“Explored” in this case is no overstatement. The property,
capable of sleeping 24, encompasses a 10,000-square-foot main residence, a
variety of pavilions, guest bungalows, and cabanas, two swimming pools, and a
spectacular array of outdoor entertainment and lounging areas, including a
man-made beach—all linked by meandering, densely landscaped pathways. “We made
it big with the idea we’d be sharing it,” Anthony says of the compound, which
is situated away from the coastline, ensuring maximum privacy for the couple,
their seven children, and frequent visitors.
Still, thanks to the many truckloads of sand brought in as
ground cover, you’d think you were mere feet from Casa de Campo’s pristine
waterfront. That was hardly the case when Anthony bought the commodious main
house three years ago. The plot, which didn’t comprise much more than the house
and pool immediately behind it, was “surrounded by wild vegetation,” says the
musician, who immediately began to imagine more—much more. “The second we moved
in I started drawing my ideas on napkins and buying up the adjacent lots. I
just had a vision for it.”
To help realize his concept, Anthony turned to local
architect Dino Barré of DM Dominicana, the man responsible for designing the
original residence, which was fashioned after the sugar mills that once
proliferated here. Among other amenities, Anthony requested an outdoor movie
theater, a sports-bar pavilion, and a series of palapas and villas to serve as
guest quarters, many incorporating indigenous materials such as eucalyptus wood
and coral stone. “We put up four guest bungalows around the new sand-bottom
pool, just like you’d see at resorts in the Maldives or Bora-Bora,” Barre says.
Notes the singer, “I’m glad I didn’t think about the scope of the undertaking
for too long—I probably wouldn’t have had the nerve to do it.”
The project, Anthony says, was driven as much by his love
for design as a desire to create the ultimate retreat. “I’ve been touring for
20-something years,” he explains. “And when you’re locked in a hotel room, you
learn how to enjoy spaces.” It’s knowledge he put to good use here, personally
outfitting the rooms with a mix of furnishings custom made by local craftsmen
as well as Indonesian and Balinese furniture and accessories fashioned from
teak, mahogany, and sapele. “Marc appreciates detail and will spend as much
time as it takes on something he’s passionate about,” De Lima Muñiz says.
“Sometimes we’d stay up until 5 A.M. just looking at colors and textures.”
Anthony’s aesthetic interests extend to painting, too—a
pastime he pursues in the artist’s studio he set up in one of the palapas.
“There’s not so much imagination in performing a song that’s already a hit, so
I need outlets like painting,” says the multiple Grammy winner, who will be
touring in New York City in February. “I also like to do nothing,” he confesses
of his ideal day at the compound. “I can sit in one spot for hours and simply
watch my wife and kids in the pool or listen to the music playing on the sound
system.” Adds De Lima Muñiz, “Music fills the house, inside and out, at all
times!”
Anthony and De Lima Muñiz take pleasure in watching their
guests embrace a toes-in-the-sand attitude as well. “The first day people get
here, they want to do everything,” Anthony says. “But by the second day they’re
like, ‘Maybe I’ll just grab a margarita and sit on the beach.’ And by the third
you don’t see them until 6 P.M.”
In the evenings everyone usually gathers around the
20-foot-long teak dining table next to the pool. “I love that we can all sit
down together at dinner, no matter how many we are,” says De Lima Muñiz.
Anthony agrees: “It’s great to sit back and see how happy this place makes
everyone. It’s priceless.”
