La Romana

This tourist area comprised of La Romana, Casa de Campo, Dominicus and Bayahibe is an excellent choice for R & R vacations, honeymoons, family holidays, family reunions, teenagers, active travelers, scuba divers and golfers. If friends have raved to you about the Saona Island excursion, La Romana is the nearest point from which to embark on a trip to the islands of Saona and Catalina.

What else is nearby
La Romana is two hours West of Punta Cana and two hours East of Santo Domingo, the capital city. The nearest resort area to La Romana is Juan Dolio (about a one hour drive east) and Boca Chica (an hour and a half east). La Romana city is about 15 minutes from Casa de Campo. Casa de Campo is about a 20 minute drive from Dominicus and Bayahibe beaches.

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How to get there
You will be less than 25 minutes away from most area hotels if you fly into the brand new international airport at La Romana. It already has direct flights from Miami and San Juan, Puerto Rico and many European cities. Several US and Canadian charters have started to fly in. Santo Domingo's Las Americas International Airport is less than two hours away, as is the Punta Cana International Airport.

Altos de Chavon Altos de Chavon Artists Village is a vibrant cultural community perched above the Chavon River. Cobblestone paths, coral stone fountains and terra cotta buildings create a magical effect in this village designed by Robert Coppa, an Italian architect who at the time was a Paramount movie set designer. He built it in the late 1970s to emulate a 15th century southern Italy-southern Spain village.

Visitors today discover craft workshops, artists' studios, galleries and restaurants. Weddings are frequent at the St. Stanislaus Church, as few places can be more romantic than Altos de Chavon. The performing arts are showcased in the village's 5,000-seat amphitheater, inaugurated in 1982 by Frank Sinatra and is still attracting big name performers. Visit the Regional Museum of Archaeology, a small but wonderful display of the island's rich pre-Columbian heritage. The Art Gallery features contemporary art exhibitions.

Dominicus-Bayahibe beaches
The better beaches in the area are on the Dominicus and Bayahibe beach strips. By law, the first 60 meters of any beach is public property. However, access to Dominicus beach by passing through the hotels may be limited to guests only. There are public entrances to the beaches for non-hotel guests.

Nearest City
La Romana City is the place to go for grocery shopping, handicrafts and the local produce market.

Excursions 

Saona Island. Palm-studded tropical island. Unbelievable turquoise, green and blue waters with endless visibility. Powder white sand. The Caribbean at its best. Mano Juan is the fishermen village where you can purchase handicraft. You can arrange for a stopover in "la piscina" in Palomilla, north of the island. There are many ways to get to the environs of Saona Island. These include by speed boat, by catamaran, or even by pirate boat.

Isla Catalina, a smaller island so close to the mainland you can see it from La Romana. If you book a small boat with captain in Bayahibe, he can include this little island in your day tour. Has beautiful coral reefs close to the island. Many dive excursions come to Catalina for the reefs and tropical fish.

 Bayahibe town. People come to this beach and fishing town to take excursions to Saona Island. The beach is a Caribbean dream and the town itself is worth visiting for itself.

Fun Fun Cave in Hato Mayor. Adventure lovers may book an underground excursion to Rancho Capote and its Cueva Fun Fun, the largest cave in the Caribbean, running seven kilometers underground. Experience the darkness down under, the giant corridors, the cave art, and the magic whisper of the subterranean rivers. This thrilling excursion begins with a ride on horseback, then a walk through "the jungle" and the cave, then ends with lunch. A day of caving, rapeling, horse riding and lots of adrenaline. 12 year age minimum for the Rancho Capote excursion

Cueva de las Maravillas in San Pedro de Macoris. The Ministry of Environment has just prepared for visitors the Cueva de las Maravillas (Cave of Wonders) located midway on the highway from San Pedro de Macoris to La Romana. Excursions should soon be available to catch a glimpse into rupestrian art wonders. This could be a morning or early afternoon activity, given its proximity to most Juan Dolio or La Romana hotels.
Plantacion Tropical. A lovely botanical garden, north of Hato Mayor on the way to Sabana de la Mar.

The National Park of the East. 420 sq. kilometer flora and fauna reserve that is also a major archaeological center. Botanists have counted 539 flora species. Also, there are 144 types of birds.
Jeep safaris are offered to La Romana area staying guests.

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Hotels are located in the Casa de Campo resort and the Bayahibe-Dominicus area.

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Golf
There are four golf courses in La Romana, all operated by Casa de Campo. Of these, three are public, one is for the private use of members.

Scuba Diving
Regardless of whether you are a serious scuba diver or just want to learn, La Romana is an excellent destination. All resorts have dive centers staffed with highly qualified personnel that offer PADI training or may even give you a free lesson in the swimming pool. There are also diving schools in Bayahibe, departing point for hundreds of sea outings. Catalina Island is best appreciated by experienced divers. There the "wall" attracts not only vacationers from the nearby La Romana resorts but also divers travelling from the North coast. The site is 20 minutes by boat from a dock in La Romana.

This is probably one of the few places to see very large fish, such as grouper. Most of the big species around the island's popular coral reefs have been depleted by intensive spear fishing. Catalina's shallower dive of about 25-30 feet off the island is simply beautiful. An abundance of purple sea fans, orange, brown and grey gardens, and a variety of multi-coloured, fluorescent fish surround divers as they wander about. There is excellent visibility of 90-100 feet and good light refraction.

Near to La Romana is Bayahibe where large schools of fish are accustomed to bread feedings from local divers. Just waving a white glove will produce a flurry of activity. This practice is being discouraged by ecologically-minded people as it reduces the survival instincts of the fish, and disrupts the food chain.

The coastline of the National Park of the East,, especially the western stretch, has some diverse coral formations, A popular area for diving in the park is Saona Island, which can only be reached by boat from La Romana. The island is a protected sanctuary and there is abundant wildlife and marine life, such as turtles, whales, sharks and a good chance of seeing big fish. Divers can also enjoy visiting the sunken St. Georges barge near the Club Viva Dominicus (see picture). The ship has created a natural protected habitat for coral reef species that are in danger of extinction.

The ship has several small protected cells in which species are reproduced, safe from human and sea predators. Scuba diving excursions and glass bottom boat trips to the site are available.

Fishing
Fishing trips can be arranged at the major hotels if you want to reel in your own barracuda, tuna or dorado.

Horseback Riding
Casa de Campo’s Equestrian Center offers excellent riding.
Another good option is Rancho Cumayasa.

La Romana town restaurants cater to the gastronomically-demanding residents in the area.

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Nightlife outside the hotel
Altos de Chavon's Genesis Discotheque.

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Shopping
La Romana town for most basic necessities.
Altos de Chavon for fine handicrafts and art.
El Limon Shopping Center for groceries and arts and crafts.