You Don’t Play Golf? Here’s Why Casa de Campo Is Still Worth the Trip

When people hear the name Casa de Campo, golf is often the first thing that comes to mind. It is understandable. The resort has been known internationally for its golf courses for decades and many visitors come specifically to play here. But after living and working in Casa de Campo for many years, we can say that a large number of our guests don't play golf at all. Some arrive wondering whether there will really be enough for them to do and, by the end of their stay, they usually realize that golf was never necessary to enjoy Casa de Campo.

The reason is quite simple. Casa de Campo is not a place where your vacation depends on one particular activity. There are many different ways to spend the day, and when you stay in a private villa you have even more freedom to decide what you feel like doing once you are here. You might wake up planning to go to the beach and then spend half the morning having breakfast outside because nobody is in a hurry. The children may already be in the pool while everyone else is still deciding what to do, and sometimes the original plan changes before the day has even started.

For first-time visitors, this is often one of the nicest surprises. There is plenty to organize if you want to be active, but you don't need to plan every hour to enjoy the resort. You can decide to take the golf cart to Minitas Beach in the morning, stay for lunch because everyone is comfortable and then return to the villa much later than expected. The next day might start exactly the same way but end completely differently, perhaps at the Marina or in Altos de Chavón.

The golf cart quickly becomes part of this routine, even for guests who never go near a golf course. Casa de Campo is very large, much larger than many people expect before they arrive, so moving around the resort is part of daily life. After a couple of days, taking the golf cart from the villa to Minitas, going to meet friends for dinner or heading to the Marina feels completely normal. It also gives you the freedom to change plans easily, which is something we think makes a big difference when you are on vacation.

Minitas is usually one of the first places our guests want to visit, especially when they are coming from colder climates and have been waiting to see the Caribbean. You can go for a few hours in the morning and return to the villa for lunch, but very often those few hours become much longer. If everyone is enjoying the beach, there is really no reason to rush. The Marina has a different atmosphere and is another place where it is easy to spend more time than originally planned. You might go for lunch, walk around afterwards, stop somewhere for a coffee or a drink and decide to stay for dinner.

Altos de Chavón gives you yet another possibility. It is completely different from the beach and the Marina, and we particularly like going there later in the afternoon, when you can walk through the stone streets, enjoy the view over the Chavón River and then stay for dinner. Being able to move between places that feel so different without leaving Casa de Campo is one of the reasons a longer stay doesn't become repetitive.

If you are staying for several days, we also normally recommend leaving one day for the sea. A boat day is especially enjoyable when you are travelling with family or friends because it gives everyone a chance to spend the day together without having to organize too much once you are on board. You swim, have something to eat, listen to music, relax and enjoy the Caribbean. Then you come back in the afternoon and, particularly after a full day in the sun, it is nice to return to your own villa rather than to a hotel room.

There are many other activities available in Casa de Campo, including racquet sports, horseback riding, shooting, wellness experiences and activities for children. Depending on the group, we can help organize a stay with something different planned almost every day. But we also tell our guests not to make the mistake of filling every free moment before they arrive.

We see why all the time.

A family may have planned to go out in the morning, but breakfast takes longer than expected. The children get into the pool, everyone starts talking, somebody puts on music and suddenly nobody is particularly interested in leaving. Lunch is prepared at the villa and what was supposed to be a busy day becomes a day spent almost entirely at home. This happens much more often than people imagine, and it is rarely considered a wasted day. Usually, it is the opposite.

This is one of the reasons we pay so much attention to the villa when helping a client choose where to stay. Number of bedrooms and price are obviously important, but they are not the only things that matter. If you are travelling with children, the way the outdoor spaces work may be very important. If you are several couples, privacy between bedrooms and comfortable common areas may matter more. Some guests want to be as close as possible to Minitas, while others prefer a particular view, a large pool or simply enough space for everyone to have breakfast and dinner together.

We know from experience that guests spend much more time in the villa than they sometimes expect when they first contact us. It isn't simply the place where they sleep. It becomes the place where everyone meets in the morning, where they come back after the beach, where the children play and where some of the nicest evenings of the vacation can happen. This is why two villas with the same number of bedrooms can offer completely different experiences, depending on the people who are travelling.

So when someone asks us whether Casa de Campo is worth visiting if they don't play golf, our answer is always yes. Golf is an important part of Casa de Campo and one of the things that has made the resort famous around the world, but it doesn't define what every vacation here has to be.

You can spend the morning at Minitas and the afternoon at your villa. You can take a boat out for the day and do almost nothing the following day. You can have dinner at the Marina one evening and ask for dinner to be prepared at home the next. Some days you may want to organize several activities and others you may decide what to do only after breakfast.

And normally, after a few days, this becomes the part of Casa de Campo that guests appreciate most:

Having choices without feeling that you have to follow a program.

At RD Assistance, we have been working with guests and private villas in Casa de Campo for many years, and this experience helps us understand that recommending the right property means first understanding the people who will be staying in it. We want to know who is travelling, whether there are children, how guests like to spend their time and what is important to them during a vacation. From there, we can help with the villa and with the other practical details of the stay, including golf carts, transfers, villa staff and experiences.

You don't need to come to Casa de Campo with a long list of things you want to do, and you certainly don't need to play golf.

Sometimes it is enough to choose the right villa, arrive, and give yourself a few days to discover Casa de Campo in your own way.

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