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Casa de Campo is full of surprises! The most mind-blowing occurrences that you could ever imagine have happened here, in our paradise, and we will reveal them all!
1. Big stars love to sing in Altos de Chavón!
Of the more than 150 artists who have performed at the amphitheater over the last 31 years, at least 10% have returned to perform for a second time. Among them Julio Iglesias, who has stepped out no less than 6 times (in ‘88, ‘85, ‘92, ‘97, ‘07 and ‘12) and Dominican merengue star Sergio Vargas who has serenaded us an incredible 9 times (twice in ‘88 and 2001, as well as in ‘90, ‘92, ‘96, ‘01, ‘03 and ‘04). There’s also Luis Miguel “El Sol de México”, who first appeared in Chavón in 2002 and then came again in November 2013.
Click here for a brief history of the Altos de Chavón amphitheater!
2. Sammy Sosa owns 15 horses in Casa
At the Dude Ranch there are more than 350 horses, belonging to the Central Romana Corporation, the Casa de Campo resort and villa owners, including famous former Major League baseball player Sammy Sosa who owns 15. There are also 21 donkeys and 4 oxen!
3. The Tainos live on!
“Cacique” one of Casa de Campo’s conference centers, as well as a residential neighborhood, gets their unusual name from the Taino indians. In the aboriginal language, Arawak, which was spoken by the indigenous people who lived throughout the Caribbean, as well as South America, “Cacique” meant “Political Chief”.
You can find out all about the Tainos at the Archeological Museum in Altos de Chavón, click here for details.
4. Alicia Keys performed for Jay-Z
In August 2004, American R&B artist Alicia Keys filmed part of the music video for “Karma” in La Romana. Scenes included Alicia driving across the river Salao in La Romana, as well as performing in the Altos de Chavón amphitheater. In 2009, Alicia returned to Casa for the birthday celebration of Jay-Z, during which she performed “Empire State of Mind” with the birthday boy.
5. The name “La Romana” comes from weighing scales the river!
UPDATE: We have just heard that this is actually not true, and is a common misconception. Apparently the name La Romana is actually a Taino name and is the name the Tainos gave to the river; Río Romana. Click here to read more about that.
Thank you to Andrés M. Pichardo for letting us know!
The name La Romana is attributed to the huge and ancient Roman scales, which in the sixteenth century was used to weigh goods going in and out of the port. At that time, these scales were such a vital tool for the town’s economy that they were for what the area was known for – and hence named after.
6. Chavón graduates are designers for the stars!
Altos de Chavón is home to the Altos de Chavón School of Art and Design. Since opening in 1983, the school is proud to count amongst its graduates; Jenny Polanco, who has a chain of fashion boutiques across the country including Casa de Campo, Joel Diaz, owner of JOLIBE who has designed for Natalie Portman and whose garments have been worn by First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama and Carlos Pion, who has designed for brands such as Bloomingdales, Christian Lacroix, Martha Stewart, Samsonite and many more.
7. Margarito is Casa’s oldest living tourist attraction
“Margarito” the donkey of Altos de Chavon, has spent over 26 years being photographed with tourists. According to his carers (Pedro Rafael Guerrero and Felix Lopez), Margarito started his career as an attraction at the Mexican restaurant “El Sombrero” in about 1987 and after the restaurant closed he continued his work in Chavón. Margarito loves sweets, apples and bananas and especially beer.
Margarito working at “El Sombrero” – photo by Carol Burke
Click here to read more about Margarito!
8. Jay-Z celebrated his 40th birthday here
In December 2009, Beyonce and Jay-Z celebrated Jay-Z’s 40th birthday at a private villa in Casa de Campo – with a party inspired by the movie “Scarface”. The star-studded guest list included P. Diddy, Lil Wayne, Kate Hudson, Alex Rodriguez, Alicia Keys, Goldie Hawn and even Naomi Campbell.
Click here to read all the glamorous details!
9. Casa de Campo hosted a “waiters race”
In the 1980’s Casa de Campo hosted a contest for their waiters, bartenders and chefs – to see who were the fastest! The contenders carried trays laden with bottles and glasses on an obstacle course through Altos de Chavón.
10. A Casa de Campo villa owner found pirates
Discovered in 2007 by a Casa de Campo villa owner, the shipwreck of notorious pirate, Captain Kidd, lies at a depth of just 0.5 meters on the eastern side of Catalina Island and can be explored on a dive or snorkeling excursion.