Villa Samurai

Villa Samurai, Corales 117, is a five-bedroom house in the Corales area of Puntacana Resort & Club, dressed in Japanese style with warm wood, bonsai and samurai-inspired pieces, a courtyard of reflecting ponds lined with bamboo and a pool terrace under tall palms. A chef, a butler and a daily maid come with the rental, and Playa Blanca is seven minutes away by golf cart.

Four king bedrooms and a fifth with two queens sleep twelve, children included, and each has its own bathroom. We’d suggest it for a family or a group of couples who want golf and the beach clubs close by and a full staff at home, and for Christmas in the Caribbean. Of the villas in Punta Cana we place, it’s the one built around a Japanese idea of the house.

THE HOUSE

Inside, contemporary rooms are finished in warm wood, with bonsai set about and samurai-inspired pieces on display. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame the tropical garden, and a courtyard lined with bamboo holds reflecting ponds. For the evenings there’s a TV room and a poker and card table. An elevator runs between the floors, the house is air-conditioned, and cable TV and fast Wi-Fi are included.

THE BEDROOMS

All five bedrooms are en suite, and there are six bathrooms in all. On the second floor, the master has a king bed. On the first floor, bedrooms two, three and four each have a king bed and a smart TV, and bedroom five has two queen beds and a smart TV. Frédéric Malle products are supplied in the bathrooms.

THE POOL TERRACE

Past the courtyard, the pool terrace has shaded lounge areas and tall palms around it. For after a round of golf or a day on the sand, there’s a heated jacuzzi and a cold plunge to move between, and a barbecue area for cooking out.

THE SERVICE

A chef, a butler and a maid who cleans every day are part of the rental. The chef can cook three meals a day plus snacks; food and drink are paid separately, and gratuities of 8 to 10 percent of the rental are expected. At least one member of staff stays at the villa around the clock, in separate staff quarters. Check-in is private, with welcome drinks and snacks, and a concierge is assigned once you book to plan menus, shopping, massages, tee times, excursions and golf carts. A round-trip transfer from Punta Cana airport is offered free on request, subject to the provider’s availability.

THE LOCATION

Puntacana Resort & Club is a gated resort covering 26 square miles, about ten minutes by car from Punta Cana International Airport. Its two courses, La Cana and Corales, add up to 45 holes, and guests have access to two beach clubs, Playa Blanca and La Cana, as well as restaurants, a cigar bar, The Spa, tennis, padel and pickleball, water sports, horseback riding, polo, an ecological reserve and a kids club, some at extra cost. By golf cart, Corales Golf Club is five minutes from the villa, Playa Blanca seven, and La Cana’s beach club and spa ten. Golf carts stay inside the resort, so Puntacana Village, five minutes away, and BlueMall, seven, are reached by car. If you’re planning the holidays here, our guide to booking a Caribbean villa for Christmas runs through the timeline from the first call to arrival.

THE RULES

Check-in is from 3 pm and check-out by 11 am, with a three-night minimum. Smoking, hookahs and pets aren’t allowed, quiet hours run from 10 pm to 8 am, and the person booking must be 25 or older. Outside vendors, a private chef or a photographer among them, need the management’s approval first.

To check dates or request a quote for Villa Samurai, write to [email protected].