An exuberant Caribbean hideaway on a wild stretch of the Dominican Republic’s north coast.
Set among tropical gardens beside a mile-long Atlantic beach, Playa Grande Beach Club feels like the Caribbean home of a well-travelled friend. Created by New York-based designer Celerie Kemble, its nine individually-designed bungalows draw on traditional Dominican architecture, with intricate fretwork, vintage wicker, antiques and colourful handmade tiles.
At its heart is the Great Room, where guests gather for drinks and Caribbean cooking made with produce from nearby farms and fish brought in by local fishermen. There’s also a library and upstairs bar, beachfront lap pool, tennis court and plenty of shady spots to kick back and soak up the Caribbean vibes.
What we love about Playa Grande Beach Club
- Set on a glorious mile-long beach, shared with neighbouring Amanera, with a hillside nature reserve behind the property and the fishing town of Río San Juan just ten minutes away.
- Nine bungalows – six one-bedroom and three three-bedroom – modelled on century-old Dominican houses, with hand-planed palm-wood siding, zinc roofs, carved tragaluz fretwork and handmade tiles.
- Interiors by Celerie Kemble, with antique wicker, original artworks, copper soaking tubs, walk-in copper showers and Frette towels. All bungalows have full kitchens; the three-bedroom houses have wraparound balconies and three en-suite bedrooms.
- A beachfront lap pool lined with white latticework cabanas, a Har-Tru clay tennis court, and massages arranged in the bungalows or on the beach.
- The Great Room serves Caribbean cooking using locally grown organic produce and the fishermen’s daily catch, with breakfast, lunch and dinner served daily.
- A separate library with an upstairs cocktail bar serving Dominican coffee espresso martinis and tamarind-infused shandies; nearby beach stalls sell grilled lobster, fried plantains and cold Presidente beer.
Playa Grande’s surf attracts some of the Dominican Republic’s best surfers.
Lessons are available for beginners and experienced surfers alike, and bodyboarding and paddle boarding can also be arranged. Alternatively, walk along the horseshoe-shaped beach to the local seafood stalls for grilled lobster, fried plantains and a cold Presidente beer. Fishing trips can be arranged with local fishermen.
Beyond the beach, hike through the hillside nature reserve with a local guide looking for native plants and hearing local folklore, or explore on horseback. Ten minutes away in Río San Juan, take a wooden boat through the mangroves of Laguna Gri Gri, past the Cueva de las Golondrinas sea cave and on to sheltered Playa Caletón for a swim. Lago Dudú, further along the coast, has turquoise freshwater sinkholes and caves to explore, and the waters around Samaná become a gathering place for humpback whales between January and March.
Back at the club, play tennis on the clay court, join an open-air yoga session or learn the steps of merengue, salsa and bachata with a local instructor. In the evenings, enjoy dinner in the Great Room, with its shell-encrusted bar, followed by a drink on the veranda accompanied by the sound of the Atlantic.
When to Travel
January to April generally brings the most comfortable weather for beach days and exploring the north coast. Humpback whales gather in the waters around Samaná from mid-January to late March. Summer is hotter and more humid, with tropical showers, while the Atlantic hurricane season runs from June to November. Playa Grande faces the open Atlantic, so surf and swimming conditions vary throughout the year.
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