CASA IN THE CARIBBEAN
November - 2005 _
"The new Casa Colonial makes the island a
true luxury destination".
Casa Colonial Beach & Spa, the first and only member of the Small Luxury
Hotels of the wolrd in the Dominican Republic, is the latest addiction to
Don Isidro Garcia and his family’s legacy of Dominican hotels. The
50-room, all-suite property, designed by architect Sarah Garcia (Don Garcia’s
daughter), opened last November in Puerto Plata. Boasting such features as
a rooftop infinity pool, 12,440-sq.-ft. spa, and private dining room, the
hotel aims to capture the luxury market’s top tier of travelers.
“Our target is the affluent traveler with a penchant for exploring boutique
hotels, who wants to see a Caribbean destination that he or she probably hasn’t
visited previously because of a lack of high-end accomodations,” says
Christian Maiel, director of sales and marketing.
A 25-minute drive from Puerto Plata International Airport, which is served
by about 20 airlines, Casa Colonial is located in the gated resort community
of Playa Dorada. Secreted beyond Playa Dorada’s other hotel sports
a marble-floored entrance lined with vaselike sculptures created from the
trunks of palm trees overturned bya hurricane on one of Garcia’s farms.
With the lobby featuring painted mahogany – the national tree of the
Dominican Republic – local coral, and a painting of Don Garcia arriving
on a mule (a gift from Sarah), the initial encounter with the hotel’s
interior is proof of the architect’s ability to meld luxury and location.
The concept also extends to the lobby gift shop, where local designer Jenny
Polinho sells light-colored linen clothes with locally produced amber accents.
Also in the lobby are the concierge-style check-in desk and a bar that tends
to serve as a regular gathering place for both guests and staff. Since there
is often an overbundance of very friendly employees manning the bar, it’s
only too easy to find assistance when need be and order a cocktail or cup
of coffee while being helped.
Just off the bar is Lucia, the hotel’s fine-dining restaurant, specializing
in Asian-fusion ciusine. Those in the restaurant’s main dining room
can be seen eating hearty helping of Austrian chef Harold Klement’s
colorful sushi and enjoying views of the picturesque mangrove jungle on the
other side of Lucia’s signature glass wall.
Adjacent to the restaurant’s main dining room is the private dining
room, where the wine cellar is located. Sarah’s husband, Roberto Casoni,
executive vice president of the hotel company and a former viticulturist,
selected the 80 varieties in this temperature-controlled glass enclosure.
The private dining room also connects to the hotel’s meeting space,
which accomodates up to 50 people. The other dining option at Casa Colonial
is Veranda, a casual beachfront restaurant where brealfast and lunch are
served.
Also on the beachfront is an extension of Bagua Spa. The indoor spa boasts
10 treatment rooms and a fully equipped fitness center. Such signature treatments
as the 80-minute pure coffee body cocoon can be enjoyed in any of the spa’s
three oceanfront gazebos, as can classes in Pilates and yoga.
Guest can relax in one of the hotel’s 50 suites (42 junior suites,
two one-bedroom suites, four deluxe suites, one penthouse, and one presidential
suite).
The rooms are grandiose spaces in wich rainwater showers, hot tubs, Frette
linens, and flat-screen televisions add to the luxurious experience. Among
the other standard amenities found in all rooms are air conditioning, bathrobes,
slippers, a CD player, minibar, 24-hour room service, and original Dominican
artwork. The sprawling, 1,052-sq.-tf. Penthouse suite also features a dining
area, walk-in cedar closet, and secluded balcony with bamboo awning and claw-footes
bathtub that overlooks the beach.
Guests at Casa Colonial also have access to the Robert Trent Jones Sr. golf
course at Garcia’s other VH Hotels & Resorts property, Victoria
Resort Golf & Beach, as well as the facilities at neighboring Gran Ventana
costs $35 for adults and $17.50 for children two to 12.
Through Dec. 14, nightly rates start at $260 for a junior suite and $720
for the penthouse with a connecting junior suite. Reservations can be made
by contacting the hotel directly, through the GDS, or with GOGO Worldwide
Vacations or Island Destinations, which both package Casa Colonial Beach & Spa.
(Kerry Medina).
