La Romana is a port and sugar city on the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic, home to Casa de Campo and Altos de Chavón. It is the capital of La Romana province. It grew up around one of the country's largest sugar mills, and cane fields still roll inland from the Caribbean shore.
Visitors come for a different mix than on the Punta Cana coast. Casa de Campo, a vast resort community created in the 1970s, offers villas, a marina and celebrated golf courses, while Altos de Chavón, a stone village built above the Chavón River, draws day-trippers for its views, workshops and amphitheater. From the city, boats cross to Catalina Island, and Bayahibe and Saona Island are close by. Vacation rentals here range from villas with staff in Casa de Campo to everyday apartments in town, suiting golfers, families and travelers who like a real Dominican city at the door.
Casa de Campo, east of the center, is where most visitors stay: a gated resort community of private villas, condos and marina apartments, with golf courses, beaches and restaurants inside its own grounds. It suits families, groups and golfers who want space, security and everything within a short drive or cart ride.
The city itself offers apartments and houses in ordinary residential neighborhoods near the Río Dulce, the river that forms its harbor. Staying here puts you among Dominican shops, colmados and bakeries, and it is often the practical choice for longer stays or for visiting family.
For a beach village atmosphere, Bayahibe and Dominicus, about 20 minutes further east, have small apartments and condos close to calm Caribbean water.
Casa de Campo was developed in the 1970s by the American conglomerate Gulf and Western on about 7,000 acres (28 square kilometers) of land belonging to the Central Romana sugar mill. It began as a retreat for the company's chairman, Charles Bluhdorn, with interiors by the Dominican designer Oscar de la Renta, and later opened to paying guests.
Today it is a residential resort community with more than 1,700 private villas. Its best-known course, Teeth of the Dog, was designed by Pete Dye and opened in 1971, with holes along the coral shore; other Dye courses followed. The marina, completed in 2000 and inspired by the Italian harbor of Portofino, is surrounded by restaurants, shops and homes. Many villas are rented by the week, often with pools and household staff.
Altos de Chavón is a re-creation of a Mediterranean village, built in stone on a bluff about 90 meters above the Chavón River. It was conceived by Charles Bluhdorn and the Italian architect Roberto Copa, and work began in 1976.
Cobbled lanes lead to artisan workshops, galleries and the Church of St. Stanislaus, built in 1979 and named in tribute to Pope John Paul II, who visited the country that year. The Regional Museum of Archaeology displays pre-Columbian objects found in the area. A 5,000-seat Roman-style amphitheater, opened in 1982 with a concert in which Frank Sinatra performed, still hosts shows.
La Romana was officially founded in 1897 on the west bank of the La Romana River, also called the Río Dulce. Its fortunes changed in 1917, when the South Porto Rico Sugar Company built the Central Romana mill, and the town's economy turned almost entirely to sugar.
Gulf and Western took over the sugar business in the 1960s and later used part of its land for Casa de Campo. In 1984 it sold its stake to a group of investors that included the Fanjul brothers. The mill and the workers' communities around it remain part of daily life.
Baseball is the other local passion: the Toros del Este play in the Dominican winter league at the Estadio Francisco Micheli.
La Romana's best beaches are mostly on the coast east of the city. Playa Minitas is the best-known beach near Casa de Campo, and Dominicus and Bayahibe, a little further on, have calm, clear water.
Catalina Island, opposite the city, is a popular catamaran trip with shallow reefs for snorkeling and diving, and boats to Saona Island, inside Cotubanamá National Park, leave from Bayahibe. Inland, the Cueva de las Maravillas, on the road toward San Pedro de Macorís, is an 800-meter cave with hundreds of Taíno paintings and carvings, protected as a national park since 1997.
Because the city sits in the lee of the trade winds, its climate is somewhat drier than the north and east coasts, though still warm and humid all year.
La Romana International Airport (LRM), opened in 2000 just east of the city, is close to Casa de Campo and has far fewer routes than Punta Cana. Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ) is about 45 minutes to an hour east by highway, and Santo Domingo, with Las Américas International Airport (SDQ), is roughly 120 kilometers west, about one and a half to two hours by road.
Cruise ships call at the Casa de Campo International Tourist Port, inaugurated in 2002. In town, taxis and motoconchos, the motorcycle taxis, are everywhere, and guaguas run to Bayahibe and San Pedro de Macorís. Inside Casa de Campo, distances are long and most guests get around by car.
La Romana is known for Casa de Campo, a resort community with celebrated golf courses and a marina, for Altos de Chavón, a stone village above the Chavón River, and for its long history as a sugar city around the Central Romana mill.
Yes. Casa de Campo lies just east of the city of La Romana, on about 28 square kilometers of former sugar land. It is a gated resort community with private villas, a marina, golf courses and beach access.
Choose Casa de Campo for villas, golf and a private, resort-style stay. Choose an apartment in the city for local life and longer stays at lower cost. Choose nearby Bayahibe or Dominicus if your priority is a calm beach a short walk away.
By highway, La Romana is roughly 45 minutes to an hour from Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ). Santo Domingo is about 120 kilometers to the west, typically one and a half to two hours by car.
Yes, especially for a half-day. The village has sweeping views over the Chavón River, craft workshops, a small archaeology museum, a church built in 1979 and a 5,000-seat amphitheater. Late afternoon is pleasant for the light over the river.
Three or four days is enough to play golf or enjoy the beach, visit Altos de Chavón and take a boat to Catalina or Saona Island. Golfers and families renting a villa often stay a week or more.
December to April is the driest and most popular season. The rest of the year is hotter and more humid, with short showers, and the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June to November, so flexible plans are wise in late summer.
Researched and written with AI assistance, then fact-checked against the sources below. Last checked .