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Altos de Chavon (Dominican Republic) - description, history, location. Exact address, phone number, website. Tourist reviews, photos and videos.

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One of La Romana's main attractions, Altos de Chavon, or the city of artists, is a recreation of a medieval village conceived by American tycoon Charles Bladorn, owner of the Gulf + Western corporation that acquired control of Paramount Pictures in 1966. In the Dominican Republic, Gulf + Western was developing sugar cane plantations, and Charles Bladorn, having once flown to the island on company business, was so delighted with it that he moved here to live. According to one version, Altos de Chavon became a gift for his daughter’s birthday, according to another, it was a present for American tourists who could now become more familiar with the traditions and culture of the Dominican Republic.

Construction of the village, which began in 1976, was entrusted to the Italian designer Roberto Copa, who designed sets for Hollywood films, and was completely completed in the early 1980s. Today, behind the walls of the limestone houses that line the city's narrow, cobblestone streets, there are modern restaurants, shops and craft workshops, as well as three galleries with exhibitions by students from the local Design School.

There is also a “Greek” amphitheater in Altos de Chavon, inaugurated in 1982 with a concert by Frank Sinatra and Carlos Santana, and the architectural highlight of the city is the Church of St. Stanislaus, which became popular place holding weddings.

Altos de Chavon also has a “Greek” amphitheater, inaugurated in 1982 with a concert by Frank Sinatra and Carlos Santana, and the architectural highlight of the city is the Church of St. Stanislaus, named after the patron saint of Poland and which has become a popular wedding venue. It was in this church on November 6, 2004 that Prince Luis Alfonso de Bourbon, Duke of Anjou married the heiress of a Venezuelan noble family, Maria Margarita Vargas Santaella.

Here, in the city of artists, there is a regional museum of archeology with a collection of pre-Columbian artifacts found in the surrounding area. The museum's exposition is considered the largest and one of the best outside

If you ever visit the Dominican Republic, don't forget to check out the truly charming town of Altos de Chavon, located on the steep banks of the Chavon River in the province of La Ramana.

Altos de Chavon is an artificially recreated 16th-century Spanish village with small stone-paved streets and Renaissance-style houses. The branch of the Parsons Institute of Design in New York is located here, and therefore the place is also called the city of artists.

Around every corner there are many shops and creative workshops where they will not only sell you lovingly made handmade things (at incredible prices, though!), but will also gladly involve you in making something like that. Artists from all over the world are always welcome here: once a year, for an absolutely symbolic fee, they are ready to accommodate any master.

This town began its growth back in 1976, thanks to the famous American tycoon Charles Blachdorn, who owns the Gulf + Western corporation and is associated with many areas of business. This corporation began to own a controlling stake in Paramount Pictures in 1966. Blachdorn fell so in love with the Dominican Republic, having flown there one day on business, that he built a villa in these parts, and also allocated funds for the construction of an unusual town, declaring that it would be his gift for his beloved daughter.

The start of construction of Altos de Chavon coincided with the construction of a road connecting local cities La Ramana and Higuey, which required blowing up a large stone mountain. Blachdorn, like a real businessman, proposed to use the stone left after the explosion in the construction of a medieval city. Waste-free and profitable production!

The construction was supervised by the famous Italian artist-architect Roberto Copa, invited by Blachdorn, who was involved in designing sets for films in the 1970s. Under the leadership of Cope, local artisans and craftsmen were able to build a small town reminiscent of the place of residence of the first colonists of the 16th century, giving it features of Italian and Spanish romantic architecture.

The houses in this city were rebuilt from the aforementioned stone, which has the unique property of changing its light depending on the time of day, and the streets were lined with cobblestones.

Local houses are mostly two-story buildings, decorated with antique shutters, picturesque arches and balconies.

There is only one large square in the town, connecting all the surrounding streets. And along the river, from north to south, there is a local promenade along which you can walk along the city or get around it in about ten minutes.

For naturalness, Altos de Chavon was ennobled with a real church of St. Stanislaus, built in honor of Pope John Paul II.

The church is functioning and is very popular for weddings not only among the elite living nearby. Every Saturday and Sunday at five o'clock in the evening mass begins here.

The Archaeological Museum, located directly opposite the church, is the country's largest museum outside of Santo Domingo. There is a unique collection of artifacts dedicated to the life of the Indians who have lived in these areas since ancient times. The museum's collection includes about 3,000 exhibits, representing a unique opportunity to touch the history of this country.

The huge stone amphitheater with 5,000 seats is the real centerpiece of Altos de Chavon.

It was built at the expense of Frank Sinatra for the purpose of holding acting classes in his arena.

The famous singer performed one of his songs at the opening.

Currently, concerts of world celebrities are held here, as well as costumed performances in the national style for tourists, student productions are staged, and various festivals are held.

The town pleases the eye appearance, some incredible hospitality, despite the fact that it is completely tailored for tourists and there is nothing superfluous in it.

Here you want to walk, look into the secluded corners of small streets and rejoice like a child when you managed to buy something very cute and completely useless from local merchants.

I want to enjoy even the blue sky.

“Residents” in national costumes walk around.

You can pop into one of the many bars for a refreshing drink, or one of the many restaurants where the owners are happy to go out of their way to treat their guests.

Walking along the promenade, the eye is pleased to look at the Chavon River.

“Chained” in steep banks, on which it is unclear how huge palm trees and dark thickets of tropical vegetation are supported.

Filmmakers have visited these exotic places more than once. "Apocalypse Now", "Rambo 2", the remake of "King Kong", "Jurassic Park" were filmed here.

A white boat slowly crawls along the river from time to time.

Its wheels whip the dark water into foam.

Luxurious villas float by.

Gradually the landscape is changing.

Until the Chavon River merges with the Caribbean Sea, striking with its incredible blue.

The Chavon River flows through the territory of the Dominican Republic. The valley of this river is considered one of the most picturesque natural attractions of the Dominican Republic. Dense tropical forests grow on the banks of the river. The rocks hang directly above the shore, reflected in the water.
For tourists, an excursion to the island of Saona can be organized along with an excursion along the Chavon River. You can book such an excursion on the website www.weddingindominicana.com. The Chavon River crosses the province of La Romana and merges with the Caribbean Sea. The island of Saona can be reached by sea from the resort of Casa de Campo, where the mouth of the Chavona River is located. You can ride along the river by boat or small boat by renting water transport at local population or businessmen. Local residents go on such walks themselves and provide this opportunity to lovers of eco-tourism in the Dominican Republic.
You won't be able to go rafting on the Chavon River, because its bed is calm and smooth. There are no thresholds. It is quite reasonable to rent a small boat and go downstream with an experienced rower.
Among all the features of the Chavon River, it should be highlighted that its banks are practically undeveloped. Built on one of the rocks observation deck, allowing you to take in everything at a glance local beauties. The Chavon River is also a romantic place. In addition, the atmosphere here invites adventure. The films "Rambo 2", "Rambo 3", "Pirates" were filmed here Caribbean Sea" and "Apocalypse Now".
Visiting the river is completely free and 24 hours a day. It is only important to know when the last transport to the hotel leaves.

Like all other corners of the Earth, the Dominican Republic was created over millions of years thanks to the harmonious union of the four primary elements - water, earth, fire and air, but only the fifth element made it a tourist paradise in which American golfers and French treasure hunters feel equally comfortable , and German pensioners, and wild rafting lovers from Russia.

Rivers of the Dominican Republic

The Dominican Republic is an island between Cuba, Jamaica and Puerto Rico, which is washed by the ocean swells of the Atlantic and the warm surf of the Caribbean Sea. The capital of the Dominican Republic is Santo Domingo.
The Ozama River is deep, so they go into Santo Domingo cruise ships even the latest generation, and many little-known Caribbean boat tours start here. Here, by the way, great option save on your vacation without losing its quality! You don’t have to fly to Florida to board a ship at American prices, but go straight to Santo Domingo in the fall and winter, from where a four- to five-day cruise to several visa-free island countries will cost three times less.
Another famous river of the Dominican Republic is Chavon, on the banks of which Steven Spielberg filmed several shots of Jurassic Park - the same ones where scientists extract mosquitoes from amber that have sucked the blood of dinosaurs. There is more amber in the Dominican Republic than in the Baltic, and the rarest one, almost black in color, is more expensive than gold.
Above the river stands the city of Altos de Chavon, a city with amazing story. In the 70s of the twentieth century, the daughter of a local millionaire visited Italy and fell in love with this country so much that she began to go there every summer, leaving her loving father for a long time. He didn’t think long and built an exact copy of a small Italian town of the Renaissance on the banks of Chavon. This is a replica, but everything works in it: shops and taverns are open, fountains are splashing, there is a Catholic church, and the local “antique” amphitheater is generally a world-class attraction. This strange concert venue Frank Sinatra himself once opened the five thousand-seat venue, last year Carlos Santana performed there, and this May Eros Ramazzotti performed there.
The rivers of the Dominican Republic, flowing from the spurs of the Cordillera, attract rafters from all over the world. And among the local inhabitants, the ones most happy about the abundance of fresh water are the cows, who always have the freshest emerald grass, and the owners of plantations where wonderful sugar cane ripens, from which sugar is first made, then the famous rum brands “Barcelo”, “Brugal” and “Bermudez” and finally “Mama Juana” - Dominican “Viagra” made from rum with the addition of red wine, honey and medicinal herbs.
But, of course, the bulk of tourists are attracted not by rum, and especially not by fresh water, but by salty sea water, which splashes against the shores of the island that Columbus called Hispaniola.

Holidays in the Dominican Republic

Dominican Republic hotels

It makes sense to talk not about the air as such - it is clear that on an island where there is little industry, but a lot of forest and sea, it is clean - but about Dominican aeronautics.
Can you imagine a hotel that has its own own airport, and with international status? Hardly. But in the Dominican Republic there is one - one of the best five-star hotels and the Casa de Campo villa complex is served by La Romana Airport, runway which can accommodate any type of aircraft. The airport is technically advanced, has excellent navigation and security systems, and is also interesting in its architectural design. Its terminals and roof structures replicate the large cane processing plant located in the country's most sugar-producing province.
The main tourists in the Dominican Republic are Americans, but guests not only from the USA are welcome here, although it is the most convenient for them to get here. Among the most dynamically developing new destinations are Russia and Ukraine. In total, in a small island state Dominican Republic there are 13 modern airports, of which 8 are international.

Entertainment of the Dominican Republic

Dominicans are on fire. Local men are very passionate. On almost every street you can see a small kiosk with a BANCA sign. You can't get money there, but you can give it away - it's not a bank, but a bookmaker's office, where they place bets on everything, but above all, on cockfights and baseball matches.
Today there are six professional baseball teams in the country that make up the Winter League, the winner of which advances to the Caribbean Series, where they play with the best clubs Mexico, Venezuela and Puerto Rico. The national team has won prizes at the World Baseball Championships; Quite a few Dominicans play in the US Big League.
Unlike the baseball league, the Dominican Republic's cock league is year-round and more numerous. The cost of good fighting cocks can reach several thousand dollars, so they are protected like the apple of their eye, groomed and cherished, they follow a special diet when feeding and are trained with sparring partners in special caps on their spurs to protect them from premature wounds. But in the arena, dust and dust flies in all directions, and often the battle ends with the death of one of the opponents, while the winner brings his owner thousands of dollars in profits. Fights from the main arenas of the country are broadcast on television, and at the entrance to the halls there are by no means unnecessary signs asking you to hand over firearms.
But if you suddenly hear sounds like shooting on the streets of Santo Domingo, this will most likely be the beginning of one of the songs in the national merengue style, which are heard everywhere here and almost around the clock. And in the last week of July, the capital hosts the Merengue Festival, which brings together performers from all regions of the country and attracts tourists from all over the world.
It is believed that this music originated from the once widespread Cuban dance tune “upa habanera”, to which a movement called “merengue” was also performed. At first it was popular among the “lower classes” and was accompanied by texts with big amount indecent words, but gradually the texts became more decent and the merengue conquered everyone. In real folk merengue, the main instrument is the accordion, which either plays solo or intertwines with the sounds of other national instruments - tambor, guira and reed marimba.
In pop merengue, the accordion was replaced by keyboards and wind instruments - trumpet and trombone.
And if they say that Dominican women are passionate, amorous, flirtatious, and believe that sex is the main thing in a relationship, then the merengue does not contradict this opinion: in the dance they not only seem to compete, who will move their hips more erotically, and who will bend more invitingly, but and often find their new love.

Service in the Dominican Republic

It was he and the entire Dominican hospitality industry as a whole, who united and strengthened natural resources country, has made it an exceptionally favorable place for any type of tourism.
From the very beginning, the development of tourism in the Dominican Republic was subordinated to one goal - to make the stay of guests on the island as comfortable and carefree as possible. Therefore, all the main hotel chains in the country operate on an all-inclusive basis, although the volume of this “all” can vary quite significantly depending on what category of tourists they are designed for.

If we talk about mass, but at the same time five-star tourism at a price of 90-130 dollars per day, then in this segment one of the most extensive is the hotel chain Bahia Principle located in Punta Cana\Bavaro\La Romana and Samana. Each hotel consists of a very large main building with a lobby and Buffet restaurant for breakfast and dinner and many three-story buildings with 12-15 rooms with all amenities, including a balcony where you can sit in the cool evening, a jacuzzi, a coffee machine and a free bar with soft drinks drinks. Besides own beaches, hotels have up to ten swimming pools, several different national restaurants and a myriad of free bars serving exotic cocktails. The Barcelo hotel chain operates according to the same system, which additionally offers tourists a wide variety of casinos active entertainment at sea, excursions to Manaty Park - something like a combination of a zoo and an animal circus - and to the Island of trained dolphins, with whom you can swim. Ecological safaris with visits to real ranches, cocoa plantations and horseback riding are very popular.
In the more expensive price group is the famous resort complex CASA de CAMPO in the province of La Romana, where there are not only two-story villas with 6-12 rooms, but also a large number of exclusive villas with several bedrooms and a private pool, as well as a unique marina that can accommodate yachts of any displacement in the internal and external roads. Three golf courses, a tennis center with 13 courts, an equestrian center with polo grounds and a shooting range are open to guests; Sea fishing for blue and white marlin is organized.
The grand project CAP CANA is certainly a purely Dominican phenomenon. Here, on an area of ​​120 million sq.m. under construction the whole city, offering guests not only short-term holidays, but also long-term accommodation. Therefore, hotels, luxury villa complexes, a dozen and a half gourmet restaurants, boutiques, a spa center and even a gymnasium and a university branch have already been opened here.
Thanks to its unique range of tourism offerings, the Dominican Republic has long been a best place for a holiday in the Caribbean.

Text by Elena Andreeva, photo by Evgeny Golomolzin. Published in the Vladivostok Air in-flight magazine No. 45, 2010.