Casa de Campo Resort & Villas (La Romana, Dominican Republic) is an award-winning luxury resort with an abundance of active options to support wellbeing. Across its 7,000 acres, movement-minded guests can partake in golf, sport fishing, horseback riding and polo, tennis, pickleball, shooting, and fitness classes, just to name a few. The property recently raised the bar even further with the opening of its stunning 18,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art spa and a new collection of luxury accommodations.
What We Love
- Hydrothermal Experience
- Spa Café
- Premier Suites
- Impressive Dining Options
- Altos de Chavón Village
The Spa
Casa de Campo is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and the company continues to innovate and grow, remaining one of the most appealing resorts in the world thanks to ownership that continually invests in its progress. One of its latest offerings is The Spa Casa de Campo, which opened its doors in spring of 2023 with the aim of being a wellness standout in the Dominican Republic and in the Caribbean overall. I’m happy to report that it achieved its goal and is, indeed, one of the most impressive spas I’ve seen in the region throughout the course of my 20-year spa career. The 13-treatment-room retreat was quickly awarded a Forbes Four-star rating upon its opening, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it tips into five-star territory soon, as there were countless exceptional aspects of the spa from a design and service perspective.
The spa features a clean, contemporary design complete with natural stones, dark woods, natural light, vaulted ceilings, comfortable furnishings, and gorgeous native flora and fauna throughout. Twelve of the 13 treatment rooms feature private outdoor gardens complete with showers and lounging space, allowing guests to bring the outdoors in at nearly every touchpoint. The design feels intentional and sophisticated, and I appreciated all the thoughtful accents, right down to the succulent plants placed below the massage table face cradles.
I visited the spa several times over the course of a few days, and one of my favorite places was the impressive Hydrothermal Experience. Guided by the engaging and charming Erik, it was a rejuvenating pleasure to spend an hour prior to my treatments shuttling between the sauna, steam bath, vitality pool, cold water pool, thermal loungers, a Kneipp Walk, and an outdoor pool with hydrotherapy massage stations.
Services are performed using products from Evidens De Beaute, Voya, Knesko, Lola’s Apothecary, and MORINGAÏA (a Dominican brand). The comprehensive menu features a range of more traditional services, as well as more high-tech options, such as the Platinum HydraFacial ($425, 80 minutes) and a 25-minute session in the MLX i3 Dome ($85), a state-of-the-art detoxifying machine from Gharieni that combines far-infrared technology, plasma, and light treatment. I experienced the Lavender Sleep Cocoon ($275, 80 minutes) with lovely Lola’s Apothecary products, which included a scrub, an herbal body mask, a scalp massage, a rinse in the outdoor shower, and a moisturizer application; a Jardin de Grasse ($275, 80 minutes) massage using rose-, jasmine-, and tuberose-infused products from Evidens De Beaute; and the Evidens De Beaute Bespoke Anti-Aging Beauty Ceremony ($185, 50 minutes; $275, 80 minutes), a wonderful collagen-infused skincare service. While it’s hard to select a favorite, the Lavender Sleep Cocoon was a particular standout for me.
Another charming aspect of the spa is the Spa Café, which offers healthy breakfast and lunch options, as well as smoothies, juices, and more throughout the day. While there are healthy options found on most of the resort menus, this is a haven for those looking for truly wholesome and healthy meals, and I enjoyed multiple visits to this charming oasis.
Finally, Casa de Campo is known for attracting celebrity and high-profile guests. To accommodate these privacy-seeking travelers, as well as groups and bridal parties, another highlight is the “spa within a spa.” Facilities include a private entrance, lounge, treatment area, makeup station, dressing area, bathroom, indoor and outdoor showers, a personal vitality pool, and private bar and refreshment area. It is ideal for those seeking privacy or an exclusive private spa experience.
Dining
The Spa Café is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to dining options. When I was there, I was on the all-inclusive package, which allowed me to dine at myriad restaurants throughout the resort. Most mornings, the buffet at Lago Restaurant, offering views of the ocean and Teeth of the Dog, the number-one ranked golf course in the Caribbean, was my top choice for breakfast. Lunch on beach was mostly spent sampling food from the Brasa and Massa food trucks—the ceviche and the empanadas were my favorite. Dinners were a true treat. One night, I dined at La Caña Bar & Restaurant and loved the French-inspired fare, selecting the goat cheese salad and a perfectly cooked filet mignon. The next night, I headed to the oceanside Mintas Beach Club & Restaurant where I sampled a variety of tapas and a Waygu beef carpaccio that was spectacular—don’t miss the delicious assortment of veggies on the tapas menu, including cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, and grilled asparagus. Yet another night took me down to the marina to La Casita, where Spanish-inspired dishes focused on fresh, local seafood. The fried calamari, the mahi-mahi ceviche, and the jumbo shrimp in sherry sauce were my top choices.
Perhaps the most standout meal of my visit was at La Piazzetta. My meal of fresh pasta was incredible, and the Italian wine was divine, but even more spectacular was its setting in Altos de Chavón, part of the resort that is replica of a 16th-century Mediterranean medieval village that offers views of the Chavón River and the Caribbean Sea. It was designed by Dominican architect Jose Antonio Caro and Italian master designer and cinematographer Roberto Coppa and has been a site of countless film shoots. Today, the area features restaurants, artist studios and galleries, an archaeological museum, a church that was brought in brick by brick from Italy, and a 5,000-seat amphitheater.
Accommodations
Like the vast dining options, the range of accommodations at Casa de Campo is truly astounding. I got the opportunity to stay in the new Premier Suites, which debuted in May 2023 and are among the resort’s most luxe accommodations. Along with exclusive access to the Premier Club and its daily gourmet food and beverage offerings, the spacious suites are remarkable. Highlights include 1,000-tread-count sheets, customized pillow and aromatherapy menus, L’Occitane amenities, artisanal gourmet coffees and teas, and an inviting private terrace with golf course views. As with all rooms on property, the suites come with their own golf cart so guests can explore the massive resort at their convenience, but the Premier carts were bigger and a little more souped up than some of the other carts on property.
Beyond the Premier Suites, there are more than 500 accommodation options that support the needs of any traveler, from families to solo travelers to groups of friends to those looking for a romantic escape, and more. Whether its traditional hotel rooms or expansive private villas that come with a butler, cook, and maid, there truly is something for everyone and every budget.
Activities
Beyond the spa, there are a range of activities that suit the needs of any traveler, from those who like to relax on the beach with a book to those who like to keep their schedules packed from dusk ‘til dawn and everyone in between. For relaxation, sun, and water seekers, there are several pools, including two located at the main hotel and one situated right on the ocean at the Mintas Beach Club. Guests can also relax alongside the seaside on Mintas Beach in the sheltered beach that also provides guests with access to complimentary snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boating, and more. It’s also the launch point for excursions to nearby Catalina and Saona Islands, where the snorkeling in the clear, crystal waters is beyond compare.
Athletes will also love the range of choices available. The resort features three Pete Dye-designed golf courses. The spectacular Racquet Center, the largest in the Caribbean, offers 11 fast-dry Har-Tru tennis courts, one hard-surface tennis court, two Padel courts, and four pickleball courts (even more were under construction during my visit). Equestrians will be in heaven at the dude ranch, which offers daily horseback rides as well as the expansive polo facilities with three playing fields and one practice field. There’s even a petting zoo for little ones. Meanwhile, shooting aficionados of all ages and skill levels will love the 245-acre Shooting Centre, with more than 200 stations for trap, skeet and sporting clays, and pigeon rings. The property also has a spectacular marina where guests can charter boats for fishing, snorkeling, scuba, and more. Or, they can just meander around the charming shops and restaurants and admire the gorgeous yachts. For the activities alone, it’s easy to see why every guest needs a golf cart to access all corners of the property.
Casa de Campo’s motto is The Best. The Most. The First. With the new spectacular spa and the lovely new Premier rooms, it continues to stay true to its course and has now become the Caribbean’s most well retreat.
