On to our final stop in the Dominican Republic, the marina in the Casa de Campo resort.
Not only do we rarely visit marinas, as I mentioned a couple of blogs ago, we even more rarely visit marinas in resorts.
But this was the only place to check out of the country in this area, so Casa de Campo it was.
Well, I’ve got to say, we got a very pleasant surprise.
Talk about first-rate service.
Victor came out in a runabout to lead us in to the fuel dock, and the guys on the dock helped us with the lines.
Before we went to our slip, Victor took Chris over in a golf cart so he could see the slip and figure out how we should approach it.
In reality, our strategy didn’t really matter, because Victor took one of our lines and had it on the outside piling before we got the boat over there, and one of the dock guys had hopped onto
Mr Mac to help us from the boat side.
Then there were three more guys on the dock to catch lines.
They just made it way too easy for us.
We were welcomed by the harbormaster, Frank, a terrific guy who was incredibly helpful (notice the trend?).
When we checked in at the office, they gave us a resort brochure with a map and a list of daily activities (yoga, riding, skeet shooting, tennis, dance lessons on the beach, tours to Santo Domingo or a cigar factory, deep-sea fishing, to name only a few); staying at the marina gives you access to the beach and hotel pools and dude ranch and polo grounds (did I say this was a high-class resort?).
Frank even took us for a tour in the golf cart so we could get our bearings.
Unfortunately, the resort is huge, so you need a vehicle (rental car or golf cart) to get to the main hotel area, and we weren’t staying long but we were quite satisfied with what we were able to see by walking around; there were loads of beautifully landscaped grounds and multi-million dollar homes to gawk at.
And the best part?
All this for about $55 per night.
You can barely get a slip at a second-rate marina in the states for this price.
I’m afraid we got a little spoiled.
On to our final stop in the Dominican Republic, the marina in the Casa de Campo resort. Not only do we rarely visit marinas, as I mentioned a couple of blogs ago, we even more rarely visit marinas in resorts. But this was the only place to check out of the country in this area, so Casa de Campo it was. Well, I’ve got to say, we got a very pleasant surprise. Talk about first-rate service. Victor came out in a runabout to lead us in to the fuel dock, and the guys on the dock helped us with the lines. Before we went to our slip, Victor took Chris over in a golf cart so he could see the slip and figure out how we should approach it. In reality, our strategy didn’t really matter, because Victor took one of our lines and had it on the outside piling before we got the boat over there, and one of the dock guys had hopped onto Mr Mac to help us from the boat side. Then there were three more guys on the dock to catch lines. They just made it way too easy for us. We were welcomed by the harbormaster, Frank, a terrific guy who was incredibly helpful (notice the trend?). When we checked in at the office, they gave us a resort brochure with a map and a list of daily activities (yoga, riding, skeet shooting, tennis, dance lessons on the beach, tours to Santo Domingo or a cigar factory, deep-sea fishing, to name only a few); staying at the marina gives you access to the beach and hotel pools and dude ranch and polo grounds (did I say this was a high-class resort?). Frank even took us for a tour in the golf cart so we could get our bearings. Unfortunately, the resort is huge, so you need a vehicle (rental car or golf cart) to get to the main hotel area, and we weren’t staying long but we were quite satisfied with what we were able to see by walking around; there were loads of beautifully landscaped grounds and multi-million dollar homes to gawk at. And the best part? All this for about $55 per night. You can barely get a slip at a second-rate marina in the states for this price. I’m afraid we got a little spoiled.
Hey you two!!
ReplyDeleteWhen can Ellen and I join you for your next trip to this resort!!! We miss you and hope to see you again this summer as you pass through!!
Ellen and I walk the beach every April 2nd and remember Dad all day! I'm sure that he was on your mind as well! TO DAD!!!
The boat will be in Trinidad this summer, but we'll be up for a visit in August. Come visit us down south!
ReplyDeleteHi Chris and Anne - We are heading up the east coast ICW now and love your blog. The anchorage information is so helpful. We stopped in the Abacos on the way and loved it. Smooth Sailing!
ReplyDeleteFrances and Al Lima, logsvjade.blogspot.com