Active Pursuits

Hitting the Beach

La Minitas, Casa de Campo's main beach and site of a series of bars and restaurants, is a small but immaculate beach and lagoon that requires a 10-minute shuttle-bus ride from the resort's central core. Bus transportation is provided, or you can rent an electric golf cart. A bit farther afield (a 30-min. bus ride, but only a 20-min. boat ride), Bayahibe is a large, palm-fringed sandy crescent on a point jutting out from the shoreline. Finally, Catalina is a fine beach on a deserted island, surrounded by turquoise waters; it's just 45 minutes away by motorboat. Unfortunately, many other visitors from Casa de Campo have learned of the glories of this latter retreat, so you're not likely to have the sands to yourself.

Sports & Other Outdoor Pursuits

Casa de Campo is headquarters for just about any sporting activity or outdoor pursuit in the area. Call the resort's guest services staff at tel. 809/523-3333 for more information. Casa del Mar weighs in with a heavy array of outdoor activities ranging from horseback riding to banana boating. Call 809/221-8880 for more details.

Fishing -- You can arrange freshwater river-fishing trips through Casa de Campo. Some of the biggest snook ever recorded have been caught around here. A 3-hour tour costs RD$868 (US$31/£16) per person, and includes tackle, bait, and soft drinks. A 4-hour deep-sea fishing trip costs RD$15,372 to RD$20,496 (US$549-US$732/£286-£381) per boat, with 8 hours going for RD$22,204 to RD$30,744 (US$793-US$1,098/£412-£571).

Golf -- Golf magazine declared Casa de Campo (tel. 809/523-3333, ext. 3187) "the finest golf resort in the world." The Teeth of the Dog course has been called "a thing of almighty beauty," and it is. The ruggedly natural terrain has seven holes skirting the ocean. Opened in 1977, The Links is an inland course modeled after some of the seaside courses of Scotland. In the late 1990s, the resort added a third golf course to its repertoire, La Romana Country Club, which tends to be used almost exclusively by residents of the surrounding countryside rather than by guests of Casa de Campo.

The cost for 18 holes of golf is RD$4,480 (US$160 (£83) at the Links and RD$5,544 (US$198/£103) at Teeth of the Dog and the La Romana Country Club. (Some golf privileges may be included in packages to Casa de Campo.) You can also buy a 3-day membership, which lets you play all courses for RD$7,056 (US$252/£131) per person (for Casa de Campo guests only). A 7-day membership costs RD$14,056 (US$502/£261). You can hire caddies for RD$700 (US$25/£13); electric golf-cart rentals cost RD$560 (US$20/£11) per person per round. Each course is open 7:30am to 5:30pm daily. Call far in advance to reserve a tee time if you're not staying at the resort.

Horseback Riding -- Trail rides at Casa de Campo or Casa del Mar cost RD$700 (US$25/£13) per person for 1 hour, RD$1,120 (US$40/£21) for 2 hours. The stables shelter 250 horses, although only about 40 of them are available for trail rides. For more information, call Casa del Campo at tel. 809/523-3333, ext. 5249, or Casa del Mar at tel. 809/221-8880.

Snorkeling -- Casa de Campo has one of the most complete watersports facilities in the Dominican Republic. You can charter a boat for snorkeling, with a minimum of eight people (The resort maintains eight charter vessels.) Full-day snorkeling trips to Isla Catalina cost RD$980 (US$35/£18) per snorkeler. Rental of fins and masks cost RD$140 (US$5/£2.60) per day; guests on all-inclusive plans use gear for free. Snorkeling is also included in the all-inclusive rates at Casa del Mar (tel. 809/221-8880).

Tennis -- Casa de Campo's 13 clay courts are available from 7am to 9pm. (They're lit at night.) Charges are RD$672 (US$24/£13) per court per hour during the day or RD$840 (US$30/£16) at night. Lessons are RD$1,708 (US$61/£32) per hour with a tennis pro, and RD$1,372 (US$49/£26) with an assistant pro. Call far in advance to reserve a court if you're not staying at the resort. The four courts at Casa del Mar (tel. 809/221-8880) are reserved for the resort's all-inclusive guests.