Paradise unfiltered
Dominican Republic: a winter warmer with great coffee, to boot,
In early October, I flew to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic to meet up with a group of journalists. My baggage didn’t arrive — and I neglected to pack any essentials at all in my carry-on. Fail.
Luckily, my enthusiasm was enough to carry me through a full 24 hours sans essentials like my toothbrush and deodorant. (Really, my fellow travellers were the ones who suffered more than I.) For five glorious days, we toured the Dominican, eating and drinking our way through paradise.
I learned a few things during my first visit to this Caribbean getaway. In particular, I found that Dominican Republic is the perfect place to escape to this winter if you love coffee. I do, so was pleasantly surprised when every cup of the simplest drip coffee was delicious. Post-trip, one article I came across about it said, “Coffee is the Dominican national non-alcoholic drink.” (On the alcoholic front, the Dominicans make a killer rum and Coke, but we’ll stick to coffee for the sake of this article.) Even at the most affordable (read: budget) resort that we stayed at, the coffee was aromatic and smooth. At the most luxurious resort we were fortunate enough to call “home” for a few days — more on that later — I enjoyed my morning coffee while sitting on my patio, overlooking the golf course. The morning ritual had never tasted so good. Bonus: if you’re looking to bring a piece of the Dominican home with you, grab a bag of Cafe Santo Domingo coffee beans from any little supermarket and you’ll be set. If you can’t stay in the Dominican forever, you may as well enjoy the coffee once you’re home.
I have always dreamed of living like a celebrity: The aforementioned luxurious digs, a resort called Casa de Campo, is the epitome of highend cool. Located roughly 90 minutes from the Punta Cana airport — or just an eight-minute drive from the airport in La Romana, which receives direct flights from Toronto between November and April — Casa de Campo has drawn celebrities such as Jay-Z, Beyoncé, the Jonas Brothers, Cameron Diaz, Kanye West, the Kardashian family and more.
Why is this spot, which won a handful of awards from the Caribbean and Americas 2012 World Travel Awards, including The Dominican Republic’s Leading Resort, so cool? First, let’s discuss accommodations. When the big-name celebs roll into Casa, they stay at one of the properties’ massive private villas. There’s a lovely abode for every taste; we toured a stunning whimsical home, a Thai-inspired mansion and an uber-contemporary lair (the latter was my favourite). Anyone can rent one of these villas for, ahem, roughly $3,000 to $10,000 per night, depending on the property. Not in your price range? It wasn’t in ours, either. We stayed in Casa de Campo’s much more affordable — and just as luxurious — hotel rooms. During the winter months, hotel rooms run from $500 to $650 per night.
The great thing about Casa is, whether you’re in a hotel room or a luxe house, you have access to the same restaurants, facilities and in credible activities. Always wanted to try skeet shooting, pottery or horseback riding? Into golfing and playing tennis (on a clay court, to boot)? You can do it all at Casa. And once you’ve done it all, you can recharge at the spa — try The Four-Hands Massage — or at the private beach area. And I’ve saved the coolest bit for last: to get around the resort’s 7,000 acres, just hop in your own zippy, little red golf cart and hit the road. You’ve never seen grown adults so giddy. (casadecampo.com.do, 855-877-3643)
I have always loved Oscar: That’s Oscar de la Renta, the Dominicanborn fashion guru. At Tortuga Bay, a boutique hotel in the Puntacana Resort & Club grounds, de la Renta has used his fashion skills for another purpose: designing the interiors of the 30 oceanfront villas that line a spectacular stretch of beach. Not only is his personal touch in every villa — I couldn’t stop thinking, “Ah, lovely colour combination, Oscar!” — but he has a shop that sells his signature clothing and accessories. We browsed the items and lusted after many of them but, in the end, left empty-handed. After getting our fix of Oscar, we ventured to Tortuga Bay’s Six Senses Spa, a serene hideaway offering Asian-inspired treatments. I fell asleep on the massage table. That’s always a good sign. We capped off the Tortuga Bay tour with lunch at a poolside restaurant, followed by lounging on the pristine beach. With no sound but the waves rolling in, I fell asleep once more. Not even endless cups of Dominican coffee could keep this relaxed girl awake. (puntacana.com/accommodations/ info@puntacana.com)