Playa Grande Beach Club — Dominican Republic
When I decided to start writing about some of my adventures and travels, I did it because I wanted to be able to share them. I also wanted to have something to look back on and relive the wonderful memories.
This post, however, comes at a time which has been very difficult for many people around the Caribbean — I want it to serve as a reminder of how beautiful our planet is, and how much of it we sadly take for granted.
This story is about Playa Grande Beach Club in the Dominican Republic — one of the most charming resorts you will ever see. It sits on 2,000 acres and is located on the North coast of the Dominican Republic, about 200km (around a 3-hour drive) from the capital — Santo Domingo.
The fact that the bohemian retreat doesn’t even have a sign guiding you to its location, hints to its exclusivity — and once you’ve made it past the security gate and down the maze-like paths through the tropical forest you very quickly understand why — enchanting, whimsical and tranquil — this is what I imagine Eden would look like…
With a style inspired by traditional Dominican colonial architecture, the resort consists of 9 bungalows and a “Great Room” — the beach club houses a bar, dining area, library, lounge and an adjoining pool with cabanas.
What makes the vibe even cooler, is the story of how this came to be. The stylish and low-key retreat is the “dream-come-true” of NYC-based financier Boykin Curry and his talented interior designer wife — Celerie Kemble. After finding out the property was for sale, they and some of their friends — George Soros, Moby, and Charlie Rose among them, invested in the creation of an exotic bohemian hideout along the last Dominican virgin beach.
ACCOMMODATIONS
The bungalows are uniquely-designed with decorative elements fashioned by local artisans — open and airy — they are scattered throughout the grounds of the resort amongst palm trees and all other kinds of tropical greenery.
Each bungalow is filled with local art, custom-made furniture and antiques. We stayed in one of the six one-bedroom villas—in addition to the fantastic high-ceiling space, each bungalow has a shuttered porch, outdoor kitchen, a hammock, and a wrap-around balcony with fresh flowers everywhere. Our perfect little paradise home!
The porch made the perfect spot for a couple’s “in-room” massage and we enjoyed every second of it. The local ladies brought their massage tables and set them up on the private side of our patio, creating the perfect setting for a relaxing outdoor experience.
Moving on to the extremely spacious bathroom and its centerpiece — a copper free-standing bathtub.
I was so obsessed with the enormous copper custom tub that we had a soak in it every night over our stay — you can never go wrong with a glass of prosecco and some coconut and lime artisanal soap bubbles :)
The bathroom floor and shower room were covered with traditional Dominican, hand-painted tiles in vivid colours.
THE BEACH
The resort sits on a one-mile long stretch of white-sand, virgin beach on the Atlantic Ocean set against the backdrop of a lush forest. This is truly one of the most amazing stretches of land I have ever walked on.
On the off chance that you get bored of hanging out on the pristine white-sand beach, you can always dive into the divine swimming pool located just a couple of feet off the beach or laze around on one of the many inflatable pool floaties :)
The lattice-framed cabanas which flank the pool are the perfect spot to chill in the afternoon and hide from the hot Dominican sun while enjoying a yummy fresh-made piña colada!
FOOD
The restaurant serves a creative selection of Caribbean cuisine, taking advantage of the abundance of organic and indigenous ingredients grown by local farmers. The plantain chips were absolutely to die for — I don’t think we went a single meal without ordering them (insert drooly emoji!)
In addition to the delicious food prepared by our wonderful hotel chefs, we had some of the most amazing local food right there on our beach — fishermen would bring fresh lobster they had just caught in the nearby waters and grill it in front of our eyes. I am not even going to go into how divine the fresh pineapple juice was… it’s pretty self-evident ;)
To cap off each of the amazing days we got to spend at Playa Grande Beach Club, we were incredibly lucky to see some breathtaking sunsets while sitting on the sand with a craft cocktail in hand, and take evening swims while watching the tropical storms rage near by.
As the perfect ending to this post, please enjoy the photo below — it is probably one of my favourite photos I have ever taken… #nofilter
