Toronto Star

LIVE LIKE A CELEBRITY AT CASA DE CAMPO

Casa de Campo means “country house,” but “gorgeous sprawling luxury compound” would be a more fitting descriptio­n for this 28-square-kilometre resort about an hour’s drive from the Punta Cana airport in the Dominican Republic.

- Jennifer Allford was a guest of Casa de Campo, which did not review or approve this story. By Jennifer Allford

Plenty of activities on offer

You can cycle, skeet shoot, go to the spa, learn to sail, play tennis, go horseback riding, take a polo lesson, get a team to play donkey polo or take a quick boat ride over to the resort’s private island to walk along the perfect sand. Or you can lie by the pool all day just opening an eye now and then to try to catch a glimpse of Beyoncé, who is said to be a regular at the villas.

Golfing, golf and golf

Golfers flock here to play three courses that have been designed by World Golf Hall of Fame member Pete Dye: Dye Fore, The Links and Teeth of the Dog. Teeth of the Dog makes a lot of the best golf course lists and is beloved for having seven of its 18 holes on the ocean. For the rest of us, there’s night golf, a driving range where balls light up in a fluorescen­t rainbow as you whack them into the dark.

Eating and drink galore

With seven restaurant­s, from sophistica­ted to simple, more than half a dozen bars and lounges, as well as a nightclub, you won’t get bored of any one menu or cocktail. You can choose from culinary highlights including tuna pizza at Pubbelly Sushi at the Marina, and a shrimp, passion fruit and avocado green salad at the The Beach Club by Le Cirque that is so good you’ll have it for lunch two days in a row.

Living large

The resort is home to 2,000 luxury villas. Singer Marc Anthony’s is over by the polo fields. Former baseball star Sammy Sosa’s is closer to the ocean and next door to where realityTV family the Kardashian­s stayed. On the way to the Marina, pass by the villa where rapper Drake and his team shot the decadent ending to the

Started from the Bottom video. Choose from a large rental pool of villas or buy your own, starting at $750,000 (U.S.) all the way up to $20 million.

A Mediterran­ean village

and an Italian plaza Between the Altos de Chavon, a replica 16th-century Mediterran­ean village, and the Marina with its Italian-inspired architectu­re, you can shop at fancy boutiques, visit art galleries and wander through a museum or three. You can also go to church, see a flick at the cinema, pick up supplies at a little grocery store, and four times a year watch a bigname performer rock the 5,000-seat amphitheat­re.

 ?? CASA DE CAMPO ?? Casa de Campo is a resort frequented by celebritie­s and home to 2,000 luxury villas.
CASA DE CAMPO Casa de Campo is a resort frequented by celebritie­s and home to 2,000 luxury villas.
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CASA DE CAMPO
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TONY ARRUZA/CASA DE CAMPO
 ?? ROGER PAPERNO/CASA DE CAMPO ??
ROGER PAPERNO/CASA DE CAMPO
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CASA DE CAMPO
 ?? CASA DE CAMPO ??
CASA DE CAMPO

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