Casa De Campo, Dominican Republic
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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 is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...
. It was developed in the 1970s by
Gulf and Western Industries Gulf and Western Industries, Inc. (stylized as Gulf+Western) was an American conglomerate. The company originally focused on manufacturing and resource extraction, but it began purchasing a number of entertainment companies beginning in 1966 ...
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. He built his fortune in auto parts and commodities such as zinc, and following a 1966 acquisition became C ...
, who built his estate during the 1970s on Gulf and 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, was hired to do the interior design for Casa de Campo. After Bluhdorn's death, the Cuban-American Fanjul family 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 (Long Island), East End of Long Island, consist of the town (New York), towns of Southampton (town), New York, Southampton and East Hampton (town), New York, East Hampton, which together compose the South Fork ...
. 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 centur ...
. 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 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, sh ...
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 ...
''. 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, with views of the village of Altos de Chavón, 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 Eisenhower Trophy, 1958, it is nam ...
*1974 Espirito Santo Trophy *1994 Shell's Wonderful World of Golf ( Raymond Floyd 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 *2016 Latin America Amateur Championship *2019 Latin America Amateur Championship *2022 Latin America Amateur Championship


''Sports Illustrated''

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


References


External links

*
Casa de Campo Living (Casa de Campo Community News Website)

Casa de Campo Travel Guides and Villa Rentals
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180919062241/https://casadecampo.travel/ , date=2018-09-19 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