This was our first international family vacation and there was plenty of room at Villa Cacique for everyone to have their own private space. The place looks just like the pictures with spectacular views in all directions. The villa sits on top of a hill with a very steep and narrow one-way road that leads to Cacique and several other villas. There is no access to the beach you see in the pictures but you can drive or walk down the road to Las Ballenas beach, which you pass on your way to the villa.
We ventured to the beach one day, but there was so much seaweed in the water that it was not enjoyable. The beach itself was nice and you can rent beach chairs for $4 per person. There were also several restaurants and bars to get lunch or beverages. The sand is not white, as noted in several other listings, but rather tan or golden. We travel to different parts of the Caribbean every year and if you are looking for truly white beaches (ex: Aruba, Grace Bay or Exuma), then Las Terrenas is not your place.
We spent most of our time by the pool, which was absolutely beautiful. We ate all of our meals in because the food was amazing and couldn’t be beat. We paid the chef $20 per person per day which covered all of our meals. We had lobster tails one night and I have never seen lobster tails so big!! The chef and villa staff were all top notch!! At our request, Christophe made arrangements for a masseuse to come to the house for $30 per hour and she too was amazing.
The traffic in Las Terrenas is very unnerving! The scooters and ATV’s weave in and out of traffic on both sides, coming dangerously close to your vehicle. I recommend renting the smallest car you can get away with. The drive from Las Americas airport to Las Terrenas was very easy and Christophe sent us a GPS marked to get us to the house without any difficulty using Google Maps. Tolls were approximately $20 each way, but must be paid with Dominican pesos.
Unfortunately, we had a medical emergency the third night we were there, but Christophe was quick to respond and assisted with translation and securing an ambulance. He even sat with us in the emergency room the entire time. Other than a few minor plumbing issues which were addressed immediately, the place was fantastic and I would highly recommend Villa Cacique. Thank you Christelle and Christophe for an amazing and very memorable trip!!!