PUNTA CANA / BAVARO — THINGS TO SEE AND DO
This is the easternmost part of the Dominican Republic. A once sparsely-populated part of the island, life gradually changed there when a group of local & international investors (headed by Dominican hotelier Frank Rainieri) built a then-boutique luxury resort called “PuntaCana Resort & Club” (PCRC) back in the 1970s. Since then, the small airport that was built near the resort has mushroomed into one the busiest in the Caribbean. PCRC itself has grown into a major destination for wealthier travelers, and nearby Bavaro Beach (located just north of the airport) attracts thousands of mostly European and North American travelers staying at the string off mostly all-inclusive resorts located there. Over the years, PCRC’s property also accommodated a community of million-dollar homes, as well as a popular seaside golf course.
In the early 2000s, another Dominican developer, Ricardo Hazoury, decided to compete with PCRC for wealthy international travelers & property buyers by building the “Cap Cana” luxury complex – consisting of a string of million-dollar homes, a seaside golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus (“Punta Espada”), and a couple of resorts (Secrets Sanctuary Resort, and Eden Roc Cap Cana). Cap Cana’s major attraction is its Italian Riviera-style mega-marina (which can accommodate yachts of up to 150 feet, and has condo apartments, restaurants and shops). The seaside golf courses and private beaches that both luxury enclaves offer (such as Cap Cana’s Juanillo Beach) are among the amenities that attracts VIP visitors there.
Aside from vacationers (who stay at PCRC’s “PuntaCana Hotel” and “Tortuga Bay Villas” and Cap Cana’s “Secrets Sanctuary Resort” and “Eden Roc Cap Cana”), these two developments attract two types of visitors: real estate investors (those wanting to buy one of the million-dollar homes available there) and luxury renters — those wanting to live like royalty for a week or two. PCRC in particular is known for this. Villas and mansions (of up to 6 bedrooms) within that vast property are readily available to those that can pay. Butler and maid service, as well as a chef, can be hired for such individuals and families renting these villas.
The proliferation of luxury homes at PCRC and Cap Cana has been widely profiled in luxury lifestyle publications like The Robb Report, Architectural Digest and the Wall Street Journal. It’s no surprise that celebrities like actors Richard Gere, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Harrison Ford, and Denzel Washington have stayed at these VIP enclaves, earning them nicknames like the “Dominican Hamptons” and the “Dominican Riviera”. Former President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary are regular visitors to PCRC. Some of luxury homes within PCRC, for example, are owned by its high-profile investment partners: Dominican fashion designer Oscar de la Renta, Spanish singer Julio Iglesias, and Russian choreographer Mikhail Baryshnikov.