Our trip started off with an early morning flight out of Birmingham at 6:00 AM!! With sleepy eyes and big yawns, we all made it on time….less the “bright eyed and bushy tailed” saying though. Our flight to Atlanta was a quick one, where we stopped and picked up Debbie Fairvalley. Off to Santo Domingo we headed! Arriving to Santo Domingo at approximately 2:00PM that afternoon, we were all a little antsy to say the least. Met by our transfer from Tropical Tours – we boarded the bus for our hour and ½ ride to Casa de Campo. We got to see first hand the locals of the Dominican Republic. With a few naps on the way, we arrive to the property at about 4:00PM that afternoon to a warm welcome from Barbara Kosciuch, the South East Sales Director for Casa de Campo. We were so anxious to get out and stretch our legs and investigate the property!!
After a speedy check in, we all made ourselves at home in our rooms – that’s right – we all had our own rooms with plush king sized beds!! With each “Casita”, a.k.a – a standard room, each of us was also given a “sweet ride” for the weekend – our very own bright red golf cart!! After a day of traveling, we all broke off and did a little investigating of the 7,000 acre property.We reconvened at 6:30 that evening for a group dinner at Beach Club by Le Cirque. We began the evening with a toast to Brownell with our “Casa de Campo” drinks – a local favorite created
by the property that consists of local rums and fruits. Let’s just say, we could have been called “the clean plate club”. The food was delicious and our choices were endless. Most dinned on delicious seafood entrees, while a few non-seafood eaters opted out for scrumptious steak! We were fortunate enough to meet the head chef of the restaurant – a darling Italian man with such a great passion for food. With full stomachs and heavy eyes, we called it a night and retreated to our Casitas, only to prepare for another full day to take in the beautiful Dominican Republic.After breakfast on our own on Saturday morning, we met at 10:00AM for our personal tour of the property led again by Barbara and a new friend, Madeline, the director of group sales & events at Casa de Campo.
Madeline is a darling local, and also newlywed, who has been with the property for about 6 years. Her passion for the property and the country itself was truly unique. We started off what was intended to be a quick tour of the spa. We were actually fortunate enough to be there at the same time as the owner/creator of the new spa. Her name is Cygalle Diaz from New York. Cygalle has been in the Public Relations field most of her life. Born & raised in Australia, she became fond of the holistic practices that are now the backbone of her outstanding spa. She enlightened us on their practices and treatments as we toured the different massage rooms, plunge pools and meditation rooms. We were so fortunate to have an extra special private tour and all enjoyed meeting Cygalle in person.After touring the spa, we saw the equestrian center (which some of the group tested out later in the day), the private beach and the golf courses.
We were also fortunate enough to tour one of the Exclusive Villas on the property that are rented out by Casa de Campo. The villas are independently owned and are amazing. A darling couple from Cuba welcomed us into their 7-bedroom, 3 building villa for a private tour. With its own pool, Jacuzzi, swim up bar and private massage pavilion, lets just say we all did not want to leave. I think that by having another “private tour” made us fall in love with this gorgeous villa. The couple was so sweet and made us feel welcome.Before ending our tour for lunch, we stopped at Los Altos des Chavon – a trademark of Casa de Campo. Los Altos des Chavon was built to resemble a
classic Greek Village. With a rustic looking amphitheater that seats about 3,000 people, a small chapel that holds regular services on Sunday, and several shops & restaurants, Los Altos des Chavon is definitely something to see. A lot of major cruise lines offer a day to Los Altos des Chavon as a shore excursion because there are so many things to do there and because it is SO beautiful and rustic. You would never believe that it was only built a few years ago.
After a busy morning of inspecting, we ended for lunch back out at the Beach Club. It was so nice to sit and enjoy the beautiful ocean and breeze while filling ourselves FULL with more delicious food!The afternoon was at our leisure. While most of the group saddled up to play cowboy at the equestrian center for the afternoon, a few decided to do a little shopping and “beach inspecting”. A busy and fun afternoon was had by all.
That evening, we all met for our transfer to La Marina for dinner. La Marina is just that – a gorgeous marina on the property, where you can see some of the most exquisite yachts owned by some of the locals.
After dinner at the marina, we took time to explore and see the shops and nightlife they had to offer. After one of our group members wandered off – no names mentioned J -- we took a few extra minutes to find our missing teammate. After finding our missing soldier, we boarded the bus and headed back to the main building for one last night of fun. We enjoyed drinks at a little club that had one of the greatest live bands ever! They played fun music with a fantastic local flare. Debbie and Will were the only two brave enough to show off their dance skills before calling it a night.With an early morning departure on Sunday at about 10:00AM, we said our goodbyes to our new friends at Casa de Campo and boarded the bus for the airport, and eventually our flight back to the US. After a relaxing ride home, we reminisced and laughed about our new memories from an exciting trip to Casa de Campo.
To learn more about Brownell Travel, click here. To contact Rene Steele, click here. To contact a specialist on the Dominican Republic, click here.
0 comments:
Post a Comment