altos de chavon

Go ahead at be a tourist. The views at sunset high above the Chavon river is lovely. Any of the local bars are fine. Our group tried 3 of them and they were all fine

The atmosphere and setting are incomparable for a romantic dinner. Food was good, service was good, and the price was high, but deserved.

I love the view of the chavon river, the Mediterranean village up on the cliff, the plaza, restaurants and just to walk around the area is a delight.

words are not equipped... GO. bring your camera. be transported. the church of st. stanislaus on the grounds was dedicated by pope john paul II with some of the ashes of stanislaus.. the patron st of social justice. great story. look it up.

Very neat little village, very picturesque. Lots of great picture opportunities. A surprise around every corner.

Amazing views of the Chavon river, even had a rainbow on our visit. Very cultural and would spend an entire day vs combining with other sites on the tour.

We rented a car from Punta Cana to get to Casa De Campo and spend a day there. First of all, no one will tell you but there are two tolls on the way from Punta Cana, first one for 100 pesos and the second one for 50 pesos. If you do not have local currency, the first toll costs USD9 (basically all ending up in the pocket of the local toll booth guy). Also, be careful whilst taking the exit to La Romana. We got stopped by corrupt cops who tried to get money from us and ended up taking our snacks...Anyway, after the 45 min drive, you get to the main entrance of Casa de Campo, a mega resort for super wealthy people who buy multi million villas in this secluded lovely area. You can buy a day pass for $25 per person which grants you access to Altos de Chavon, Minitas Beach and the Marina. Altos de Chavon is lovely, nested on top of a hill overlooking the river. It takes c. 1 hour to go around and visit the little church, small very well done museum and different small shops. Overall, it looks like a small European village in the middle of DR, which makes the trip interesting.In a nutshell, if you stay in a local place, it definitely worth the small ride but from Punta Cana, it is probably an excursion which is too costly to take for only an hour.

If you are planning on booking an excursion through a cruise and it says Alto de Chavon river boat, don't waste your money there. They bus you for about 20-30 minutes to the Chavon grounds where you walk along the rivers edge through and older city but don't think you stop there to have lunch, they move you along and after about 2 hours of walking up and down hills on cobblestone, they bring you back to the bus. The next stop is the boat yard. once you get to the dock, they put everyone on a "make-shift" pontoon boat to bring you across the water where they have the 2 passenger little yellow dingy boats waiting for you. The boats are poorly taken care of, most are deflated, most have mechanical issues while going up and down the river, and if you are lucky enough as I was you will have a boat that kicks water in from the back and get soaked while having a mechanic on board taking the spot of your wife while he feeds fuel to the engine so it doesn't crap out before you get back! SAVE YOUR MONEY. Just walk around the local shops which are still taxi cabs away from the port and call it a day. This is not the "beachy" side of the Dominican so don't expect much there.

Gorgeous location, very attractive, small museum. Great wedding location. But, not much activity up there and Disney-esque in that it's a faked historic village.

Altos de Chavon is an area in Casa de Campo. It has a great golf course, incredible views and lots of restaurants to choose from. Definitely worth the drive.

We took the Altos de Chavon/La Romana tour and enjoyed it immensely! Our tour guide was the best! (I wish I would have written down his name)Altos de Chavon (High above the Chavon-literal translation) is a small village built to resemble a 15th century village although it was built from 1976 to 1981. It is a very interesting place constructed in a very scenic spot along the Rio Chavon. Be sure to see the Church and the Amphitheatre. We also enjoyed how they put patterns in the cobblestone streets by using the natural colours of the rocks.Don't miss the 'Chocolate Museum and the Amber Museum'. The chocolate items in the Chocolate Museum are too great to miss!This tour also brings you into La Romana to see some local sights, but also has stops to allow some shopping. Plan to take this excursion early in your stay as the prices for souvenirs in La Romana are more reasonable that in the resorts. If you are careful you can get most of your shopping done on this tour.

This 16th Century replica of an Italian village makes no sense. It's an odd thing to find in a Caribbean island. More of the artificial worlds created for people who don't want to be exposed to the reality of Dominican life, I guess.

The restaurants and bars are great, shopping is expensive, but the ambiance and property is unreal. Great photo opportunities and there is a lot of entertainment. Tourists from other resorts often come here during the day for tours.

Amazed by the architectural detail and accuracy. Truly felt like I was walking thru a 16th century Spanish village

We decided to hop a tour bus for $7 each, round trip, and see this beauty of a place. Needless to say, we were pleasantly surprised! The architecture, flowers, gardens and little shops were breathtakingly beautiful. Very well worth the price.