Casa de Campo (Spanish for "Country House") is a Ponderosa-style tropical seaside residential community in La Romana on the southeast coast of the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic ( ; es, República Dominicana, ) is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region. It occupies the eastern five-eighths of the island, which it shares wit ...

. It was developed in 1975 by

Gulf+Western Gulf and Western Industries, Inc. (stylized as Gulf+Western) was an American conglomerate. Originally, the company focused on manufacturing and resource extraction. Beginning in 1966, and continuing throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the company ...

on of its Central Romana sugar mill's land.

History

The name is Spanish for "Country House," and it was originally a retreat for

Charles Bluhdorn Charles George Bluhdorn (born Karl Georg Blühdorn; September 20, 1926 – February 19, 1983) was an Austrian-born American industrialist. Early life Bluhdorn was born in Vienna, Austria, to an Austrian Jewish mother Rosa Fuchs and father Paul B ...

, who built his estate in 1975 on Gulf+Western's sugar mill property, Central Romana. When he died in 1983, it became the first resort in the country. One of Bluhdorn's friends, the famous Dominican designer

Oscar de la Renta Óscar Arístides Renta Fiallo (22 July 1932 – 20 October 2014), known professionally as Oscar de la Renta, was a Dominican fashion designer. Born in Santo Domingo, he was trained by Cristóbal Balenciaga and Antonio del Castillo. De la Renta ...

, was hired to do the interior design for Casa de Campo. After Bluhdorn's death, the Cuban-American Fanjul family (the world's top sugar barons), bought Casa and opened it to paying guests.

Villas and marina

There are two types of villas that can be owned: "punto de villas" own only the land, with parking lots and landscaped spaces as common areas. "Villas con solar propio" have ownership of an entire area, which includes parking lots and the landscape. About 10% of the residences at the resort are low-rise condos in buildings no higher than four levels. About 70% of the properties are large estates. Casa de Campo has over 1,700 private villas, which range in price from US$1,000,000 to US$24,000,000, making it also one of the countries' most affluent communities, comparable to the

Hamptons The Hamptons, part of the East End of Long Island, consist of the towns of Southampton and East Hampton, which together comprise the South Fork of Long Island, in Suffolk County, New York. The Hamptons are a popular seaside resort and one of ...

. Completed in 2000, Casa de Campo has a modern, 400-berth marina, complete with a shipyard with a 120-ton TraveLift designed by Italian architect, Gian Franco Fini to resemble

Portofino Portofino (; ) is a ''comune'' located in the Metropolitan City of Genoa on the Italian Riviera. The town is clustered around its small harbour, and is known for the colourfully painted buildings that line the shore. Since the late 19th century ...

. Surrounding this harbor are over 70 restaurants, shops, bars, and homes. In 2010, the Casa de Campo Marina played host to the Rolex Farr 40 sailing cup. File:Casa de Campo Marina, La Romana 22000, Dominican Republic - panoramio (6).jpg, File:Casa de Campo Marina, La Romana 22000, Dominican Republic - panoramio (11).jpg File:Casa de Campo Marina, La Romana 22000, Dominican Republic - panoramio (3).jpg File:CasaDeCampo-TeethOfTheDog.jpg

Golf course

Golf architects

Pete Pete or Petes or ''variation'', may refer to: People * Pete (given name) * Pete (nickname) * Pete (surname) Fictional characters * Pete (Disney), a cartoon character in the ''Mickey Mouse'' universe * Pete the Pup (a.k.a. 'Petey'), a character ...

and

Alice Dye Alice Dye (February 19, 1927 – February 1, 2019) was an American amateur golfer and golf course designer known as the "First Lady" of golf architecture in the United States. Biography Born Alice Holliday O'Neal in Indianapolis, Indiana, she ...

have had a home at Casa de Campo since the early 1970s, when they guided 300 local laborers with machetes to blaze the ''Diente de Perro'', (Teeth of the Dog, opened in 1971) through the jungle and along a rocky coast. The course served as a backdrop for the 1971 ''

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue The ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue is published annually by American magazine ''Sports Illustrated'' and features female fashion models, celebrities and athletes wearing swimwear in various locales around the world. The highly coveted cov ...

''. It remains the only Caribbean course consistently ranked in the world's top 100 courses (usually in the top 50). The Links Course (opened in 1974) and the members-only La Romana Country Club (opened in 1990) are inland layouts spiced with lakes. Dye's newest course, the much-acclaimed Dye Fore (opened in 2000), skirts cliffs above the

Chavón River The Chavón River is a river located to the east of the Dominican Republic. Its best view is obtained from the village called Altos de Chavón. The history of this river contains extremely interesting passages; From the origin of its name, possible ...

, with views of the village of

Altos de Chavón Altos de Chavón is a tourist attraction, a re-creation of a 16th century Mediterranean–style village, located atop the Chavón River in the city of La Romana, Dominican Republic. It is the most popular attraction in the city and hosts a cultu ...

, distant mountains and the new marina. Dye recently completed another course on the plateau next to Dye Fore, called the Dye Fore Lakes. Annually, Casa de Campo hosts The Sugar Golf Tournament hosting approximately 300 golfers.

Significant events held at Casa de Campo

*1974

Eisenhower Trophy The Eisenhower Trophy (World Men's Amateur Team Championships) is the biennial World Amateur Team Championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. Since the tournament was first played in 1958, it is named after Dwight D. Eisen ...

*1974

Espirito Santo Trophy The Espirito Santo Trophy (World Women's Amateur Team Championships) is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for women organised by the International Golf Federation. The inaugural event was held in 1964. It was instituted by the Fren ...

*1994

Shell's Wonderful World of Golf ''Shell's Wonderful World of Golf'' was a televised series of golf matches which began in the 1960s. The program was sponsored by Shell Oil. It was a part of the tradition of "challenge matches" between pairs of professional golfers, which were th ...

(

Raymond Floyd Raymond Loran Floyd (born September 4, 1942) is an American retired golfer who has won numerous tournaments on both the PGA Tour and Senior PGA Tour, including four majors and four senior majors. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame ...

vs.

Fred Couples Frederick Steven Couples (born October 3, 1959) is an American professional golfer who has competed on the PGA Tour and the PGA Tour Champions. A former World No. 1, he has won 64 professional tournaments, most notably the Masters Tournament ...

) *2014

Dominican Republic Open The Dominican Republic Open (also known as The DR Open) was a men's professional golf tournament on PGA Tour Latinoamérica. The event was originally hosted as a combined amateur stableford and professional stroke play competition by The Domini ...

*2016

Latin America Amateur Championship The Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC) is an annual amateur golf tournament, organized in conjunction with the Augusta National Golf Club, organizer of the Masters Tournament; The R&A, organizers of The Open Championship; and the United St ...

*2019

*2022

''Sports Illustrated''

Casa de Campo served as the backdrop for the 1987 ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue.

References

External links

*{{official, http://www.casadecampo.com.do/
Casa de Campo Living (Casa de Campo Community News Website)

Casa de Campo Travel Guides and Villa Rentals
Resorts in the Dominican Republic Buildings and structures in La Romana Province Golf clubs and courses designed by Pete Dye Golf clubs and courses in the Dominican Republic Hotels in the Dominican Republic Gulf and Western Industries 1971 establishments in the Dominican Republic Tourist attractions in La Romana Province