News in Casa de Campo

2011

THE LINKS RENOVATIONS, PRACTICE RANGE AND NEW NINE

June 1, 2011 - Work is already underway to completely renovate The Links Golf Course. The course was closed on May 9th and is scheduled to remain closed until mid-December whilst it undergoes a renovation, maintenance and improvement plan being overseen by Pete Dye. Also under renovation is the practice range at the The Links / Teeth of the Dog, which is planned to last a month.

Also this coming in August Casa de Campo will celebrate the opening of it’s 5th Pete Dye designed golf course, the new ’9′ near Altos de Chavón and the Dye Fore. This new facility will provide golfers a different golfing experience when playing in Altos de Chavón as the new ’9′ has been designed to join with the Dye Fore and create a different 18 hole course. As part of this course a new practice range has also been opened, meaning that as well as 5 golf courses, Casa de Campo now boasts 3 practice ranges.

JETBLUE ANNOUNCES FIFTH DOMINICAN DESTINATION: LA ROMANA

May 18, 2011 - New York’s hometown airline, JetBlue Airways, today is pleased to announce plans to expand its award-winning service and in-flight experience to its fifth destination in the Dominican Republic and its 67th BlueCity with the addition of La Romana, subject to receipt of government approval. Effective November 16, 2011, the value carrier will launch between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to La Romana International Airport (LRM), twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Flights are on sale now for as low as $99 (a) each way today through Wednesday, June 1 at www.jetblue.com/new for travel between November 16 and December 14, 2011.

“The Dominican community has embraced JetBlue’s value proposition, and thanks to their tremendous support we’re pleased to offer the island’s only nonstop service between New York and La Romana,” said Scott Laurence, vice president of network planning for JetBlue. “We are the country’s largest carrier, and we will continue to grow by adding more options and more destinations for visitors and residents of the Dominican Republic alike.”

"The new JetBlue flights put the beautiful and romantic La Romana area within a few hours of a major U.S. city," said Magaly Toribio, DR Ministry of Tourism, Vice Minister of International Promotion. "The Dominican Republic's long-term commitment to innovative marketing has firmly established our culturally rich paradise in the hearts and minds of global travelers who seek sensational sun, azure blue seas and sumptuous and affordable world-class hotels. Our country's increasing popularity with U.S. visitors allows our airline partners to increase their flights to meet the growing demand for our warm and welcoming island nation."

"As many of our hotel guests and villa owners reside in the northeast of the US, we are very excited about this new service JetBlue will be providing," said Claudio Silvestri, President and CEO of Premier Resorts & Hotels, which manages the famed Casa de Campo Resort in La Romana.  "The high quality individual experience received by JetBlue passengers will mirror the Caribbean experience at Casa de Campo for a most memorable vacation."

1,680 VILLAS AT CASA DE CAMPO

May 2011 - The largest residential community in the Dominican Republic, Costasur's vice president Alfonso Paniagua announced recently that there were 1,680 villas in the Casa de Campo residential community in La Romana at the end of 2010. The development has maintained an annual growth rate of 6% over the last decade. As reported in Costasur/Casa de Campo News, the development broke the 1,000-villa mark in 2001, ending that year with 1,049 built properties. "Throughout the years it has been our policy to maintain a sustainable growth rate," said Paniagua.

The first villas were built in 1974, the Golf Villas. At the time they sold for US$40,000. Some of those same villas have gone for US$700,000 on the market today. Paniagua said that that same year some of the first homes were built on Punta Aguila, followed by Tennis Villas and Golf Villa Phase II in 1976. There were years when more than 90 villas were built, such as 2002 and 2006, reflecting an economic boom. Construction pace has slowed to 28 villas completed at the end of 2010, but the rate of construction is expected to pick up again this year, as 36 villas are currently under construction.

DAILY FLIGHTS TO LA ROMANA

February 2011 - Starting from April 5th, 2011 there will be daily flights between the La Romana airport and the Miami International airport with American Airlines affiliate, American Eagle. For more information please visit www.aa.com

2010

WORLD TRAVEL AWARD FOR CASA DE CAMPO

December 2010 - World Travel Awards, hailed as the “Oscars of the Travel Industry” voted Casa de Campo, The Caribbean´s Leading Golf Resort.

CENTRAL ROMANA MEDICAL CENTER UPDATE

November 2010 - Construction of the new Central Romana Medical Center is well underway as the entire fourth floor physical structure has been completed. Currently, crews are working on the installation of elevators and the medical equipment that will be used in the facility. The 84-bed hospital will feature the most advance medical equipment on the market including private rooms and suites, 9 ICU beds, 4 operating rooms and 2 burn units. The medical center is scheduled to open in the summer of 2011.

CASA DE CAMPO BEGINS SECOND PHASE OF HOTEL RENOVATION

June 2010 - In early May, Casa de Campo began the second phase of the multimillion-dollar renovation that started last year. The project will include remodeling all the rooms located in the 300 numbered block, overlooking the Caribbean Sea and the majestic 10th hole of the Teeth of the Dog Golf Course.

For this phase of the renovation the work has been entrusted to Dominican architect Rafael Selman and Interior Designer Mayra Gonzalez. Both were responsible for the luxurious transformation of the hotel main area. The design of the rooms will be a reflection of a contemporary tropical luxurious feeling. The new rooms will have a lot of neutral colors, including oak woods shades with a touch of green to bring nature into the room.

FARR 40 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2010

April 2010 - The docks of the Casa de Campo Marina in the Dominican Republic were buzzing as competitors completed sail measurement, weigh-ins and registration in advance of the start of the Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, staged from 21 - 24 April.

This past weekend, teams had two days of ‘practice’ and a chance to eye the competition in the Pre-Worlds which, after five races, saw Lisa & Martin Hill’s Estate Master (AUS) coming out on top. On hand in Casa de Campo is the defending Rolex Farr 40 World Champion, Barking Mad (USA). Owner/skipper Jim Richardson and tactician Terry Hutchinson are returning with many of their prior Worlds crew. Onshore after a few hours on the water, looking at sails and lining up with a few of the competitors, Richardson said, “A World Championship is not just another regatta, so we look at it pretty seriously. There aren’t a lot of teams here, but all the ones here are really good. Of the ten boats here about seven have won big regattas in the past, and the other three have been in the top three or knocked on the door." RIchardson, who is also President of the Farr 40 Class, was enthusiastic about the choice of the location at Casa de Campo. He said, “The venue is fantastic. It’s just a beautiful marina. The facilities are great, the sailing conditions are quite good, and you don’t have to go very far offshore to have a racecourse. The rest of the ambience is sensational – we’re very pleased with the venue.”

All eyes will be on Barking Mad – three time winners of the Worlds in 1998, 2004, and 2009 – to see if they can make it an unprecedented four times. Tactician Terry Hutchinson, an America’s Cup sailor and multiple world champion, talked about Barking Mad’s overall strategy, he said “Inevitably, the beginning of the regatta, you sail for a chance to be in the regatta on Saturday. And so it’s about sailing smart, and sailing clean and not putting the boat in any high-risk spots. “One of the things that’s unique about the fleet size this year is it’s easier to be controlled in a ten-boat fleet than in a 25-30 boat fleet. A lot of our success last year came in one race where we were able to battle our way out of a bad start but always sail fast, away from the fleet. I would suspect at this venue that it will be more difficult to get the necessary leverage to get around boats, because the fleet size isn’t as big and everyone is going relatively fast.”

Racing is being organised by the Casa de Campo Yacht Club and the Farr 40 Class Association. Racing will be led by Principal Race Officer Peter Reggio, with Henry Menin as Jury Chairman. The Race Committee intends to conduct as many races as practical on each scheduled day of racing, with up to a maximum of ten races for the series. Tomorrow’s weather forecast calls for light easterly winds, 8 – 10 knots. First warning signal will be at 1100. The event is being hosted by the Casa de Campo Marina and the Casa de Campo Yacht Club. Gianfranco Fini, the CCYC Commodore, is also the architect whose vision of a Mediterranean-style village and marina came to life in the fall of 2001. Fini said, “When I came here with a friend to design some villas, I loved to sail and I was surprised that there wasn’t this type of marina in the Dominican Republic. Like a little fishing village, you can leave your boat and eat something in a little restaurant and drink something in a little bar. So this is the spirit of the marina – like all the little harbours in the Mediterranean. So I did the project, and before they started with the construction, all the slips and apartments were sold. We built everything at the same time – harbour, apartments, and villas – in three years.”

The Casa de Campo Marina is one of the most impressive yacht facilities in the Caribbean with over 350 slips, dockage for 250’ superyachts, and a shipyard with a 120 ton lift. In addition there are over 100 apartments and nearby villas, as well as the Piazza Portofino with its restaurants and cafés. Gianfranco Fini was clearly elated to see the event on hand despite numerous challenges, he said, “Thanks to all the skippers and crews that are here – because in these difficult economic times, where overall entry levels at big regattas are down – the fact that we have this level of magnitude is still in itself a very good thing." “From the first time that I started to work on the project of the regatta, I was thinking about the possibility of bringing the best regatta to this area: the Farr 40s. I contacted Jim Richardson and Geoff Stagg and went to Miami and Key West to the Farr 40 events. The preparation was very hard, but it is a wonderful pleasure to at last see this dream become reality.”

For more information about the 2010 Rolex Farr 40 World Championship, including entry list, crew lists, and media accreditation, please visit www.farr40worlds.com

2009

US$32 MILLION TRANSFORMATION FOR CASA DE CAMPO

October 2009 - The complete transformation of the Casa de Campo Hotel accelerated in mid September as the December opening fast approaches. The two phase project encompasses initially the transformation of the main areas of the hotel and about a third of the rooms. Approximately US$25 millions are being invested in this first phase by Casa de Campo parent company, the Central Romana Corporation. Following the 2009-2010 high season, the remaining rooms will also be upgraded for an investment estimated at US$32 million.

The design of the new central area was entrusted to designer Mayra Gonzalez teamed up with architect Rafael Selman of Selman & Asociados Arquitectura in combination with architect Simon Lopez, the project general coordinator. Gonzalez and Selman have taken full advantage of the natural beauty of the Caribbean with their characteristic minimalist approach, with Gonzalez successfully implemented at Minitas Beach and at the Cygalle Spa. Natural materials like antiqued marble, coralina stone and oak wood will be featured in the new grand spaces. These elements create an impression of extreme simplicity and clean lines.

DYE FORE DRIVING RANGE TO OPEN THIS WINTER

October 2009 - Casa de Campo's second driving range is slated to open this winter. The range is part of the construction of the last nine holes in the resort that will bring the total to ninety holes.

CASA DE CAMPO'S AND TEETH OF THE DOG WORLD RANKING IMPROVES

October 2009 - Golf magazine's October 2009 issued the magazine's "Top 100 Golf Courses in the World". Teeth of the Dog it is ranked No.42, up one notch from the 2007 ratings. Like wise, Golf Digest magazine's October 2009 issued the magazine's "75 Best Golf Resort in North America" where Casa de Campo ranked No.32.

September 2009 - Golf magazine's September 2009 issue has listed Casa de Campo's Teeth of the Dog Golf Course as the 8th in the "50 Greatest Golf Courses of the last 50 Years" and the only course listed outside of the USA in the Americas.

MARINA HOSTS PRESIDENTE CUP

March 2009 - The III Presidente Cup Sailing Regatta concluded with 17 sailboats participants. The event was organized into three categories with the A Class competing for the Presidente Cup, while the B and C Class competed for the Spinnaker/Gennaker and non-Spinnaker/non-Gennaker respectively.

OFFICIAL INAUGURATION OF LOS ALTOS

February 2009 - BAP Development officially inaugurated their stunning Los Altos apartments, overlooking the breathtaking hole 18 of the Dye Fore Golf Course. The ribbon cutting ceremony was officially by BAP Development president, Willy Bermelo, the Minister of Tourism Francisco Javier Garcia and Costasur vice president Alfonso Paniagua as well as special guests.

The initial phase of the 116-luxury apartments complex of Los Altos represented an investment of US$113 million by the developer. In the second phase of Los Altos the developer is offering two projects currently under construction: Flats and Villas at Dye Fore. These residences, built to the exact standard of one of Miami's leading developers, offers owners some interesting residential as well as investment opportunities in Casa de Campo given the rent ability of this unique product offering one, two and three bedrooms flats and lofts. Aside from the breathtaking panoramic views in this priviledge location, the innovative design and high-end construction of Los Altos combines the comfort of an upscale residence in a maintenance-free environment with all the amenities of the most complete resort in the Caribbean.

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