Casa de Campo, La Romana, Dominican Republic

• Golf, golf, golf and in case you didn’t get it, golf. Great, great golf.
• No fewer than 10 restaurants, all good.
• Gorgeous, airy and beautifully appointed guest rooms.
• Villas, available for rent, are some of the most luxurious in the Caribbean.

• 7,000 acres makes it hard to walk around (every guest gets a golf cart).
• A place this big has only one private beach? It’s a beauty, sure, but just one?
• Wireless internet costs a whopping $29 a day. At the business center it's $4 for 15 minutes.

• Address: Casa de Campo, La Romana, Dominican Republic
• Phone: 305-865-5405; 800-877-3643
• Rates: For hotel rooms, depending on season, $178-$306 per day; villa rentals from $348 up to $6,000 a day.
• Dining: Ten restaurants (eight full serve, two serving snacks, including one that’s a swim-up bar)
• Spa: Cygalle Healing Spa
• Other Amenities: Three pools, horseback riding, polo, fitness center, skeet, tennis, children’s programs
• Rooms: 267 hotel rooms; 150 of the resort’s 1,400 private villas available for rent

Big isn’t necessarily better, but here it fits. This place is so huge you need a golf cart to get around its 7,000 acres. If you love golf, you’ll think you’ve Dye-d and gone to heaven: Famed course designer Pete Dye has concocted three beauties, one of which, the fearsomely named Teeth of the Dog, is consistently ranked the best in the Caribbean. Not too shabby either are The Links, a Scotland-like course of rugged hills and rolling vistas, and Dye Fore, perched atop the Chavon River bluffs.

One of the most spectacular and unique features of Casa de Campo is Altos de Chavon, a magnificently replicated 16th-century Mediterranean village sitting high above the Chavon River. The village features a Grecian-style amphitheater, the gorgeous Saint Stanislaus church (available for weddings) and a variety of stores, galleries and an archaeological museum. Thee Casa de Campo Marina and Yacht Club is reminiscent of an Italian seaport, particularly Piazza Portofino, the sweeping, open plaza at its heart. There are villas and townhouse apartments here, a sailing school, and all sorts of marine activities.

Dining at sunset in the Caribbean doesn’t get any more picturesque than at the resort’s Le Cirque restaurant right on the beach. The food is fabulous: Chef Paul Scordino, of New York’s famed Le Cirque, oversees all cuisine at the resort. Linger on the beach for drinks, maybe a fine Cuban and some relaxed conversation.

If you have a big enough gang and can afford it, try renting a villa. They are simply breathtaking; I toured a five-bedroom beauty right on a golf fairway that overlooks the ocean with infinity pool, covered barbecue area, phenomenal artwork, and a second-floor balcony draped with bougainvillea.

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