Baseball Villa

"Playa"

Earlier this week I took my 16-year-old son to his post-op appointment following the extraction of four wisdom teeth.   Outside  the small building a fierce late summer Nor'easter howled like a warm blizzard.    The storm would keep us indoors for the next four days, drenching the elbow of Cape Cod.   In the quiet waiting area outside the oral surgeon's office,  I read a magazine. 

Turquoise water and elegant palm trees instantly caught my attention, so I opened to the cover story in the June 2010 issue of Travel & Leisure magazine:  "The Ultimate 1,000+ Villa Vacations."  

A tiny photograph on page 73 drew me in even further and took me far away:   "100-acre hilltop estate overlooks tropical forests and the ocean and features its own private baseball diamond.   With 9 bedrooms and 11 bathrooms, the mansion is big enough to accommodate a field full of players."

Located in Cabrera, Dominican Republic, the Golden Dolphin Villa  rents  from $2,000 per night, or $233 per room.  USA Today selected the mansion as one of "10 Great Places for a Family Reunion."    I could easily name lots of people who might join me in this 17,000-square-foot "fantasy destination," and surely there were a few things I wouldn't mind escaping. 

Sign me up.

I don't subscribe to Travel & Leisure.  It's a rare luxury just to read it and imagine things.   There was a time when  Gourmet, Smithsonian, Food & Wine, and House Beautiful appeared in our mailbox on a regular basis, but that doesn't happen anymore.  The budget has been trimmed dramatically and now includes just the essentials:   SABR's Baseball Research Journal and The National Pastime; Baseball America; Coastal Living; and Memories and Dreams, the official magazine of the Baseball Hall of Fame.    

This week's Nor'easter nearly sank our old 16' Wahoo and kept us all stuck inside, day and night.

And so I dreamed about horseback riding, tennis, "exquisite spa services," a marble dining table for 18, Hemingway-style suites (named Lion, Jaguar, Puma, Dolphin ...), the private wine cellar, and "Super-King size" beds.   What exactly is a Hemingway suite?

Even the twin-bed single room has 2 terraces giving you your choice of either a spectacular ocean or majestic mountain view. Enjoy a pulsating shower overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

On the terrace of the Golden Dolphin you have a breathtaking 180 degree view of the ocean and wild tropical vegetation to put you in harmony with nature. Daydream by the gazing pools and pristine waterfalls, luxuriate in the island life at the tiki hut, and stroll through the mountainside gardens plentiful with fragrant tropical flowers.

All this and baseball too.   Beisbol.

I've always wanted to visit the Dominican to watch a game, though I've not yet had that opportunity.   I hope to get there someday; but if I do, I have a feeling we won't be staying at The Golden Dolphin.  I envision something a lot more humble, and that's exactly as it should be.

For now, I'm extremely happy to watch the game in our own home town.    For now, I'm completely happy to sit at home and watch baseball every evening with my son, enjoying his company and our late-August tradition, the Little League World Series.  Chinese Taipei, Hawaii, Washington, Connecticut, Texas, Panama.

When life grows quiet in New England and the weather turns gray and cold and the nest is empty once again,  I'll probably start dreaming about my long-awaited trip to Dominican fields.    I've  bookmarked The Golden Dolphin site - it's now listed among my favorites just in case.   

If you ever happen to book the Villa for a week of baseball and you're looking for a shortstop, will you kindly let me know?    Thanks!   And if I should ever travel to the island, I'll be sure to  tell you a little about the games.

Comments

[Susan]

I'll tag along, play second base, and we'll work on the Judy/Susan 6-4-3-double play, that is, when we're not "luxuriating" at the tiki hut. Who's on first?

[watching the game]

Ed Kranepool