Cap Cana is the perfect tropical resort

Dominican Republic

Travelers from all over the globe choose the Dominican Republic for their vacations — it's the number one destination in the entire Caribbean. But how many know the tumultuous story of the way this small nation has reshaped itself to take a leading place in the political and economic life of the region?

Like the other islands of the Caribbean, the DR's home isle of Hispaniola has known centuries of being colonized by Europeans. The wars of England, Spain, France and the Netherlands rumbled across these waters as privateers bombarded towns, armies clashed, and territories changed hands again and again. Most of Hispaniola was ruled by Spain as the colony of Santo Domingo, from Columbus' landing in 1492 until the 1790s, when France expanded control from the western third of the island (soon to be the nation of Haiti).

The birth of independence, in the eyes of Dominican citizens today, came in 1844, with a proclamation of autonomy and adoption of a Constitution modeled on that of the U.S. The new nation struggled to find its feet. In the late 1800s and early 1900s a movement to make the DR a part of the US was pushed by politicians in both countries. US influence continued right into the Cold War (American troops were sent on three occasions), but the DR always remained independent. In the 1930s it fell under the sway of a military dictator. Rafael Trujillo ruthlessly maintained power until he was assassinated in 1961.

Over the last 50 years the DR has established itself as a stable democracy with the strongest economy in the region. Dominicans have progressed a long way beyond the legacies of strong-man government, and since the 1970s have capitalized on the variety and beauty of the land and the hospitable spirit of the people to create a welcoming tourist mecca.

Cap Cana

It's the newest and most innovative development in the Republic. Designed to take advantage of the unspoiled coast which curves outward in a line of spectacular white beaches to form Hispaniola's easternmost point, the 30,000 acre complex is a gated and completely self-contained “township” for both tourists and residents. With its own electrical, water, and communications infrastructure, and its own school system, its designers have, from the first ground-breaking in the early 2000s, envisioned a combined hotel and residential community that preserves and respects the balance and beauty of the local ecology.

This harmonious approach can be seen in the neighborhood around the beautiful marina, with townhome style residences arrayed along the protective curving arms of the quays with their yacht slips, facing each other across gentle lagoons in a design that seems almost to have grown rather than been built. The same feeling of community with nature is gained from every part of Cap Cana … the seaview clubs and restaurants, the forested trails and hidden grottoes of Scape Park at the complex's heart, the green pastures of Los Establos equine center with its championship polo grounds, the Dolphinarium where wild dolphins may be visited in their own environment, just to mention only a few of the wonderful things to experience here. There are several important golf courses, but pride of place is taken by multiple award-winning Punta Espada, designed by Jack Nicklaus, which was the first completed feature of Cap Cana, and unsurpassed for challenging play and spectacular intermingling of seascape and landscape.

Our spectacular hotel, Secrets Resort & Spa Cap Cana, is the newest addition to the area's pleasures. Scheduled to open in late 2016, it promises to embody the Cap Cana philosophy with its mandala of turquoise pools and lagoons set out under fluttering palms, linking gracefully balconied buildings to pure white Juanillo Beach and the vista of blue sea. 

We're looking forward to our stay in March 2017 with great anticipation!