About us
The Eco-Hotel Altos de la Caobita was born as a retreat house for the San Pablo Community, which, with the asphalting of the road to La Caobita beach, takes a turn towards sustainable lodging with a focus on helping the community.
Our history
Offered in 2006 by the Dominican government to the Community of San Pablo (promoter of numerous social projects in the region), the land now occupied by the hotel began as a retreat house, far from the hustle and bustle of the city. However, seeing the tourist potential of the area, the Community decided to transform the house into a small eco-hotel, with the aim of generating employment and developing the economy through sustainable tourism in the nearby villages.
From the beginning, the hotel was conceived as a non-profit social project, growing from donations and disinterested collaborations from companies and individuals to finally reinvest the profits in the nearby towns.
Thanks to these collaborations, the retreat house was adapted and four additional rooms were built, with a beautiful infinity pool and garden space. The operation of the hotel was designed and planned, and training courses in the field of tourism were offered to the people of Barrera.
Finally, the hotel opened its doors in March 2021, and today we continue with the same desire to lead change and position Azua as a benchmark for sustainable tourism in the country.
A project led by The Community of St. Paul
Altos de la Caobita belongs to the Community of San Pablo, a public association of the faithful of the Catholic Church that develops social projects in the Azua region. For more than 18 years, it has been working to promote the dignity of all people from its headquarters in the parish of La Sagrada Familia, located in Sabana Yegua.
In addition to carrying out parish activities in the 22 towns of Azua, the community is involved in various social projects for the development of health, education and training.
To learn more about the St. Paul's community and its mission
A place steeped in history
Barrera was the oldest indigenous settlement on Hispaniola. The groups that inhabited the area have been called Bareroids or Mordanoids. They probably began to live there around 2800-2600 BC, attracted by the flint mines in the area. Proof of this are the petroglyphs in the Cueva de los Indios, which can be visited as part of one of our activities. These groups migrated from Central America and were dedicated to gathering and hunting. They used tools made of flint and, to a lesser extent, shell. Many of them are on display at the Museum of Dominican Man in Santo Domingo.
According to locals, in the 1950s and 1960s, large quantities of palo santo (guaiacum sanctum) and guaiacum (guaiacum officinale) wood, as well as other precious wood species, were shipped through the Martín García point area.