the only patrons. They had just opened.

Café del Rio.

Reservations required, long pants, collared shirts, etc.

We were unable to get reservations here until our last night, so make your reservation for this place immediately upon arrival. This is the resorts finest restaurant and they serve French food in a romantic 17^th century setting. A fantastic place to eat and perched on the edge of the rock hilltop of Altos de Chavon with spectacular views of the river down below. I give it 4-5 stars. Veronica had cornish hen and I had rack of lamb. The banana soufflé was out of this world and the crème brulee was average. Korbel Brut Champagne was served by the glass (included).

Room Service.

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Room service was also included, but we didn’t use it. The menu was limited to sandwiches. The also offer an option to deliver complete box lunches to your room so that you can go off on your and an bring your lunch with you.

The Main Hotel Area.

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The main hotel area contains a gift shop, tobacco shop, liquor store, a bank, an excursions desk, an Avis Car Rental counter, a golf card rental counter, the reception desk, an information counter, La Cana Bar, the Tropicana Restaurant, the El Patio, a small courtyard, a florist, a beauty salon, American Airlines counter, a florist, a beauty salon, American Airlines counter, and the pool area. None of it was spectacular and I would even say it was small, considering the size of the resort.

The Main Pool Area.

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The main pool was one of the resort’s disappointments. It is set up with a shallow pool at one end, stepping down some stair, water fall feeds the second pool, which goes to about 9 feet deep and has a tiny swim-up bar at one end and a baby pool off to one side.

There were plenty of chairs and pool attendants bring you your towels and set them up on your chair. They also will relocate your chairs for you. The pools was square and nothing spectacular, but adequate. The morning hours were filled every day with kids yelling and playing marco-polo. The perimeter of the pool area is surrounded by plants and trees. I could not relax because of the noise, flies, and mosquitoes.

Drink service varied between 5 and 20 minutes. The food from La Cana bar was also available. The club sandwich I ordered took 20 minutes to arrive.

The Beach.

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The beach was also very unspectacular. It was small and clean and not so

beautiful when compared to other Caribbean beaches. The sand was a graining golden brown and not compacted. Both ends of the beach were bordered by large stone walls, with golf course on the other side of each of the walls, so it was not possible to take a beach walk of more than a few hundred yards. Beach service was good. They bring you your beach chairs and towels and set them up right where you tell them.

The beach was inconveniently located such that it could only be reached by bus or a 10-minute ride in the golf cart.

Water sports were limited, but there were sunfishes, catamarans, kayaks, paddleboats, and snorkel equipment available. About 50 yards out into the water, a man-made breakwall of stack rocks formed the back boarder of the swim area. Snorkeling was not so good on the swimming side of the rocks but on the backside of the rocks were lots of fish and submerged reefs.

No motorized water sports of any kind were available and when I inquired about renting the only boat there, a work boat with a 60hp outboard, I was told that it was a rescue boat. After some negotiation, I arranged to take an "excursion" (water skiing) on the boat before the beach opened, from 8-9am. I had to provide my own equipment (rope, handle, ski, and gloves) and I didn’t use a jacket. The boat was a real piece of junk.

As we headed out into the ocean it was clear we were not going to find any spot where the water was sufficiently smooth amongst the giant swells. The driver suggested we go up the river. The river was as smooth as glass and the water was a black-brown color, making it look like a giant mirror. To one side were rock cliffs that went up what I would guess to be about 1000 feet, with the town Altos de Chavon perched at the top.

The other side was filled with grass and tree filled meadows, grazing cattle, and various other river sights. It was a fantastic tour that lasted for about an hour and took me 5 miles up the river, three times there and back to the mouth. There, we passed people fishing and some Dominican people that live off of the river.

I was so thrilled with the trip, for which I paid US$75, that I brought Veronica along the next morning to do it again, even though she would ordinarily be quite bored watching me ski. The water was intensely smooth as I threw giant rooster tails into the air side to side, bringing in quite a few unusual stares from the local river people. I was told that it is somewhat rare to see a water skier up this river, although a Swiss guy had done it just a few weeks earlier.

Because there wasn’t any good spot to tie my rope onto, we tied it to a piece of cotton rope that was already attached to the back of the boat. The friction between my ski rope (which was the best and brand new) and the cotton rope caused my rope to break once, and later, the cotton rope broke.

The Shooting Center

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They have a Trap Field, a Skeet Field, Flyers, and Sporting Clays. I went for the Sporting Clays, where we enjoyed simulated hunting. We would go off into the woods on these trails in a golf cart, with two Dominicans on the back. Every 50 yards, we’d stop, and one Dominican would run off into the woods where he would locate one of the clay disk launching machines. The other Dominican would signal when I was ready for they disk to be launched, let me know where to expect the clays to come, and hand me my shotgun shells.

There are over 300 different positions to shoot from in the Sporting Clays section. I shot over trees, from bunkers carved into the ground, and they even had clays that shot across the ground like running rabbits. The sent clays directly at me, over my head, away from me, off to the sides, and in a variety of patterns. The cost was US$150 for 1 hour and 100 shells. Reservations were required. I had never fired a shotgun before and they spent a few minutes with me in the beginning to instruct me. Had Veronica wanted to shoot, they offered a variety of different shotgun and ammo sizes.

Golf.

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While golf is one of the biggest draws to this resort, I didn’t play. I’m not so good and didn’t want to go hacking around such a nice course. Word was though that there were plenty of hackers out there, so next time I’ll play a round. They also have a driving range for practice. I asked some other guests what they highlight of their trip to Casa de Campo was and they all told me, the golf.

Tennis.

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They have numerous regular and clay courts including some lit for night play, but I didn’t play.

Horse Back Riding.

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Apparently, they have quite a ranch for riding, but I didn’t go. I really don’t like horses.

Disco.

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There is one disco located in the town of Altos de Chavon. It was medium sized, air conditioned, quite comfortable with sofas and cushy chairs along one side and all the high-tech lights and sound you would expect from a disco. It was only open on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Friday it was crowded but it was kind of dead on Saturday. The restrooms have attendants. The reception area had told me it was open to the public but some Dominicans confided to me that Dominicans cannot enter unless they are somehow associated with the resort.

The Property.

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Casa de Campo translates roughly to Country House. The word "campo" in the Dominican Republic is usually used to refer to a rural area, but it can also mean any wide-open field.

Rather than describe Casa de Campo as a resort, I would describe it as an upscale private suburban neighborhood (think Beverly Hills) and country club. Its property is vast and goes for miles. Most of the property in fact is made up of private and rental homes that cost between US$250,000 – US$1,000,000. Some really beautiful homes are here, including many owned by celebrities. The resort is essentially a bunch of winding asphalt roads that weave through the hundreds of houses, beautifully landscaped and decorated, some of which are under construction and many of which can be rented as villas, some with private pools. I was constantly sighing, "Wow. Look at THAT house."

I would recommend that on arrival, you immediately go to the "red carts" rental desk next to reception and rent a golf card at US$27/day. You really need them to get around the resort. It was fun to tour the property for an afternoon and look at all the houses, but it became clear that most of the resort was made up of private and rented villas and closed to the individual guests.

The bottom line, was that I was grew quite bored with the place, was disappointed with the pool, the beach, the lack of motorized water-sports, the fact that everything was so spread out you had to drive everywhere you go, and that you had to make a reservation to eat at most of the restaurants (I don’t like to plan when I’m on vacation). I should have brought my roller-blades as the roads were perfect for blading. I did see some kids on inline skates one day.

They do not allow the red golf carts up to Altos de Chavon, to leave the resort, or onto the golf course. The golf course has their own white carts for rent. They have frequent shuttle bus service throughout the resort to get to the beach, Altos de Chavon, and other areas, but having your own cart is much more convenient.

Most of the resort guests, from what I could tell, were American (maybe 75%), and almost all the employees spoke good English. They were also a very friendly and helpful bunch of employees that really seemed to enjoy their job. Service throughout the resort was spectacular – not just relative to the typical slow service I’d experienced elsewhere in the Caribbean. The speed of service would be considered fast, especially in the restaurants, even to us hurried Americans.

Altos de Chavon.

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Altos de Chavon is a replica of a 17^th Century Mediterranean village built on top of a rock cliff and also constructed of rock, and is part of the Casa de Campo Resort. It was built by a group of artists. The village is only a few blocks long, plus an absolutely giant amphitheater, and a disco. It overlooks high above the Chavon River with breathtaking views. The town has several restaurants, some art galleries, a church, a park, and a few shops. The floor is all brick and stone throughout and is really fun for an afternoon walking tour. After that, you won’t want to bother coming back except for the fine dining at the various restaurants. I saw a wedding in the old church while I was there and it was really fantastic. Ladies - don’t wear narrow spiked heels when you visit this town because walking along the stone and brick ground could be hazardous. Veronica had a tough time walking around at night with fancy shoes as the heels kept slipping into the crevices between the stones.

Fitness Center.

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There was a fitness center across from the main hotel area. I did not use the facilities but I did tour the place. There were a few racquet ball courts, a sauna, and a workout room. The workout room was small with only about a dozen different machines. It was not impressive, but adequate.

Kids Center.

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I also toured the kids center. It resembled a typical day care center as you might find in any Midwestern American suburb. Nothing special. The resort also offers nanny service and I witnessed a couple bratty kids telling their Dominican Nannies that "I can do anything I want" when they were asked to settle down on one of the buses. The nannies remained calm.

What was included (at about US$150 per person, per night).

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The room.

All meals and drinks at all the restaurants, bars, beach, room service, and pool areas, except for bottles of wine and the in-room mini-bar.

Horseback riding.

Tennis (equipment not included)

Water sports at the beach.

Use of the fitness center.

Kids program (up to 2 children per room)

Towels and lounge chairs at the pool and beach.

Transportation throughout the resort.

Transportation to and from the airport.

La Romana.

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I did go into La Romana 3 nights and had a good time, but it’s not for everybody. Since this review is about Casa de Campo, I’ll defer from describing the details, other than that the places I went were typical Dominican nightlife scenes – loud, crowded, lots of Merengue dancing, etc. I didn’t see a single other tourist while I was out either.

Summary.

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Casa de Campo is a spectacular property and first class most of the way. Overall, I had a great time and will likely return, but probably only if I can convince at least another couple to join us. As a beach resort I found it lacking and the pool wasn’t so spectacular either. For those that don’t care that much about the pool or the beach, but love golf or tennis, this is great place. I was grew bored, so 4 days was just right for my stay. Any longer and I’d have run out of stuff to do. The service and food were excellent – in fact as good or better than anywhere I’ve experienced in the Caribbean. This would be a nice place to build a house and retire. I’m considering it!

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