You pass through a gated checkpoint on the Carretera La Romana-Higüey, surrender your passport, and receive the keys to a four-passenger golf cart. Beyond the gate lies a 7,000-acre self-contained universe – larger than the principality of Monaco – on the southeastern coast of the Dominican Republic. This is not merely a hotel. It is a residential community, a sporting complex, a working marina, and a cultural village, stitched together into what many regard as the most exclusive resort destination in the Caribbean.
From Sugar Mill to Silver Screen
The story begins not with tourism but with sugar. In the 1960s, Alvaro Carta arrived in La Romana to oversee the Central Romana sugar mill, at the time the largest on the planet, owned by Gulf+Western Industries. Charles Bluhdorn, the Austrian-born chairman – whose conglomerate also controlled Paramount Pictures – saw potential in the 7,000 acres surrounding the mill. In 1971, the Teeth of the Dog golf course opened after 300 Dominican workers spent over a year hand-carving the layout from coral rock using sledgehammers and chisels. They called the sharp coral “diente de perro” – teeth of the dog – and the name stuck. By 1974, Casa de Campo had launched as an exclusive executive retreat for Gulf+Western, complete with a private airstrip.
Bluhdorn’s dual identity as industrialist and entertainment mogul gave the resort an unusually cinematic provenance. The Chavón River, which cuts through the property, appeared in Apocalypse Now (1979) and served as the filming location for Cuba in The Godfather Part II (1974). Dominican-born fashion legend Oscar de la Renta, a close friend, was commissioned to design the original interiors – ebony wood, muted neutral tones, native stone – an aesthetic that endures today.
The Teeth of the Dog: Golf’s Crown Jewel
Designed by Pete Dye and ranked number one in the Caribbean by GOLF Magazine, the Teeth of the Dog features seven holes along the Caribbean Sea’s edge. It is rated number 54 among the world’s 100 greatest courses outside the United States and holds 59th position in GOLF Magazine’s global Top 100. From the championship tees it stretches to 6,888 yards, par 72, with a course rating of 74.1. A comprehensive restoration led by Jerry Pate Design was completed in late 2025, restoring bunkering to match Dye’s original vision.
Casa de Campo is the only resort in the region with three championship courses. Dye Fore, opened in 2002 and expanded to 27 holes by 2011, is a Pete Dye layout set along 300-foot cliffs above the Chavón River at 7,740 yards. The Links, by Pete’s son P.B. Dye, provides wide fairways and strategic bunkering in a more traditional mould.
Altos de Chavón: A Village Carved from Stone
Perched above the Chavón River gorge, Altos de Chavón is a meticulous recreation of a 16th-century Mediterranean village. Construction began in 1976 when a stone mountain was blasted for a nearby road. Bluhdorn repurposed the stone, hiring Paramount Pictures production designer Roberto Coppa to create a permanent movie set. Dominican artisans hand-cut every stone, hand-forged every wrought-iron detail, and hand-crafted every wooden door frame. The result is cobblestone streets lined with galleries, workshops, and restaurants.
Its 5,000-seat Grecian-style amphitheater was inaugurated on 20 August 1982 by Frank Sinatra in a live HBO broadcast, “The Concert for the Americas,” alongside Buddy Rich, Heart, and Carlos Santana. The venue has since hosted Andrea Bocelli, Sting, Elton John, Jennifer Lopez, and Plácido Domingo. The Altos de Chavón School of Design, founded 1983, affiliates with Parsons School of Design in New York. Adjacent sits the Regional Museum of Archaeology with pre-Columbian Taíno artefacts, and St. Stanislaus Church, consecrated in 1979 with relics from Pope John Paul II.
The Marina: Portofino in the Caribbean
Completed in 2000 and designed by Gian Franco Fini to resemble Portofino, the Casa de Campo Marina offers 370 slips for vessels up to 250 feet. The IBC Shipyard is the Caribbean’s most modern facility, Gold-rated by Azimut. Over 70 restaurants, shops, and bars surround the harbour. In 2010 the Marina hosted the Rolex Farr 40 sailing cup. Sport fishing is a primary draw – deep Caribbean waters yield blue marlin, wahoo, sailfish, and kingfish.
Ownership, Pricing, and the Fanjul Era
Bluhdorn died in 1983. In 1984 the Cuban-American Fanjul family acquired Gulf+Western’s sugar businesses, transforming Casa de Campo from a private corporate retreat into a luxury destination open to the global public. Hotel rooms start from approximately £280 per night in low season, with peak-season Premier Suites exceeding £600. Over 1,700 private villas range from US$1 million to US$24 million. The property holds a Forbes Travel Guide four-star rating, a AAA Four Diamond Award, and six consecutive World Travel Awards as the World’s Leading Luxury Sports & Villa Resort. Celebrity guests have included Beyoncé and Jay-Z and Kim Kardashian.
Casa de Campo celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024–2025. With the Teeth of the Dog restoration complete, it shows no sign of relinquishing its position as the Caribbean’s most storied retreat.
For more on Caribbean luxury travel, see our guide to alternative Caribbean island escapes and our deep dive into Pete Dye’s golf course designs.
Sources:
1. Casa de Campo Resort & Villas – official history page: casadecampo.com.do/about-us/history/ 2. Wikipedia – “Casa de Campo, Dominican Republic”: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casa_de_Campo,_Dominican_Republic
