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JUANILLO, Dominican Republic, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire/ — Cap Cana, S.A. (“Cap Cana”) and Grupo Velutini, a diversified Latin American real estate investment and development firm, today announced the commencement of the first phase of construction of the Puerto Marina at Cap Cana residential development. The groundbreaking ceremony was headed by Dominican President Leonel Fernandez Reyna, Tourism Minister Francisco Javier Garcia, and other dignitaries, and featured addresses by Luis Emilio Velutini, President of Grupo Velutini, and Ricardo Hazoury, Cap Cana’s Chairman and President.

The 35,200 square meter (378,890 square feet) residential marina project being developed within Cap Cana by Grupo Velutini is to be built in four phases at an estimated total construction cost of approximately US$110 million. The luxury residential community will consist of approximately 300 units, including large waterfront residences and two, three and four-bedroom villas, townhomes and condominiums. In addition, the development will feature approximately 70 private docks for boats and yachts from which sport fishermen have ready access to world-class fishing. Full-scale construction of the first phase of the project, which includes land-leveling work and the building of 11 large, stately waterfront residences and 11 luxury villas, in addition to the development’s basic infrastructure, has already commenced and is expected to be completed in 2011.

“We are very pleased to be associated with Grupo Velutini as we continue to further our efforts of developing our property,” said Ricardo Hazoury. “Cap Cana is synonymous with the finest in world-class hospitality experience, and we are certain that this new real estate development will only enhance that reputation. This announcement serves to strengthen our ongoing efforts of enhancing the overall value of the project by attracting well-respected private developers that bring their own development capabilities, sales distribution networks and capital.”

Puerto Marina at Cap Cana represents the newest addition to Grupo Velutini’s portfolio of master planned community and commercial developments in the Caribbean and Latin America and the luxury project will serve to expand on Cap Cana’s vision of providing real estate products that would appeal to the upper end residential and tourism markets.

“We are very excited to announce the commencement of construction for the first phase of this landmark property. Our announcement is a clear indication of our commitment and confidence in the success of this project,” said Luis Emilio Velutini. “It is the first of its kind within the Cap Cana property and will serve as a building block for other future real estate investment projects within the Dominican Republic.”

Grupo Velutini has appointed Infinity Developers, S.A., a Dominican-based engineering and construction firm, as the main contractor, and Mexican-based GVA & Asociados to carry out the architectural design of the first phase of the project.

About Velutini & Asociados

Based in Venezuela, Velutini & Asociados is a real estate investment and development firm that has earned a strong reputation in the field of planning, construction, sales, and management of master-planned communities and commercial real estate developments in numerous countries in the Caribbean and Latin America.

About Cap Cana

Cap Cana is a 30,000 acre master-planned luxury resort and real estate community located on the eastern tip of the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean. The community is fully operational with championship golf and yachting facilities, a world class hotel, pristine beaches, a variety of dining and retail establishments and numerous other amenities. Since breaking ground in 2002, Cap Cana has invested approximately US$800 million in infrastructure and other improvements and has entered into contracts with aggregate value of approximately US$1.4 billion for the sale of approximately 1,500 units of real estate properties. Throughout this period, Cap Cana has delivered approximately 700 real estate properties to buyers, including retail and developer hotel lots, condominiums and villas. For additional information, visit http://www.capcana.com/ or call 1-809-227-2262.

The beautiful island nation of the Dominican Republic, on the larger island of Hispaniola, has always been an island destination for tourists. Visitors can take tours of the island by boat or by plane and enjoy the beautiful beaches and tropical weather from the comfort of their hotels. As well, the Dominican Republic has some of the best casinos in the world within its borders. With 31 casinos and gambling facilities spread throughout 12 Dominican cities, the Dominican Republic has a great variety of places to have fun and gamble.

The center of Dominican Republic casino culture is the capital city of Santo Domingo. With eight casinos spread throughout this beautiful city, visitors and natives to the island can enjoy fun at tables and slot machines. The king of Dominican Republic casinos is the Barcelo Gran Hotel Lina and Casino, which is a combination of beautiful casino space and impeccable hotel rooms. The Lina Casino, a renowned gaming facility in the Caribbean, features 45 machines and 16 tables for visitors’ gaming pleasure. The Lina Hotel features 217 rooms, with an extensive office service and updated spa and pool area. When gamblers and visitors want to get away from the roulette wheel or the poker table, they can sit down at one of two restaurants connected to the hotel for buffet style or international cuisine.

There are several other great Dominican casinos in Santo Domingo, including the quaint Hotel and Casino Naco and the versatile Occidental El Embajador Hotel and Casino. Both feature beautiful hotel rooms and comfortable gaming facilities with more than 40 machines and a dozen tables to keep you winning big all day long. For those who are at the El Embajador and want to get out of their room or away from the craps table, they can head over to El Jardin del Embajador, a restaurant with international cuisine, or Los Porches, a nice little coffee shop.

For those who want to find a casino in the Dominican Republic and venture away from the lights of Santo Domingo, there are plenty of options. The quaint charm of the Casino Playa Chiquita in Sosua is a quick fix for the gambler on the go. One of the best casinos in the Dominican Republic, the American Casino, is located outside of Santo Domingo at Puerto Plata. With a 40,000 square foot gaming room and hotel, 80 tables and machines, and a direct connection to the beautiful beach, the American Casino is a true treasure of the Dominican Republic casino scene.

The Dominican Republic has gone resort-crazy in the last decade and that’s not good news for budget travelers — or those who like a touch of Dominican culture with their suntan. Most low-key beach towns are hours from any airport, often over dilapidated roads. But there are bright exceptions: the adjacent towns of Sosúa and Cabarete, on the island’s north coast. The Puerto Plata airport — with direct flights from New York City and Miami — is just five minutes from Sosúa, a diving town originally settled by Jewish refugees, and 15 minutes from Cabarete, the country’s windsurfing capital.

Where to Stay

Cabarete and Sosúa have a wide range of choices, but luxury is the exception. For a weeklong rental at low prices, you can’t go wrong with Cabarete Palm Beach Condos (Cabarete Beach; 877-240-5605; www.cabaretecondos.com), a quiet beachfront condo that offers spacious, two-bedroom apartments starting at $80 a night in the off-season and $140 in the high season (not including taxes). The apartments are smartly decorated and have full kitchens and private patios. Beachfront restaurants and bars are nearby — or with the money you save, hire a Dominican cook for a traditional home-cooked dinner.

The white-washed, over-the-top Italianate design of the Piergiorgio Palace Hotel in Sosúa (Calle La Puntilla No. 1; 809-571-2626; www.piergiorgiopalace.com) wears its gaudiness well, especially for the price: $95 a night, $115 for an ocean view (taxes included). Though a few blocks from the town and beach, it feels isolated enough that you might not leave. The resort, after all, features a clear blue pool, a good Italian restaurant and endless terraces and nooks overlooking the bay. And the rooms, though not chic, are pleasant and clean.

Where to Eat

When you’re daydreaming on the beach, it’s easy to forget how beautiful and bucolic the tropical interior can be. Blue Moon Retreat (Sabaneta-Moca Highway, Jamao al Norte; 809-757-0614, www.bluemoonretreat.net), perched on a hilltop overlooking lush hills, is an Indian restaurant with a Caribbean twist. Dinner, $20 a person prix fixe, is a tropical dream of chutneys, Caribbean-style tandoori chicken (with garlic and oregano, without yogurt) and pakora fritters. Call ahead: the restaurant usually doesn’t open unless eight or more have reserved. It’s also a beautiful place to stay overnight — for $50 — if you don’t mind a thin mattress and rustic accommodations.

For cheap eats along Cabarete beach, head to La Casita de Don Alfredo (Cabarete Beach; 809-986-3750), a k a Papi’s, a tables-on-the-sand restaurant famous for whole shrimps served in a cast-iron pan with a cream sauce, for 750 pesos, or about $21 at 36 pesos to the dollar. Finish dinner by 11 p.m., though, before the dance music starts blaring from the club next door, utterly ruining the sand-in-your-toes tranquillity.

There are also plenty of tasty shacks on Sosúa Beach. Mofongo King, toward the middle of the beach with a bright aqua-blue roof, serves an excellent version of its namesake dish, a mound of fried, mashed plantains mixed with pork crackling or chicken (around 200 pesos).

Cheap Beaches

There are long, picturesque beaches in both Cabarete and Sosúa, but they’re also commercial, with lots of places to eat ranging from beach shacks to fancy lounges. For a quiet beach with nothing but beige sand, a handful of beach chairs and water in several gradations of blue, walk a few blocks east to Playa Alicia, an idyllic cove with a few palm trees and a lazy feel at the end of quiet Calle Dr. Rosen.

Where to Party

Colmados are what Dominicans call the local grocery stores, which come nighttime, double as neighborhood hangouts. El Flow (Calle Pedro Clisante No. 34; Sosúa) is like a colmado without the groceries, serving cheap beer and rum (both from 50 pesos) to a boisterous, informal crowd of Dominicans along with some tourists trying their best to dance to the blasting merengue and bachata music. Lax (Cabarete Beach; 829-915-4842), by contrast, is for tourists — tourists, that is, looking to trade in the corny beachfront clubs for a more relaxed, loungey feel.

What to Do

This is a water sports country. Here’s how it breaks down: Sosúa is for divers and snorkelers, with lots of dive sites teeming with brightly colored fish that are quickly reachable by boat. A 90-minute snorkeling trip with Northern Coast Diving (Calle Pedro Clisante No. 8; 809-571-1028; northerncoastdiving.com), staffed by easygoing, friendly English speakers, goes for $29.

But the bigger action is in Cabarete, where windsurfing rules. Several outfitters, including Cabarete Windsports Club (Cabarete Beach; 809-571-0784; cabaretewindsportsclub.com) offer rental equipment, which goes for about $65 a day including a lesson. What time of day you go will depend upon your skill level. Winds get strong in the early to midafternoon, especially in the winter.

What to Buy

Gift shops in Sosúa seem to specialize in schlock — gaudy paintings of Caribbean sunsets, for example. But a few places do offer tasteful and wholly Dominican wares including Patrick’s Silversmithy (Calle Pedro Clisante No. 3; 809-571-2121), run by Patrick Fagg, a British expat who has been in Sosúa for 35 years. He makes earrings, bracelets and charms out of silver, as well as local larimar and amber. Earrings start at about $15. You can also get great Dominican cigars at Cafe Cubano (Calle Pedro Clisante No. 27, Sosúa; 809-571-3493) for 100 to 1,000 pesos.

How to Get There

JetBlue and Continental fly nonstop from the New York City area to Gregorio Luperón International Airport in Puerto Plata. Round-trip fares start at around $400, according to a recent Web search. There are also nonstop flights from Miami (American) and several airlines fly to Santiago, which is about 30 miles away.