For those of you who have waited patiently for its grand entrance into the market, the elegant golf resort, the Sanctuary Cap Cana, will debut on the east coast of the Dominican Republic on December 22, 2007...just in time for the holidays. More in a moment.
My first experience with the Domincan Republic was with Charlie Bludhorn, the founder and CEO of Gulf + Western back in the 1980's, when I was the Vice President of Sales & Marketing for his hotel division, reporting directly to him.
Mr. Bludhorn's vast corporate empire--especially Paramount Pictures--was enormously successful. But his true love was the sensual beauty of the Dominican Republic and the irrepressibly eager to please, hard-working Dominicans. No one else seemed to share his vision at the company affectionately known on Wall Street as "Engulf & Devour." No matter. Charlie and I had a mission. The challenge at that time was putting an unknown, Oscar de la Renta-designed golf resort, Casa de Campo, on the map.
Most corporate and incentive people are well beyond the geographical limitations of the average American, but in the 1980's, even they struggled with the concept of where, exactly, was the Dominican Republic. That was before "Pete Dye" became a household word with the Teeth of the Dog course, which now any serious golfer knows and can curse by name.
Well, years later with the success of marketing my beloved Dominican Republic, I am thrilled to be responsible for the U.S. group market for Cap Cana, and present at the birth of a new resort in the Dominican Republic that will eclipse Casa de Campo on all fronts. To begin with, Juanillo Beach around which the Sanctuary Cap Cana is surrounded, is one of the most stunning white sand/teal ocean combinations that any imagination can conjure up. Jack Nicklaus has created a Signature seaside golf course, Punta Espada. Golfers who have played the spectacular ocean-hugging holes gush about the course, yet still cannot find enough superlatives to describe its beauty. Caution: Play now before it becomes private, which it will do as soon as the second Jack Nicklaus course, Punta Iguana, comes on line. Fortunate will be the villa and condo owners who will then have Punta Espada all to themselves!
The Sanctuary Cap Cana has been lovingly designed and built by AltaBella Hotels, a Madrid-based company which has taken excruciating care to bring this five star property to its current state of luxury. All will soon be revealed when the all-suite resort(minimum of 650 square feet hotel rooms) is open next month. Not all of the hotel will be available on December 22, 2007, however. You must wait until March 2008 to experience the exquisite Mandara spa, though spa facilities will be available at the hotel before then. Half of the eight restaurants, and the conference center will be open also in March 2008. We are taking group reservations now, with several prestigious corporate groups already booked.
A final note by the way for those of you who don't know, Charlie Bluhdorn is in the Great Resort in the sky, having passed away in the Dominican Republic in 1985. He really would have loved SanctuaryCap Cana, though I suspect he would have wanted to make it part of his Gulf + Western empire, if it still existed. And that is, of course, the beauty of Sanctuary Cap Cana. It is small (176 suites) and independent, not part of a corporate chain of cookie-cut hotels you might find on this or another Caribbean island. So, I know I speak for Charlie Bluhdorn, if you haven't yet been to the Dominican Republic, you must come to Sanctuary Cap Cana. We challenge you NOT to fall in love with it!
