West Indian decorative arts scholar Michael Connors presents a lavishly illustrated and comprehensive history of architecturally significant dwellings and estates in the West Indies in his beautiful new book Caribbean Houses from Rizzoli. The book is divided into five chapters, one for each European heritage that brought their own influences and designs to the region: the Spanish, Dutch, English, French, and Danish. In addition to the gorgeous photographs done exclusively for the book, Connors discourses on the area's rich architecture and interior design history, and gives the reader a "unique view of houses that combine the tradition of European styles with the vernacular island forms and decorative motifs." The featured islands include: The Spanish Antilles – Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic; The Dutch Leewards – Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao; The English Islands – Barbados, Turks & Caicos, Jamaica, St. Lucia, and St. Kitts; The French Lesser Antilles – Martinique; and The U.S. Virgin Islands (formerly Danish) – St. Thomas and St. Croix.

Atlantico Rum (above), produced in the Dominican Republic, is a unique dark rum that "embodies tradition, sophistication, and handcrafted quality." The process for Atlantico Rum begins with handpicking the finest small batched aged rums in the Dominican Republic. The rums are blended together under the watchful eye of the master blender and placed in small bourbon barrels (private casks) for further aging of 1 to 2 years. Next, the rum is removed from the casks, placed into another set of barrels and aged yet again for 15 to 25 years using the complex solera method.

The weathering elements during the dry and rainy seasons, the topography, and the constant Caribbean sea breeze from the Dominican Republic's coastline all affect the wooden barrels the rum they contain, further developing and enhancing the flavor. Finally, the rum, by now incredibly complex and smooth, is bottled by hand. The bottle design is inspired by vintage Dominican cigar labels, and each one is carefully inspected, approved, and hand initialed by the founders before being placed in its special burlap sack.

A bit ahead of the official tour, New York tobacconist De La Concha hosted an in-store dinner to celebrate the Avo Campanero. More than 20 guests filled the Sixth Ave. store to smoke, dine and savor the cigar legend's latest creation.

The dinner began promptly at 8 PM on March 19, 2009, with more than a dozen customers waiting on the sidewalk long before that. As the doors opened, they filed in, claimed the prized stick and began to smoke one of the most highly anticipated cigars of the year. According to Davidoff New York Sales Manager Brad Hammond, the Campanero is Avo's best limited edition cigar in the past three years – since the Avo 80, released in 2006. This claim was confirmed within the first two inches.

The robust cigar is not for novices of the leaf and would be preferred by experienced smokers. It consists of a Cuban seed, sun-grown Ecuadorian wrapper and Dominican binder. The filler is a blend of six different leaves, one of which is Peruvian. The Avo Campanero is incredibly well constructed, burns evenly and delivers a rich, powerful flavor.

A series of limited-edition cigars and boxes is being designed under the leadership of Litto Gomez to benefit El Museo del Barrio, New York City's only Latin American museum. To pull the project together, Gomez is working with artist Ruben Toledo and his wife Isabel, a fashion designer.

The end result, La Flor Dominicana El Museo Limited Edition is a Churchill-sized cigar. The filler and binder are from the La Flor de Palma farm in the Dominican Republic, and the wrapper is from other parts of the same country. The cigars are packaged in off-white lacquer boxes with designs by Ruben Toledo on both sides of the lid. Gomez says that the El Museo has a rich, smooth, full-bodied taste with both sweetness and complexity.

Gomez is making 2,000 boxes available, with each priced at $600. They will be available in May.

A new $200 million project has been announced for the north shore of the Dominican Republic. The 138-suite Palmera de Cabarete Resort and Spa is planned to be a five-star resort that expands over 19.5 acres including 1000 feet of shoreline. Three oceanfront freshwater infinity pools, a 22,000 square foot spa spa, gourmet dining and a concierge program will heighten the appeal for luxury guests.

The condo units will have floor-to-ceiling window walls, marble floors and Wolf and Subzero appliances. The penthouses will also offer infinity-edge plunge pools, summer kitchens and a cabana bathroom with shower. The design team includes Miami-based RAD Architecture and Celia Domenech, an interior designer specializing in a beachside luxury look. The suites will have three decor options-- tropical, classic and traditional. The resort plans a 2011 opening.

Why do we love it when Avo Uvezian adds another year to his life? Of course, we celebrate the continued life of this cigar industry's living legend. But, few miss the fact that every new year brings with it another limited edition. I'm still excited about the Avo 80 that came out a few years back – well, three, to be exact. Now that the odometer's hitting 83, Avo and Davidoff are bringing a new cigar to market: the Avo Compañero.

The cigar's namesake calls it "the best blend ever released under my name from the Occidental Kelner Cigars factory in the Dominican Republic." And, let's face it: he's never lied to us before! So, I'm pretty excited about this new stick, and I suspect I'm not alone.

To fête this new cigar, a nine-city tour is planned, each with a cigar dinner featuring the Avo Compañero.

• March 16 - New York, NY – Davidoff of Geneva
• March 18 – Salem, NH – Two Guys Smoke Shop
• March 21 - Lake Mary, FL – Corona Cigar Co.
• March 26 – Houston, TX – Jeffrey Stone Ltd.
• March 27 – Austin, TX – Heroes & Legacies
• March 30 - West Chester, PA – G&G Cigar
• April 1 - Norfolk, VA – Emerson's Cigars
• April 4 – Raleigh, NC – Empire Cigars
• April 6 – Southport, NC – Havana Rays Fine Cigars

Put it on your calendar. I went to an Avo limited edition dinner back in 2006, and I can still remember the evening vividly.

For second homes at a lower price, the Dominican Republic is fast becoming more popular. Balcones Del Atlántico is a beachfront community in the village of Las Terrenas on the Samana Peninsula. Balcones Del Atlántico has more than 250 units situated on a former coconut plantation. The development has 15 pools throughout the property including an infinity pool, a pool with tranquil waterfalls and a party pool with swim-up bar. Residential options range from one to five bedroom units that include villas, town houses and condos some with rooftop terraces with solariums, Jacuzzis and pools. Residents will have access to the beach, a commercial plaza, a heliport, a club house and beach bar/club. Recreational opportunities include beach volleyball, tennis courts, a children's playground, a spa and gym. Prices range from $475,000 to $1.7 million. It is already under construction with final completion of all phases scheduled for 2011.

Visiting a foreign country, especially one in the third world, often prompts one's philanthropic desires to give back to the places they explore. It's hard to distinguish which causes are worthy of your funds and which giving opportunities truly use your funds for the project intended. Travelers' Philanthropy takes the guess work out of global giving by connecting travelers or simply interested donors to causes that positively impact local communities. Currently this organization is involved with causes in Costa Rica, South America and Africa encouraging travelers to combine their love of the global community with their ability to fund important programs and initiatives. Check out the gallery below for current opportunities and the people they impact.

The reinvention of British golfer Nick Faldo comes in many forms. Not only is the once tight-lipped major champion flashing a sense of humor these days as an analyst for CBS Sports and the Golf Channel (where you can hear him announce the Sony Open this weekend), he's also designing some spectacular golf courses. His latest is the Faldo Legacy Course at Roco Ki in the Dominican Republic.

The holes unfurl across a 2,500-acre site on the island's northeast coast, the terrain shifting from ocean highlands to mangrove forest to upland sawgrass plain. But the course's calling card is its clifftop closing holes. The par-three seventeenth has drawn comparisons to Pebble Beach, and the par-five eighteenth is called Dos Rezos (two prayers) because it demands two heroic shots over inlets of the sea. The course is the centerpiece of a real estate community that's to include luxury homes and villas plus the Westin Roco Ki Beach and Golf Resort, scheduled open later this year.

Another ambitious real estate project has been floundering. Cap Cana, the sprawling resort complex in the Dominican Republic has been facing some funding difficulties lately. The resort includes four luxury hotels, three golf courses and a mega-yacht marina and involves big names such as Ritz-Carlton and Trump. Building was delayed while the resort scrambled for cash; 500 workers were fired after Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy causing a $250 million loan to fall through. Thing are tentatively back on track now that Cap Cana has announced an extension on a $100 million bridge loan. The resort's long-term success, however, depends both on tourism and on people buying in to the condos and villas for sale so it doesn't seem like it is quite out of the woods yet.

A new project in the Dominican Republic has been announced that will combine a resort and eco-friendly residences. Terrazas de Coson is located in the rolling hills of Samana, next to the popular beach town of Las Terrenas. European developers Valman are seeking to create an "eco-chic" resort that includes 72 "Villa Estates" spread across 370 acres of land. The villas are available in three designs and range up to 12,000 square feet. All homes will run on solar energy and will be built with natural, eco-friendly materials. As currently planned, each estate will have views of the ocean and surrounding mountains and multiple infinity pools as well as waterfalls and streams that wind throughout the residences.

The property will also include a five-star boutique hotel with 28 bungalows accessed by a tram-like railway. Each bungalow will have its own plunge pool, and the complex will host additional infinity pools and water features throughout. Planned amenities include indoor and outdoor bars, a tennis club, a private beach club and spa, and several restaurants, including a five-star eatery headed by Chef Christophe Leroy.

Prices for villas start at $1.7 million up to $3 million and completion is scheduled for 2010.

In our post on the new book Havana Before Castro the other day we reminisced about Cuba before the infamous dictator ruined everyone's fun. Among the many moronic moves Castro made was expelling Matusalem from the island in the '60s, a smooth, rich rum that had been distilled there by a family of Spanish settlers since 1872.

Following the expulsion the company languished for several decades, until it was finally re-established in the Dominican Republic (as were several Cuban cigar brands) using the original secret formula brought from Spain. Today, Matusalem is flourishing once again, with its delectable blend of smooth spirit matured in French oak casks bottled as Matusalem Gran Reserva.

The rum is made using the solera system, which was originally developed to produce Spain's famed wine, sherries, brandies, and cognacs, producing a blend that's somewhere between dark and amber.

We are back to talking about Cap Cana, that massive resort area in the Dominican Republic that is over 30,000 acres of Caribbean acreage. When we first looked at the resort in 2005, the plan included three Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses, a massive inland marina and a casino as well as then unnamed hotels and residences. Then last February, Donald Trump announced Trump at Cap Cana, which will include a golf course, golf villas and golf lots, estate lots, a beach club, a condo hotel, and residences with ocean views. Now the latest luxury name to sign on is the Ritz-Carlton. The luxury hotel chain plans both a resort, The Ritz-Carlton, Cap Cana as well as a residential offering, Residences at The Ritz Carlton, Cap Cana. The 220-room resort will include a 16,000-square-foot spa, private beach club and five restaurants and lounges. The 194 privately-owned residences will include both beachfront and golf course option. Both are expected to open in early 2010.

This is interesting, a luxury villa rental in the Dominican Republic is promising to give the profits of the rental to the PONA foundation, a trust that the family members set up to give money to the local community and local charities. The luxury villa was built not just as the headquarters for PONA but with the idea that it could be rented out to make money for the nonprofit foundation. The trust is a perpetual organization where a pool of money is invested, and the profits of the funds are split between reinvestment in the local area and giving to local charities. Through the PONA Trust, the Moller family has purchased an acre in Cabrera with plans to begin building a community school and the vacation rentals of Flor de Cabrera will fund the classes.

The villa has easy access to beach and has a large swimming pool, tropical gardens, a full staff, tennis courts, game room and an exercise room. The villa has a variety of bedroom suites include two master suites (one away from the house and down by the shore). Villa Flor de Cabrera rents for $18,200 per week during the low season not including the mandatory meal plan. Is this just a gimmick or could luxury vacations that fund charities be the wave of the future?

Rumor has it that Brad Pitt has spent some time looking around the Dominican Republic for a summer home. This has meant a boost in tourism, which we mentioned before, but Brad won't be headed to the resorts if he's looking to buy. The north side of the island country is known for its beautiful coastline and private beaches, and that is where he seems to have been looking. Now, he apparently wants it to be similar to his old house in Los Angeles, we have to ask whether he wants a similarly large property of a property in the same price range. He probably will build a custom home if he does end up in the Dominican republic, but here there are certainly more than a few existing properties to choose from.