Up on the wild northern shore, this pastel-coloured gingerbread-house set-up, designed by New Yorker Celerie Kemble, was originally a private villa for her and financier husband Boykin Curry, as well as their friends. And what a villa. With tracery on the wraparound verandahs like wedding-cake icing, mint and melon rooms and shell-studded mirrors, it is absurdly pretty, tropically sweet. Getting here is an adventure; this part of the island is remote and miles – both geographically and atmospherically – from the resorts of Punta Cana. But after the bone-shaking, potholed drive from Santo Domingo, it is a relief to sink into an unhurried pace. There’s not a huge amount to do, so time really slows down. Long breakfasts of bright mangos and papayas, bananas straight from the tree, thick yogurt and sticky local honey are followed by general pottering and pootling. Everyone heads down to the deserted mile-long beach – where it’s not the flat, turquoise Caribbean Sea, but the thrilling, wave-crashing Atlantic – to explore, followed by a splash in the pool.
There is no scene, no particular sightseeing, so it becomes somewhere for children to enjoy adventuring under their own steam, settling into a lo-fi momentum with a gentle sense of freedom. Coconuts plop onto the sand and staff in the background keep an eye out while grown-ups doze. You can of course sign up for outings, such as whale watching and rainforest hikes, or just take a bicycle to pedal around nearby villages. The nine plantation-style bungalows, spread out among the grassy gardens, are tucked away, with huge copper rolltop bathtubs, retro kitchens and crisp linens on the vine-wrapped four-poster beds. Despite the elegance of the design, it’s mixed with all the technology needed: on-the-button air conditioning, filtered water in all the taps. Food is delicious and incredibly healthy, but the menu is short, so pop to the beach restaurant next door for lobster lunches, or to Amanera, up on the bluff, for evening drinks. Kemble and Curry’s friends still populate the place – it feels like one big Manhattan house party, with everyone hanging out at the clubhouse, eating supper together, playing cards into the night. An extraordinary oasis from the real world.
INSIDER TIP: The in-room spa treatments are very good – book one of the hour-long massages for each day of your stay and you’ll feel utterly horizontal.