Above: the Casas Del XVI boutique hotel in Santo Domingo

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Santo Domingo has a new boutique hotel.

The Casas Del XVI, which officially opened earlier this month, is a group of restored 16th-century mansions in the city’s Zona Colonial, with each house decorated according to a particular theme of Dominican culture and history.

One house, the Casa del Arbol, includes four guest rooms; the second house, Casa de los Mapas, has three guest rooms. The former houses the bar, with the latter housing its own pool.

Each property has its own separate lobby.

The plan is to eventually open a collection of 20 similar homes in the capital’s Zona Colonial.

The hotel is managed by Houston-based Prohotel International, which manages the Hotel Esencia in the Riviera Maya, the Lodge at Pico Bonito in Honduras and the Casa Bonita Tropical Lodge and the Sublime Samana Hotel & Residences in the Dominican Republic.