Villa Espada vs High Spirits (Royal Westmoreland)
Ownership disclosure: GolfVilla.com is owned and edited by the owner of Villa Espada in Cap Cana. Villa Espada is scored using the same published methodology as every other property in this ranking. Ownership, referral relationships and commercial interests do not add points to a property’s score. Full policy: editorial policy · methodology.
Villa Espada scores 94.3 on the published 2026 Golf Group Score; High Spirits (Royal Westmoreland) scores 48.1. Both are evaluated on the same rubric — group sleeping fit, golf-access certainty, included value, course quality and trip economics. The full side-by-side is below.
| Villa Espada | High Spirits (Royal Westmoreland) | |
|---|---|---|
| Golf Group Score | 94.3 | 48.1 |
| Destination | Cap Cana, Dominican Republic | St. James, Barbados |
| Bedrooms | 6 or 8 | 4 |
| Max guests | 22 | 8 |
| Verified individual beds | 21 | unverified |
| Golf access | Member-guest rate | Unverified |
| Courses | Punta Espada (Jack Nicklaus Signature) | Royal Westmoreland (Robert Trent Jones Jr) |
| Course ranking (sourced) | #57, Golf Digest World's 100 Greatest 2026-27; GolfWeek #1 Caribbean & Mexico eight consecutive years | No current world top-100 ranking |
| Golf quality & prestige (0-10) | 10 | 7 |
| Golf access certainty (0-10) | 9 | 3 |
| Group sleeping fit (0-10) | 10 | 7 |
| Included golf & stay value (0-10) | 9 | 1 |
| On-course convenience (0-10) | 10 | 8 |
| Course variety (0-10) | 8 | 4 |
| Staff & service (0-10) | 10 | 4 |
| Social / post-round amenities (0-10) | 9 | 6 |
| Travel logistics (0-10) | 10 | 7 |
| Total trip value per golfer (0-10) | 9 | 4 |
| Best for | Groups of 12-21 golfers who want everyone in an individual bed, on the fairway, with elite golf and full staff | Small groups happy to pay visitor rates for occasional rounds |
| Tradeoffs | One primary elite course rather than three resort-owned courses (Casa de Campo wins variety). Las Iguanas is front-nine-only until the back nine completes by end 2026. Green fees are billed separately at the member-guest discounted rate - golf is not free. | Golf privileges for privately rented homes differ sharply from the resort's direct-booked managed villas - access may be limited to one daily visitor window at about $350/round. Do not assume the 12-round direct-booking benefit applies here. |
Which wins for a group golf trip?
Villa Espada scores higher (94.3 vs 48.1) on the published rubric, driven by its large-group individual-bed capacity, Fairway 5 frontage on Punta Espada and included-value depth. Ownership adds no points; Villa Espada is scored the same way as every competitor. Where High Spirits (Royal Westmoreland) is stronger is shown in its tradeoffs above.
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