Travel

Picture yourself relaxing in a lounge chair, a drink in your hand, feeling the warm sun on your face.  It's lunchtime and instead of having to get up and serve your family, someone serves you.  “Lunch is ready” they call and you get up, look out at the beautiful beach, clear blue ocean and sit down to a homemade meal.  You think, “this must be a dream!”  Well, believe it or not, this dream can become a reality! 

The Poulin family has generously donated to the Brown School auction a week's stay in their family’s beachfront villa in the Dominican Republic!  The Dominican Republic has almost 800 miles of beautiful coastline, with many beaches featuring some of the most stunning sands in the Caribbean!  Located along the unspoiled sandy stretches that dot the island's coastline, you will never have to search far for a wonderful seaside experience.

The Poulins' villa has 5 bedrooms, each with its own full bathroom suite!  Of the five bedrooms, two have king size beds, two have two queen size beds, and one has one queen size bed.  The villa can easily accommodate up to five adult couples or a mix of adults and children. 

The villa also has its own pool maintained by staff on premises and ready to use.  Best of all, you will be greeted by Luisa who will prepare breakfast and lunch and clean the villa and linens during your stay. You may choose to cook your own dinners in the villa's fully equipped kitchen or, if you prefer to eat out, there is a restaurant which serves gourmet meals located on the beach inside the compound and within a five minute walk of the villa.

With multiple airports and easy access from the United States, this Dominican Republic villa offers paradise at an outstanding value.  Bid on this amazing villa and make it a family trip or couples only getaway.  Either way, it is sure to be a vacation you will never forget!   Here are some additional details:

Location:  The Villa is located on the North Coast between the towns of Sosua and Cabarete in the Hideaway Beach gated community. This community houses 7 villas, an apartment hotel with 15 units, an 11 unit condo (Condos MAR-Y-SOL) and a fine dining restaurant (Chez Arsenio, 4 stars) open to the public. The location is within easy driving distance to the two towns and cab service is available on request. Visitors fly into Puerto Plata (Gregorio Luperon Airport) airport code POP. Airfare is about US $500.00 +/- depending on what bargains are available. The airport is a short 15 minute ride by taxi to the villa.

Attractions: There is a concierge/receptionist on duty at the main gate Mon-Fri and she (Griselle) can arrange a cab as required. There are many tours and attractions in the area including Ocean World where you can swim with the dolphins, many off road tours by truck to visit jungle and waterfalls that you can slide down and a ZipLine attraction where you slide down a mountain on a cable suspended in the tree tops of the jungle. There is also good shopping in Sosua and Cabarete for everything from cheap souvenirs to fine jewelry.

Amenities:  The villa has 5 very spacious bedroom/bathroom units in addition to two ½ baths, and the common rooms in the main house. The villa is large enough (about 5,500 sq ft) so that even with 10 guests, you are not on top of one another. The main terrace (approximately 900 sq ft) is the most use area for dining and relaxation and cocktails. All bedrooms have air conditioning and a television. Two bedrooms have a king size bed, two have 2 queen size beds each and the fifth (which is in a casita separate from the main house) has a single queen size bed. There is also a wide screen television in the living room.  The swimming pool is large, 20 yards by 5 yards and can accommodate many.

The Villa is staffed by a cook/maid (Luisa) who will cook breakfast and lunch each day which is served outdoors on the main terrace. Luisa leaves at approximately 5:00 PM each day, so dinner can be purchased at Restaurant Chez ARSENIO (a short 5 minute walk) every night at menu prices which are very reasonable. The menu is extensive and includes Chef Arsenio specialties such as Grilled Caribbean lobster, Prime beef Filet Mignon and Pasta with seafood. Chef Arsenio is well known in the area and is among the best on the North Coast.

Luisa can also do laundry so it is not necessary to overpack. We request that if your stay at the villa was enjoyable, you consider leaving Luisa a tip at the completion of your stay. An appropriate amount would be what you might leave at a fine hotel.