Holiday Memories: My Trip to the Dominican Republic
I hope you all had a safe and happy Christmas. Here's a blog that was originally posted on January 22, 2022. It includes photos from my trip to the Dominican Republic, enjoy.
Here in the Northeast, it's bitter cold. Temperatures are expected to hit 30-degrees Fahrenheit at my Bedford, New York farm today - very different from the weather on the Caribbean nation of the Dominican Republic, where I recently spent a glorious week with friends.
If you follow me on Instagram @MarthaStewart48, you may remember my trip to the Dominican Republic over the holidays. Most of our time was spent in La Romana, at the beautiful resort complex of Casa de Campo, about 70-miles from the historic city of Santo Domingo. We went fishing, enjoyed delicious meals, and relaxed on the most pristine beaches. We also visited the village of Altos de Chavon, home to the Altos de Chavon Cultural Center Foundation, a non-profit educational and cultural entity dedicated to maintaining an arts community within the Dominican Republic. It was a fantastic trip with perfect weather every day.
Enjoy my photos.
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- My friend, Dominique Bluhdorn, owns the most gorgeous home called La Favorita. Look at the breathtaking views.
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- Dominique’s house has many seating arrangements in many different scenic locations such as this covered loggia, which is a covered space running along the length of a structure similar to a porch, but with columns or arches on the open side.
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- This is the formal living room — where we did not sit once.
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- And here is her swimming pool – also with such delightful views.
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- These are the steps to the beach and to the swimming pavillion at the end of the pier.
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- And these are the sitting arrangements on the way to the hot tub, where I went every single day at 7am.
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- This is the swimming pavilion, with its thatched roof – it’s definitely a favorite place to sit and relax. Dominique’s home is within the boundaries of Casa de Campo Resort and Villas – a seven-thousand acre hotel, resort, and residential community on the southeastern coast of the Dominican Republic. The exclusive retreat was built by Dominique’s father, industrialist, Charles Bluhdorn.
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- Here is one of the dinner dishes we enjoyed – cooked wahoo fish with butter, capers, herbs, and lime. Wahoo is a scombrid fish found worldwide in tropical and subtropical seas – it’s in the same family as mackarel and tuna.
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- Here is my plate along with rice, avocado, and traditional Dominican Republic empanaditas, or bite-sized empanadas.
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- And of course… Martha’s Chard, my new wine from 19 Crimes. It was unanimously everyone’s favorite wine at dinner. Look out for it – it will be in stores near you very soon.
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- For breakfast the next morning, we had house eggs poached with broiled tomato, potato balls, cauliflower, onions, and herbs.
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- Here are two poached eggs with scallions – perfectly cooked.
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- The sunrises and sunsets were absolutely amazing. This photo was taken at 7:25am.
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- We saw some beautiful marine animals. This is a star fish, or sea star. They come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. They also all have spines covering their upper surfaces…
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- … And soft undersides. When looking at the underside of a live sea star, one can see its tube feet wiggling.
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- For another meal, we shared a platter of grilled meats and chicken. Dominican cuisine is made up of Spanish, indigenous Taíno, Middle-Eastern, and African influences. And the largest, most important meal of the day is lunch.
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- Here is a platter of lobster, grilled to perfection.
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- And here are the Island tamales, known in the Dominican Republic as pasteles en hoja – often stuffed with meats.
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- We had salads with every meal – fresh, ripe tomatoes, avocados, cucumbers, pickled onions, and more.
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- Here’s my first helping – it may, or may not have been, my last. Everything was so flavorful.
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- On another day, I went to Puntacana and visited its Ecological Foundation, a project of the Puna Cana Resort and Club. I learned about their composting process. The garden is completely farmed using organic waste and soil from a worm-composting shed. The processed compost at the bottom is then sent back to the resort’s kitchens as well as other local restaurants, and a weekly local farmers’ market.
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- Here I am with Jake Kheel – sustainability innovator and Vice President of Grupo Puntacana Foundation.
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- The beaches stretched for miles and miles.
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- Here I am on the fishing boat – I wonder what we’ll catch.
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- I learned some great techniques from fishing with Kevin Fox.
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- And look, we caught a nice sized wahoo.
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- Casa de Campo is also home to Altos de Chavón a one-of-a-kind 16th century replica Mediterranean village. This project was conceived by Bluhdorn and the Italian architect, Roberto Copa. Dominique is the current president of the Altos de Chavón Cultural Center Foundation.
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- The entire village is located atop the Chavón River. The project began in 1976 when the construction of a nearby road and bridge crossing the river was blasted through a mountain of stone. The stones were used to create the village and celebrates the artisans of the Dominican Republic.
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- Much of Altos de Chavon is made from coral block and terra cotta. This giant fish sculpture is part of a fountain – it looks like it has been here for centuries.
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- Each stone was hand cut, each wooden door frame was handcrafted, and each wrought-iron detail hand-forged. The village was finally completed and inaugurated in 1982.
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- Another attraction in Altos de Chavon is this five-thousand seat amphitheater. It is mainly used for music concerts and other performances. The amphitheater is so beautiful and carved all from stone. The term “amphitheater” derives from the ancient Greek words meaning “on both sides” or “around” and “place for viewing”.
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- It was a such a wonderful get-away. I hope to return again sometime soon.
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