Over the last few days, I’ve been telling you about the Dominican Republic and its crown jewel, Cap Cana.
I’ve explained how luxurious this master-planned Caribbean destination is. Now I want to show you the very top end of the market…
My team and I have put boots on the ground in Cap Cana many times. Last June my scout, Ciaran Madden, toured some of the most insane luxury listings to be found there.
This included a $20 million home with an infinity pool looking out over the Caribbean’s top-ranked golf course…an eight-bed, Asian-inspired mansion set on Cap Cana’s stunning marina…a 7,000-square-foot, six-bed penthouse…and a sprawling, 45,000-square-foot, sea-view villa…
Below, he shares video walkthroughs of several of these listings.
Read on…
Wishing you good real estate investing,
P.S. This Wednesday, I’m bringing members of my Real Estate Trend Alert (RETA) group an exclusive deal to own luxury condos in Cap Cana. They’re in the best-in-class Azul Garden community, in the perfect location a short stroll from Juanillo beach. But there are only 23 condos. With this deal, I’m expecting gains of $319,600 five years after delivery. And I conservatively figure on a gross rental yield of 12% renting short term. This deal opens on Wednesday, March 4, at 1 p.m. ET for RETA members only…
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Insane Listings in a City State of Caribbean Luxury
By Ciaran Madden
I hopped in Ivette’s SUV and we set out across Cap Cana, on the road leading to the 5-star Eden Roc resort.
I’d met up with Ivette and her colleagues from the brokerage Grupo Actua to see homes at the very top end of the market in Cap Cana. Hyper-luxury. The most expensive stuff.
I’d been googling beforehand, looking at some of the lavish homes on the market here. And I thought I knew what to expect. But I was wrong…
As we approached Eden Roc, Ivette hung a right, taking us up a hill to the Golf Founders area. Set on an outcropping overlooking the eastern end of the Jack Nicklaus signature golf course Punta Espada, this is the most exclusive residential address in Cap Cana, among the most exclusive in the entire Caribbean.
After a minute or two, we pulled up to our first listing. I stepped out of the car…my jaw hit the floor…
I’ve been fortunate in my scouting. I’ve toured sprawling villas in Italy…historic chateaux in France…ultra-modern skyscraper penthouses in Asian mega-cities…
But nothing I’ve ever seen remotely compares with the $20 million, brand-new mega-villa that Ivette showed me in Cap Cana.
Here’s a short video I recorded…
A $20 million Caribbean-view mega-mansion in Cap Cana. Click for a brief walkthrough Ciaran recorded…
More on this property below. But first, a little context.
I spent a week on the ground scouting Cap Cana. Set on the eastern Caribbean shores of the Dominican Republic, this is a vast, luxurious enclave. Spanning more than 30,000 acres, it’s twice the size of Manhattan. It’s bigger than many Caribbean island nations. Bigger than Aruba, for example.
Cap Cana is home to the largest inland marina in the Caribbean capable of hosting mega-yachts. You’ve got the Caribbean’s biggest water park with an amphitheater inaugurated by Elton John.
It has a world-class Jack Nicklaus golf course, with a second Nicklaus course on the way. You’ll find high-end resorts like a St. Regis, Secrets and Eden Roc and all sorts of practical services…like a vet, doctor, dentist, beauty salons, convenience stores, a church, and a fast-growing school, and a university with over 25 nationalities enrolled.
Cap Cana is more than a resort…more than a town…it’s a city state for the affluent.
Crucial to understanding Cap Cana is recognizing the immense appeal of this place to some of the world’s wealthiest folks.
Which is why I met up with Ivette and the Grupo Actua team.
Over the course of an afternoon, they took me to see four incredible properties in Cap Cana. Each spectacular. Each different. Each with huge appeal to the world’s most affluent buyers.
We’ll come back to Golf Founders and that $20 million masterpiece in just a moment.
But first, I want to show you a few things I saw at the marina…
The first engine of Cap Cana’s growth was its stunning marina. Some of the properties here were built a decade or two ago. Penthouses now list for millions. Villas can go for north of $10 million…
Modeled after Portofino in Italy, Cap Cana Marina is the largest inland marina in the Caribbean. Its curved basin, pastel facades, and boardwalk promenades attract mega-yachts and world-class sportfishing tournaments.
The marina was the first engine of growth in Cap Cana. It put this destination on the global luxury map. Today, the marina is home to a vibrant community of international folks.
Each time I strolled it, I found something different.
Ladies doing outdoor calisthenics classes in the early morning sun…boaters arriving home from late-afternoon fishing expeditions…retirees sipping cocktails overlooking the glistening sands of Api beach, set on the southern end of the marina…
Properties in this marina are highly sought-after. Two-bed condos typically start from around $600,000. (Something like this.)
Ivette took me to see something a tad bigger.
The listing I saw was a two-story, six-bed, six-bath condo across 7,000 square feet including large terraces. Though set in the Caribbean, it had the look and feel of a Manhattan Avenue penthouse. There was a classical elegance—white walls, eye-catching modern artworks, a spiral, marble staircase, chandeliers…
What set it apart from its New York contemporaries were the Caribbean views. It was listed for $2.5 million.
The view from the spectacular penthouse Ciaran toured. With this condo, Cap Cana’s glistening marina is just outside your door.
Million-dollar price tags are standard for penthouses in Cap Cana with marina views. You’ll find villas along the marina too. Though they cost more.
Much, much more.
Isla Grande is a luxury residential development set on a man-made island in the Cap Cana Marina. It offers ultra-exclusive waterfront villas that go for $6 million…$9 million…even more…
I went to see one of the biggest and most expensive—an eight-bed, 12-bath home spanning more than 20,000 square feet.
This home sits on a stunning, curved lot of 1.5 acres with sweeping views of the marina, a vast infinity pool in front, and your own private berth. With this home, you don’t so much own a home at the marina, as claim a portion of the marina for yourself.
The design was compelling. Everything in this home was Asian-inspired, from the caisson-themed ceilings to the towering wooden doors to abundant artworks of buddhas and Chinese terracotta warriors. It’s on the market for $14 million. Check out this brief video walkthrough…
Few homes in Cap Cana offer more expansive marina views than this one. Though you’ll need to spend $14 million to claim these views…
As I say, the marina was the first engine of growth in Cap Cana. As such, the homes at the marina came first. Golf Founders came later. Homes there are typically newer. And in most cases, have set a new bar for luxury.
The residential community of Golf Founders is on a small cliff above the Eden Roc, offering breathtaking views of the Caribbean Sea.
Empty lots here sell for $2.5 million, $3 million, even more. Move-in-ready homes approach or exceed eight figures.
Ivette and the team took me to see a 45,000-square-foot property set on a 1.8-acre lot, with lush greenery set amid the expansive entranceway.
Everything in this elegant design is intended to bring the exterior inside…it’s more of a compound than a home, offering views of the mountains, sea or jungle at every turn.
This vast lavish home has palm trees in the lobby and spectacular views of the mountains behind.
This mansion had six bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a stunning infinity pool, ocean and golf views in front, mountain views behind, a guesthouse with small pool, and even its own chapel.
Check out the views from the infinity pool…
You can see the Caribbean from most of the rooms in this spectacular mansion. Though the views from the central hallway and infinity pool are hard to beat…
This spectacular home is listed at $9.2 million. A sizable sum. But to own at the very top end of the market, you’ll need to spend well over double this amount.
Which brings us back to the pièce de resistance…the crème de la crème…our $20 million mansion.
That home had a mere six bedrooms, only seven bathrooms, set across just 33,200 square feet. But the quality of the amenities…the design…the construction…
It’s less a home than a work of art, with every light fixture, vase, and piece of furniture chosen to create a seamless contemporary aesthetic. Here’s a full walkthrough shared by the brokers, who you can contact by email here.
This home is among the most expensive in Cap Cana…for now. Brokers told Ciaran a $35 million mansion is under development.
Interestingly, this home, 11 Golf Founders, is just the latest salvo in a mega-mansion arms race in Cap Cana.
Nearby is the $25 million penthouse at the recently opened St. Regis resort… (Read about that here.)
And Ivette and the team told me work is ongoing on a new home in Cap Cana, one that will set a new bar for luxury.
They heard it’s set to list for $35 million.
Cap Cana’s appeal to the ultra-rich is only growing…
Ronan says: The world’s most affluent folks have long known about Cap Cana. It’s been on my radar for a long time too. I spent 12 years looking for the right deal here—a deal minutes from these homes, with access to the same restaurants, the same marina and golf, the same resorts…
In September 2024, I was able to bring my RETA group a first off-market here.
That was in the community of Crystal Garden, where RETA members could snap up two-bed condos from a RETA-only $382,400. I bought one. Five months later similar condos there were listed by the developer for $470,000.
That’s an uplift of $87,600 in five months—a 22.9% increase on the original RETA price.
The next Cap Cana deal was in June of last year in Azul Garden. Like Crystal Garden, this community is best in class and in a perfect location, a short stroll from Juanillo beach.
And it has resort-level amenities, including a rooftop pool and terrace, ground-level swimming pool, gym, pool bar, lagoon sports deck, and paddle and pickle ball center.
I’ve now managed to get a small number of additional condos there, at the same RETA pricing. But there are only 23 of them…
This deal opens on Wednesday, March 4, at 1 p.m. ET.
I’m extremely impressed with the breadth and depth of the condos available to RETA members, the use of space, and the incredible water views each will have. (Developer’s renders shouldn’t be considered final but give us a great idea of what to expect.)
