La Romana, gateway to Casa de Campo and Altos de Chavon

La Romana owes its name to a large Roman scale used in the 16th century to weigh goods passing through the port, which prospered thanks to the sugar cane industry. The town was built to house the workers on the sugar plantations. Today, it boasts not only a major cruise port but also an international airport, Casa de Campo International Airport.

The town of La Romana is not particularly interesting, but its port is home to huge cruise ships. Don't hesitate to get lost on the river side as you head inland: a staircase leads down to the banks where you'll find a small village stretching the length of the river, with its school and church. Boat trips are available.

👉 Every Friday, the Haitian market brings the artery just outside La Romana to a standstill during the day. Here you'll find all kinds of cheap produce.

The Casa de Campo estate, an impressive hotel complex made up of dozens of luxury villas, is one of the region's major attractions. Billionaires and jet-setters flock to this luxurious complex, built by a consortium of Cubans from Miami. It houses four golf courses designed by the famous architect Pete Dye, a record for a resort!

This immense property also houses an equestrian centre with ranch, jumping, pony and polo grounds, as well as a shooting centre with discus launchers, ball-trap and hunting simulation. A luxury address that has been favoured by Beyoncé, Jay-Z, the Kardashian sisters, Michael Jordan and the Clinton couple!

Very American in spirit, one of the most complete resorts in the Caribbean, built in 1974, is a real city with its cinema, supermarkets, 90,000 m² marina... The icing on the cake is its reconstructed medieval village: Altos de Chavon.

The Altos de Chavon site, a stunning reconstruction of a medieval Italian village located within the Casa de Campo hotel complex, rises 90 metres above the River Chavon. A spectacular setting that has been used as a backdrop for scenes from famous films such as Apocalypse Now and Rambo.

This cultural and artistic centre, built almost entirely of stone in 1975, is home to an art school, a design school affiliated to the Parsons School in New York, and a rich pre-Columbian archaeological museum, which houses one of the most comprehensive collections of indigenous culture in the Dominican Republic.

You'll even see a recreation of Romeo and Juliet's balcony in Verona! This unusual village is home to painters, sculptors, cabinet-makers and weavers who create and sell their work. Galleries and workshops alternate with café terraces and flower-filled courtyards. Inaugurated in 1982 with a concert by Frank Sinatra and Carlos Santana, the village's 5,000-seat amphitheatre presents musical, choreographic and dramatic events all year round.

In Altos de Chavon, a museum exhibits the full range of amber and larimar found in the country. You can buy jewellery made from amber (a solidified brown resin) and larimar (a bluish stone), as well as naive paintings inherited from the Taino Indians, cigars, liquid vanilla, jam, rum and coffee.

Tabacalera de García is the largest handmade cigar factory in the world, with 5,000 employees. It is located in La Romana and produces famous brands such as Montecristo, H. Upmann, Romeo y Julieta, Santa Damiana and Don Diego. This is your chance to find out all about cigars, from the plantation to the shop.

You'll learn, for example, that it takes two years to make a cigar and that the plant grows to 1m90 in just six months, thanks to fertilisers. You'll also learn that the word nicotine comes from the French ambassador to Portugal, Jean Nicot, who introduced tobacco to the French court in the 17th century. Americans prefer the stronger Cuban cigar, while Europeans prefer the lighter, milder Dominican cigar.

👉 Guided tours are available Monday to Friday from 8am to 4pm. For more information, visit www.matildecigars.com

🚗 How do I get there?

La Romana is around 1 hour's drive from Punta Cana via Route 3 and 2 hours from Santo Domingo via Route 3 too. The town also has its own international airport, so it may be easier to come by plane.