Letter from the Caribbean – La Romana

Hola,

I came in hot to this super cool resort as I was totally in need of a little luxury escape. From the looks of things, I picked the right place. Although relaxing is at the top of my to-do list, being on the go, even when I am enjoying my down time, seems to be threaded into my DNA. As I landed in the Dominican Republic and my driver met me to get me to Casa de Campo, I wondered if it would live up to my expectations. I have friends who have villas here and have heard wonderful things about the resort and the famed golf courses, especially Teeth of the Dog, but these are their stories. Should I have believed them? The dynamic details of days filled with golfing and lounging at the beach club followed by nights sipping cocktails and enjoying the company of great folks up at the new Minitas Beach Club and restaurant. The stories were so delicious that I wanted to dive in and create memories of my own, using theirs as my tasting menu having whet my appetite. “Have a drink here, eat Sushi lunch at Pubbelly in the Marina, Grab a romantic dinner at La Piazetta in Altos de Chavón. Don’t forget to take your golf cart over to La Casita.” I could have designed my stay around gourmet experiences. Each choice better than the last. Come to find out, I could design a variety of differently focused vacations here. I went horseback riding, past the manicured polo field. Spent a morning shooting clays at the shooting center, golfed on one of the three courses, and almost took a boat out from the marina to go deep sea fishing. The things that I could plan a full vacation around here are no joke. Casa de Campo goes deep in entertaining their guests and taking their interests to heart. Thankfully, my golf cart came with a GPS. This way, as I sought out the spots I wanted to explore, I confidently drove from place to place; except for one night I decided to go “off grid” and got myself utterly lost only minutes away from midnight. I said I wanted to make memories, right?

As I drove around, trying to reconnect to the path my GPS was clearly telling me to get back on, I wended my way past the most gorgeous villas. The warm glow of their interior lights had me making up tales of who lived there and what they were up to that evening. These homes, or second homes in many cases, are owned by some of the world’s most affluent and influential folks. At one point, when I could not seem to get the dot of my golf cart to connect to the leading blue line on the GPS, I wondered who I may bump into. The possibilities here are endless. My little night detour seemed endless as well. When I finally got back on track and made my way to the hotel reception, I found the lobby bar to be just what I needed– to reconnect with people. The laughter and conversation that filled the night air was exactly the vibe I needed. 7,000 acres of resort can seem lonely in the dark, but any smaller and I wouldn’t be room for all the activities. The one I am most intimate with is lounging. My las three days, I plan to do little more than let the great service of the staff handle the heavy lifting of bringing me green juices and refreshing salads as I lay by the infinity pool at the beach club, plotting my next trip back. I think I will design the next stay around an event…polo season or a concert is the real question. Maybe I’ll bring a few more friends and they can play the three courses and our meeting spot can be the 19th hole for cocktails after they’ve rounded their afternoon. I know one set of friends who would never forgive me if I came and didn’t bring them during the marathon. Yes, they host their own marathon on property. I think I know exactly what to do next time…rent a villa here and bring the entire gang.

Hasta luego, adios,

Peta

www.casadecampo.com.do/