A spacious and comfortably appointed single-storey staffed villa in the Caribbean style with white-painted mahogany louvered windows, cathedral ceilings, cool terrazzo marble floors and a large garden with private swimming pool. http://www.caribbeanmag.com/search/hotels/Dominican_Republic/dominicanvillaswhitehouse/hotel/921/22/ en-us Copyright 1998 e-TravelMedia.com/CaribbeanMag.com Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:18:30 EST This 5-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom villa is situated within the most prestigious gated community on the north coast of the Dominican Republic, a 15-minute drive from Puerto Plata (POP) International Airport. The White House, recently completely renovated, is the ideal vacation rental for 2 families or a group of friends. It is tastefully furnished in a contemporary style with a mix of imported and local furniture, upholstered with cotton slipcovers in neutral shades of cream, sand and beige. The house is painted white throughout and carefully selected pictures, local maps, baskets of shells, hurricane lamps and fresh cut flowers complete the luxurious beach house feel. The house is designed to take full advantage of its tropical setting in the midst of a mature Caribbean garden with 8 louvered doors completely opening up the large sitting room to the wrap-around terrace, which is attractively furnished for outdoor living. The dining table is located at one end, with a door leading directly into the kitchen. There is a brick barbeque on the lawn adjacent to the terrace. The large free form pool is the focal point of the garden, with sun loungers and pool furniture on the surrounding terrace. Natural shade is supplied by numerous palms as well as the 100-yr-old+ kapok tree. There is an outdoor shower. The garden features an attractive variety of indigenous plants, including banana, mango, papaya and orange trees, birds of paradise, camellias, jasmine, bougainvillea and frangipani. There are large areas of lawn too, with plenty of private corners for reading/taking a siesta. A hammock provides an additional quiet spot. There is a pool changing room with WC and washbasin. The garden is completely private and has a rear gate, leading to the beach walkway. The 5 bedrooms and 4 of the bathrooms are located in 2 'wings' on either side of the spacious sitting room, thus making it ideal for groups of friends, or 2 families. The 2 double bedrooms have whirlpool baths and walk-in showers, with the 2 twin bedded rooms having their own bathrooms with shower. A smaller twin-bedded room interconnects to a master double, and shares that bathroom (ideal as a family suite). 4 bedrooms have an extra bed or sofa bed enabling the property to comfortably sleep 8 adults plus 4 - 6 children/infants (sharing family bedrooms and twin, that interconnects to master). All 5 bedrooms have air-conditioning as well as fans. Bed linen is high thread count 100% cotton or linen. Towels for the beach and bath are also supplied. The country-style kitchen. with white painted units and natural poplar worktops, is of ample size to cater for up to 14 guests with all the usual appliances, including gas oven with 4 burners, fridge-freezer, microwave oven, KitchenAid stainless steel dishwasher, Dualit toaster, blender, Bodum cafetiere and attractive white Italian china and glassware. Automatic washing machine in pool bathroom. AMENITIES: AT THE WHITE HOUSE: -daily maid service -gardener -villa manager at your disposal -welcome basket of groceries -fine quality household linens and towels, eg Designer's Guild, d'Porthault, Conran, Côté Bastide and Ralph Lauren Polo -private swimming-pool with daily pool cleaning service -private air-conditioned ground transfers from airport-villa-airport with uniformed Cocotours chauffeur so no need to pay for a taxi! -10% discount on all Cocotours excursions -telephone -Sony Playstation 2 with integrated DVD player, small library of DVDs and games -TV with cable TV service in sitting-room and in 4 bedrooms -Sony CD player with radio -computer with broadband internet connection -air-conditioning in all bedrooms -14-foot trampoline in garden WITHIN SEA HORSE RANCH and OPEN TO ALL RENTAL GUESTS -beach club open exclusively for residents and guests with restaurant and bar facilities -2 oceanfront swimming-pools with waterfalls and cave, drinks service from beach club -4 private beaches -equestrian center (Extra charge) -tennis club - with 5 courts, 2 of which are floodlit, Italian tennis pro, ball-boys. (Extra charge) The gated-community of Sea Horse Ranch, where the White House is located, was originally a dairy ranch and retains a wonderful rural feel. It enjoys excellent 24-hour security, power and water supply -and is a very 'safe' and quiet environment, with little traffic making it a pleasure to walk, jog, rollerblade, bicycle etc. There are well-maintained 'green' areas throughout the ranch. All guests of Sea Horse Ranch have exclusive access to: -an oceanfront beach club with an open deck, situated right over the water, which serves a variety of meals and drinks -2 brand new interconnecting ocean front swimming pools - with 2 -beachfront changing rooms -3 of the 4 beaches, the beach club and swimming-pools are only a 5-minute walk from the White House. The 4th beach is a 15-minute stroll away. ACTIVITIES: North coast attractions include: -Cabarete; windsurfing and kiteboarding centre of world-renown -Sosúa for scuba diving and snorkelling -Playa Grande and Playa Dorada for great golf. -Samaná for whalewatching Things to Do Nearby: Cabarete, the windsurfing and kite-boarding mecca, which features in the 'World Cup' series of races, is a 10 minute drive to the east, so although Sea Horse Ranch is pretty much a destination in itself, the very cosmopolitan charm of Cabarete's myriad bars, cafes, restaurants, shops is on the doorstep. Sosua has a pretty horseshoe shaped bay, with clear waters, great for scuba diving and snorkeling on the reef. Sosua has 2 good supermarkets, and a top-quality Swiss baker. Golfers are well-catered for, with the Playa Dorada Robert Trent Jones course being 20 minutes' drive to the west, and 'The Pebble Beach of the Caribbean', the ocean front course at Playa Grande, 45 minutes in the other direction. The 9-hole Costa Azul course is just 5 minutes' drive in the direction of Cabarete. DINING/RESTARUANTS: Type: Villa No. of Rooms: 1 Beach Location: Near Beach (Walking Distance) http://www.caribbeanmag.com/search/hotels/Dominican_Republic/dominicanvillaswhitehouse/hotel/921/22/ Tue, 14 Feb 2012 15:18:30 EST