Punta Cana.– Situated on the southeastern tip of the Dominican Republic, just minutes from Punta Cana International Airport, Cap Cana sprawls over a property about twice the size of Manhattan. Despite some recent financial setbacks due to the U.S. recession, development continues.

The resort area features private homes and condominiums, as well as hotel and villa accommodations, all in close proximity to more than three miles of beautiful white sand beaches, and all luxurious. Groundbreaking for the resort took place in 2002, and since then, millions have been invested. And the project, the biggest of its kind in the Caribbean, is still a few years from completion.

The goal for the companies involved in Cap Cana is to provide a first-class living and vacation experience. “We integrate here the best of what God and nature can provide,” said Ellis Perez, Cap Cana's president.

When all is said and done, Cap Cana will feature more than 5,000 residential units and at least four hotels on its 46 square miles. A strip of cliff-top acreage has been reserved for a Donald Trump hotel and villas property. Ritz-Carlton plans to develop a 220-room luxury resort and villas at Cap Cana.

Among already complete properties, the Sanctuary Cap Cana Golf & Spa hotel features 176 suites, each with their own view of the Caribbean. Cap Cana has a large marina as well, catering to the rich and famous –slip accommodations can handle vessels up to 250 feet in length.

The first of Cap Cana's five golf courses, Punta Espada, opened for play two years ago. It's the first of three courses at Cap Cana that will bear the signature and design of golf's Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus. The newly opened Golden Bear Lodge is a Nicklaus-created condominium property.