Casa de Campo is definitely a feasible day trip from Santo Domingo. The drive follows one main highway, and takes about 2 hours. The highway from Santo Domingo to Casa de Campo is still under construction, so part of the way (near La Romana) involves a clearly-marked detour over a temporary highway. Tourists should note that along this highway will be at least one police check point. Either every car will be pulled over, or only certain cars will be selected for inspection. The police inspect the vehicle's paperwork and make sure passengers have valid visas.
The entrance fee for those not staying at Casa de Campo is US$ 25 per day per person. This only covers entrance. There is also a package whereby US$75 will get you the entrance fee, lunch at the beachfront restaurant, and use of a beach chair and umbrella. The beach at Casa de Campo is just okay. By Dominican standards, it is really nothing special. But if you're staying at Casa de Campo, the beach will serve you just fine as a place to relax and get some relief from the heat.
The main attractions in Casa de Campo are: driving around looking at mansions, visiting the shops and restaurants at the marina, playing golf, and visiting the shops and restaurants at Altos de Chavon. The Altos de Chavon is a fake Medieval village that is quite interesting. There are some very reasonably priced restaurants (I saw fajitas for US$10) and stores selling souvenirs as well as clothes. Apparently this area is really crowded during the high season around Christmas. We went in July and had the place to ourselves (although all establishments were open).
We had a wonderful buffet lunch at Lago Grill (US$ 45 per person). I'm told by a friend that they also have a very nice breakfast. We had unlimited lobster and assorted seafood, plus all of the types of food you might expect at a large lunch buffet. The ceviche and caprese salad were especially memorable. The view is quite beautiful as you peer over the rolling golf course as it meets the sea.
If the US$ 400+ room rate at Casa de Campo is not in your budget, I suggest either renting a condo through a rental-by-owner site, or staying at one of the nearby resorts in Bayahibe (we stayed in Cadaques Caribe Resort). The drive between Bayahibe and Casa de Campo is an easy 20 minutes.
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| Marina shops at Casa de Campo. |
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| Beach at Casa de Campo |
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| The pool was quite nice. |
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| Buffet lunch at Lago Grill, Casa de Campo |
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| View out over the golf course from Lago Grill. |
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| Altos de Chavon. The chapel is on the left. |
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| Altos de Chavon hanging out over a beautiful ravine below. |
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| The Chavon river running through Casa de Campo. |
Hi! I have no idea if you'll see this question- but would love some advice if you have a second...my family (11 in total ranging from 2-70 years old) are renting a house in Casa de Campo over xmas, flying into La Romania. None of us have ever been to the DR, do you think we are crazy to rent 2 SUVs and drive ourselves from the airport to CDC around 9pm in a new country! Oh an we don't speak Spanish! haha would love your thoughts...thanks! Leighhillkader@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteHi Leigh. If you are flying into La Romana airport, the trip to Casa de Campo is about a 5 minute drive and is along main roads. I don't think it's crazy at all to do that ride, since the roads at 9 p.m. will have no traffic. It might be the same cost though to simply get a travel agent to rent a large van here (like a 10 seater) to drive you. A travel agent could arrange that from the airport.
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