Google engineer Spencer Kimball opens the doors to his Dominican Republic villa.

The Dominican Republic has long been known for its world-class cigars, rums, and professional baseball players. Now, with a growing number of upscale resort-style developments, the DR is becoming recognized as one of the Caribbean’s top destinations for luxury real estate. A relative newcomer is Google software engineer Spencer Kimball. Unlike numerous celebrities gravitating to the DR’s popular Punta Cana and Casa de Campo resort communities, Kimball is content on the Costa Verde coastline along the north.

Specifically, Kimball has his little piece of heaven in the gated community of Orchard Bay, where he offers his luxurious Caribbean casa as a rental villa when he is back at home in his multi-million dollar New York City loft. Located less than 10 miles from Playa Grande, the Aman Resort-anchored golf course community, Kimball’s Casa Kimball villa is a sleek, 20,000-square-foot estate comprised of eight bedroom suites, an outdoor bar and rooftop lounge, a state-of-the-art media and entertainment center, cliffside terraces, gardens, and more.

Designed by New York City architect Jasmit Rangr, Casa Kimball is an elegant transformation of a three-acre footprint that features unique surface textures and sightlines, giving this stack of “minimalist boxes” a combination of architectural confidence and retro-like style. Casa Kimball’s most popular spots are the 156-foot infinity pool that spills out to the sea.

“It is an escape to a completely different world with all the services and modern amenities expected,” says villa manager Monica Bouwmeester. “I’ve had a lot of clients research us and a lot of other high-end places, and when they walk in through our doors, they’re just blown away. It’s surreal.” $3,000-$4,000 per night; $18,000-$35,000 weekly, 888-766-4640, casakimball.com.

Story by Scott Kauffman. Photos by Paul Warchol