By the Caribbean Journal staff

A huge new hotel project has officially broken ground in the Dominican Republic.

Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina kicked off construction for the new Lopesan Costa Bavaro Resort, Spa and Casino, an estimated $180 million project.

The Punta Cana-area project is the second in the country for Lopesan, best known for its hotels in Spain, Austria and Germany.

Lopesan already runs the IFA Villas Bavaro Resort (top of page).

The groundbreaking ceremony this week.

All told, the Lopesan will feature more than 1,000 rooms and another 100 luxury suites on a nearly 30-acre site in Bavaro.

It will include six themed restaurants, two buffet restaurants and almost 10,000 square feet of infinity pools.

That will be accompanied by a pair of beach clubs, seven swimming pools and exclusive adults-only areas.

The Lopesan will also feature a shopping boulevard, a 600-seat movie theater and a discotheque.

It’s the latest major project in what has become the Caribbean’s hub of hotel investment, with more than 13,000 hotel rooms in construction.