La Romana and Casa de Campo
La Romana, on the southeast coast, is home to Casa de Campo — a 7,000-acre resort open since 1974, the original Caribbean luxury destination, with three Pete Dye golf courses (including the famous Teeth of the Dog), a marina, an equestrian center, and its own private airport. Its best-known attraction, Altos de Chavón, is a hand-built replica 16th-century Mediterranean village with a 5,000-seat amphitheater that's hosted Sinatra, Elton John, and Beyoncé. It's also the shortest departure point for a private Saona Island trip.
Casa de Campo has been quietly doing the Caribbean-luxury thing since 1974, decades before Punta Cana's resort boom, and it shows in a good way: less flash, more golf-and-marina old-money energy, and a genuinely bizarre, genuinely great fake Renaissance village bolted onto the side of it.
How many days do you need?
Three to five nights suits Casa de Campo's own pace — golf, the marina, Altos de Chavón, a Saona Island day trip — without needing to leave the property much at all. It's less of a 'see the region' base and more of a 'settle into one very good resort' base, closer in spirit to a golf-and-spa destination than a beach-hopping itinerary.
Casa de Campo — the original Caribbean luxury resort
Sprawling across roughly 7,000 acres, Casa de Campo has been operating since 1974 and is still the Dominican Republic's most golf-and-equestrian-focused luxury property — three Pete Dye-designed courses (Teeth of the Dog is the famous one, regularly ranked among the best in the Caribbean), a full equestrian center, a shooting sports center, tennis courts, a private marina, and its own dedicated airport (La Romana International, code LRM) a few kilometers away.
| Amenity | What it is |
|---|---|
| Teeth of the Dog golf course | Pete Dye's signature course, several holes played directly along the ocean |
| Marina Casa de Campo | A yacht marina lined with restaurants, bars, and boutiques |
| Equestrian Center | Polo, horseback riding, and lessons |
| Shooting Center | Clay shooting, one of the largest facilities of its kind in the Caribbean |
Altos de Chavón — a fake 16th-century village that works
Built in the late 1970s by an Italian film-set designer, Altos de Chavón is a meticulously constructed replica of a Mediterranean village perched above the Chavón River gorge — cobblestone streets, artisan workshops selling local amber and larimar jewelry, a small Taíno archaeology museum, a church, and restaurants ranging from Italian to Mexican. It sounds like it shouldn't work, and yet it genuinely does.
The village's 5,000-seat open-air amphitheater, inaugurated by Frank Sinatra in 1982, has since hosted Julio Iglesias, Elton John, Gloria Estefan, and Beyoncé, among others — check what's scheduled during your dates, since a concert night here is a genuinely unusual way to spend an evening in the Dominican Republic. Non-resort guests pay an entrance fee to visit the village, or can book a guided tour; most people time their visit for late afternoon, when the light over the river gorge is best and the day's heat has eased.
Beyond the resort
- Isla Catalina — a smaller, quieter alternative to Saona Island, reachable by boat from La Romana, with good snorkeling and a protected marine-park beach.
- Saona Island — La Romana and nearby Bayahibe are the shortest departure points for this classic day trip, noticeably faster than a transfer from Punta Cana.
- Cueva de las Maravillas — an underground cave system with Taíno pictographs and stalactite formations, a short drive from La Romana, an easy add-on for a rainy day.
What it costs
| Item | Approx. cost |
|---|---|
| Casa de Campo, per night (varies widely by villa/room category) | $250-900+ |
| Altos de Chavón entrance (non-resort guests) | $5-10 |
| Round of golf at Teeth of the Dog | $200-300+ |
| Isla Catalina snorkeling day trip | $50-80 per person |
Getting there
La Romana has its own international airport (La Romana International, LRM), a few kilometers from Casa de Campo, with a mix of direct and connecting routes from the US. It's about a 55-minute, 70-km drive from Punta Cana International Airport if you're arriving there instead, and roughly 1.5-2 hours from Santo Domingo.
Mistakes worth avoiding
- Booking Casa de Campo expecting a typical all-inclusive resort experience — golf, equestrian, and marina activities are generally billed separately from the room rate, closer to a traditional luxury hotel than an all-inclusive.
- Skipping Altos de Chavón because 'it's fake' — the craftsmanship and setting genuinely hold up, and it's one of the more unusual cultural stops in the entire country.
- Not checking the amphitheater's event calendar before booking if a concert would be a highlight — schedules vary significantly by season.
Casa de Campo dominates the high end; La Romana town has cheaper options
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