Villa Volcan

Step through the front door at Villa Volcán and a single palm tree stands inside the house, growing out of a square pool of green tile under an open skylight. Set on one level in El Ingenio, the villa sits at the edge of a wide fairway, with mature palms framing the lawn. Five bedrooms sleep ten, and the included cook handles all the meals.

Mornings start with drinks at the long table while the kids disappear into their own bunk-room wing. The indoor courtyard sits in the middle of the house, and the woman's portrait on the back wall is the first piece of the art collection you notice. By midday everyone splits between the pool, the lawn, and the covered outdoor kitchen where someone is grilling lunch. By afternoon someone's in the hammock on the primary terrace, and the kids are back in their lounge with a movie. At dinner the long table seats ten without anyone needing to move rooms.

Minitas Beach, the Marina, and the Racquet Center are each a short cart ride away, with Teeth of the Dog — ranked the Caribbean's top course by the World Golf Awards — and The Links a little further on. Altos de Chavón and Dye Fore sit just across the river. Villa Volcán is the villa to book when the family wants a base with personality, the kids a wing of their own, and someone else handling the meals.