It is a megaproject that promises to raise the offer of the municipality of Las Terrenas to the highest standards of world tourism. But beware of those who think that, because it is so ambitious, one of the Dominican’s favorite vacation towns will lose the romantic and bohemian air that characterizes it.
The main shareholder of the Blu Terrenas project, Richard Lafond, assures that they intend to achieve a project that not only safeguards the environment, but also promotes the social and economic growth of the inhabitants of Las Terrenas, in the north of the province of Samaná.
“Our main focus is to develop a construction integrated with nature. More than a responsibility, it is a commitment we have with the community,” says Lafond.
Lafond is a businessman with more than 25 years in the Dominican Republic who quickly fell in love with the island and the warmth of the Dominican people.
Among the many projects he is executing throughout the Dominican Republic, this one is shaping up to be the most ambitious.
“Las Terrenas is one of the most beautiful places in the Dominican Republic. The nature is unique, its beautiful beaches and beautiful people (from the inside out) make anyone fall in love with the area,” says the American.
Located in front of Portillo beach, about 7 kilometers from the center of town, and with an extension of three million square meters from the beach to the Las Terrenas bluff, the project will connect 27 de Febrero Avenue with the Boulevard del Atlántico, with public streets donated to the community.
Lafond explains that Blu Terrenas will have a shopping center open to the public of 85,000 square meters with international and local stores, restaurants and an amphitheater above the water with a capacity for 2,500 people.
Cultural amenities will include the Dominican Republic’s first museum of evolutionary history, 3D movie theaters and an artisan market to provide an exhibition platform for local artists.
It will have a fire station for the entire community, a multi-sports center with different types of courts and an academy that will prepare the youth of Las Terrenas for free in tourism services.
Blu Terrenas will provide the first congress center in the area. It will also include a 480-room 5-star L category hotel, beachfront villas and townhouses, and 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments that will border a lazy river (swimming pool) certified as the longest in the world.
