In the late afternoon, the marina at Casa de Campo begins to change. Golf carts roll backwards on the course with clubs strapped to the back seats. A glass of dark Dominican rum sits on a waterfront table next to a plate of grilled seafood. Music blares from restaurants along the harbor, and smoke slowly rises above people gathered near the terraces.
At Casa de Campo in La Romana, these scenes already feel connected to the rhythm of the resort. Next month, the Dominican Republic establishment will switch gears with an entire long weekend of festivities centered around three elements that have long defined luxury travel in the Caribbean: cigars, rum and golf. These three have never been combined into one event before.
new Cigar in Paradise Festival is coming to Casa de Campo Resort and Villas from From June 25th to June 28thThe world’s largest premium cigar brands, master blenders, rum producers and enthusiasts come together for what organizers call the Caribbean’s first festival of its kind.
Unlike many Caribbean festivals held in convention centers or isolated event spaces, this one spreads naturally throughout a resort already built for this lifestyle.
Casa de Campo has been one of the Dominican Republic’s defining luxury destinations for decades. The property is spread across thousands of acres at La Romana, featuring villa areas, a private beach, a full-service marina, equestrian facilities, tennis courts, a shooting range, spa facilities and three Pete Dye-designed golf courses.
The centerpiece for golf travelers remains. dog teethThe beach course is regularly ranked as one of the best layouts in the Caribbean, with several holes right next to the Caribbean Sea. Other courses at the resort, dye front and linkElevated fairways overlooking the Chavón River and inland greens surrounded by palm trees and rolling terrain give it a completely different look.
Golf culture becomes part of the festivities from the moment guests arrive.
All packages include a personal golf cart to transport throughout the property. That means you can start your morning with tea overlooking the Caribbean Sea and move on to a rum tasting and evening cigar event next to the marina in the afternoon.
The setting is especially natural because Casa de Campo attracts the exact crowd this festival is targeting: golfers from Miami and New York, boat owners arriving through the marina, luxury travelers booking villas for long weekends, and cigar lovers who already travel to the Dominican Republic regularly for factory visits and blending experiences.
Over the past two decades, the Dominican Republic has become one of the world’s most important producers of premium cigars, especially around Santiago and La Romana, where many of the industry’s most famous brands manufacture and age their products. Travelers are already planning their trips around cigar tours, private tastings and experiences. This new event turns most of that culture into one luxury resort weekend.
During the day, guests can enjoy seminars and training sessions using blenders and rum stills, while at night the festivities extend throughout the hotel with live music, tasting booths, Dominican coffee and cacao presentations, food stations and more than 25 participating brands.
“We are excited to host Casa de Campos’ first annual Cigar in Paradise Premiere Cigar and Rum Festival, which will showcase the world’s best brands and rums during three days of fun and educational events. Guests will enjoy meeting and learning from the world’s best master blenders, rum distillers and industry leaders during the morning sessions, followed by an evening of festivities that include booths from over 25 brands, rum tastings, Dominican coffee and cacao, food, live music and more. and more,” said Jason Kycek, senior vice president of Casa de Campo. caribbean journal.
Participating brands are expected to include the following names: Arturo Puente, Ashton, La Aurora, Oliva, Placencia, Crowned Heads and la palinaespecially.
If you’re coming from South Florida, getting there just got a whole lot easier. American Airlines currently operates direct flights between Miami and La Romana, with a travel time of less than three hours. It completely changes the feel of your Casa de Campo retreat. Instead of landing somewhere else in the Dominican Republic, you can fly directly to La Romana and be at the resort within minutes of landing. (You actually arrive at the resort by taking a golf cart from the airport.)
This ease makes Casa de Campo Dominican Republic A great destination for a luxury vacation, especially for travelers looking for a long golf weekend.
And golf is serious.
On weekends like these, golf is part of the atmosphere almost everywhere in Casa de Campo. Designed by the resort’s Pete Dye, the three courses offer guests a completely different experience each day. Recently revised dog teeth This signature course features many holes right next to the Caribbean Sea and fairways surrounded by coral rocks and crashing waves.
27 holes dye front Climb up the Chavón River with dramatic elevation changes and canyon views that are quite unlike any other coastline course in the Caribbean.
Then there linkThe resort’s inland course features rolling fairways, tighter greens and a more traditional club-style feel. During the festival weekend, rounds of golf naturally lead to rum tastings, marina dinners and late-night events throughout the hotel, especially for travelers who turn the event into an extended golf vacation in the Dominican Republic.
But there’s more to it than golf.
The wellness aspect of resorts has also become a major part of the experience in recent years, especially for travelers balancing golf, dining and relaxation during extended stays.
The resort’s 18,000-square-foot wellness center These include hydrotherapy experiences, massages, facials, recovery-oriented treatments and wellness programs designed around active travel. Guests regularly rotate between a morning round of golf, afternoon time at the spa, beach time at Minitas Beach, and dinner by the marina. Yoga sessions, fitness facilities and wellness treatments have increasingly become part of the wider Casa de Campo experience, especially for groups mixing golf and spa-focused excursions.
This helps separate the event from the traditional festive atmosphere. And it’s a truly unique concept.
A day at Casa de Campo rarely consists of just one activity. A morning round at Teeth of the Dog turns into lunch at Minitas Beach Club. After an afternoon massage or hydrotherapy session, enjoy a rum tasting near the marina. Dinner continues late into the evening, accompanied by live music from Altos de Chavón.
The resort’s geography also makes the festival feel larger than a single venue. The marina area becomes a social hub after dark, and outdoor restaurants and bars fill up quickly as yachts line the nearby docks. Altos de Chavón offers a completely different atmosphere at night, with stone walkways, galleries and a terrace overlooking the Chavón river valley.
For many travelers, the appeal is less about following a strict festival schedule and more about how naturally the event fits into the wider Casa de Campo experience.
The package starts from: $659 per person per day Includes three nights in a superior room, all meals, unlimited premium beverages, airport transfers, festival admission, seminars and a personal meeting with a master blender. Upgraded suites and private villas are also available for larger groups and golf outings.
Because the festival begins during the Caribbean’s summer season, travelers will find easier tee times, quieter beaches, and more space throughout the resort compared to the winter peak season.
This time of year is especially suitable for Miami travelers looking for a quick, luxury getaway that doesn’t require a full week stay. A direct flight to La Romana means you can depart South Florida in the morning and sit dockside with a glass of Dominican rum before sunset.
At Casa de Campo, the weekend already feels made for that kind of excursion long before the festival officially begins. Golf carts parked outside villas at sunrise, waterfront fairways along the dog’s teeth, afternoon spa appointments after 18 holes, dark Dominican rum poured by the dock at sunset and music flowing across La Romana well after midnight.
What makes this event unique is that there has actually never been a Caribbean luxury resort festival that caters to all three worlds simultaneously: premium cigars, aged rum and championship golf. The Dominican Republic has long been one of the hemisphere’s largest cigar producers, and Caribbean resorts regularly host rum tastings or golf tournaments of their own. But surprisingly, a multi-day luxury festival that brings together leading cigar houses, master blenders, rum producers and golf culture within a resort like Casa de Campo is something the region has never seen before. This is one of the reasons why the setting is such a natural fit.
Casa de Campo already attracts golfers, cigar lovers, marina travelers and luxury groups year-round. The festival simply brings the pieces together into a long weekend in La Romana.
Here we found rooms that combined the inclusions into one daily rate. Flight prices vary depending on what you see on Google Flights, but in my experience the convenience of Miami-La Romana is very hard to beat. Another option is to fly to Santo Domingo and use a car service or let your hotel handle the transportation. It’s been less than an hour.
