We had the best week in Casa de Campo. The house is large and perfect for two families with two master suites as well as two double bed rooms that are huge - perfect for kids.
There are many different sitting areas as well as a large area outside. The WiFi was good but the kids complained it did not work in their rooms - but I liked that because the kids did not linger in their bedrooms.
We woke up the first morning to a beautiful breakfast served outside by the pool. The two ladies who work at the house are so lovely!
The one thing I wish I would have understood is how the arrangement with the staff works. What I can understand is that this is the women’s full time job. They will be there regardless and are paid full time to be there and expect a tip (and it is very well deserved) at the end of the week.
The language barrier was really rough. It was even a little hard using google translate.
What I would have liked to know is how the process works so I will tell you what we did.
We gave the ladies $600 cash to cook two meals a day for us. We had 8 in our group. That included money for rum for daiquiris. The money was for the groceries and we did not ask for anything specific - just thought we would let them surprise us. We ate at 10:30 in the morning and again at 4. It seems weird and it kind of was nice because we did not need to eat out at night every night.
The ladies cleaned the house, washed our clothes and maintained the house. They left around 5 daily.
We also rented 2 golf carts. They were slow and both broke down multiple times but the house manager was quick to get a replacement. If you want something more reliable, maybe ask for an upgraded option.
Here is what I wish I would have known…
1. How much cash to bring. They wanted cash for everything. $300 groceries, $300 end of week tip (per person), $300 golf cart - this is the cash you need
2. the card you get when you check in does not work hardly anywhere - which was a bummer with the kids. So plan on Apple Pay for children (that worked at the grocery store) or have an extra credit card to share with them
3. Plan some basic meal and drink discussions in advance. I would have loved to have said “we love fruit, eggs and pancakes for breakfast” and could we have guacamole and chips daily. The dinners were delicious and we loved being surprised.
4. We had no problem eating dinner out at the marina without reservations.
