Jetsettersblog

TO DEBUT IN SOUTH BEACH JANUARY 2008

Includes Signature Rooftop Pool, Multi-level Beach Club, Luxury Residences,

Chic Boutiques, 50-foot Shark Tank and more

Miami, FL – Following the success of the Hotel Gansevoort in Manhattan, Gansevoort Hotel Group is expanding with the January 2008 opening of the Gansevoort South Hotel, Spa and Residences, South Beach’s most complete luxury lifestyle resort.

The 334-room Gansevoort South hotel is infusing glamour into the north end of Collins Avenue (between 23rd and 24th Streets), widely considered to be the next epicenter of South Beach. The landmark site (once home to the historic Roney Plaza) has been transformed into a lifestyle destination complete with a 334-room hotel and 259 condominiums. The property will feature the flagship DavidBartonGym + Spa, a full city block of luxury boutiques (including the first Miami outposts of INCA, Big Drop and Cutler), an intimate lounge by The Opium Group, restaurants by Philippe Chow and The ONE Group’s STK, and a shark tank with 27 types of fish and sharks that spans 50 feet of the dramatic lobby.

Noted architect Stephen B. Jacobs and interior designer Andi Pepper – the team behind the flagship Gansevoort property in New York – have been tapped to infuse their stylish sophistication into the Gansevoort South property.

Like the New York hotel, the signature feature of Gansevoort South will be a 26,000-square-foot rooftop retreat, arguably the largest rooftop playground in the world. A tropical oasis dotted with coco palm trees and whimsical cabanas, the rooftop features a 110-foot elevated swimming pool and Plunge bar and lounge. Soaring eighteen floors high, it will offer uninterrupted views of the Atlantic Ocean, Biscayne Bay and downtown Miami.

Originally constructed in the 1960’s in the classic Art Deco style of South Beach, the building is being entirely redesigned around a private beach club that will anchor the development and serve as its centerpiece and central gathering spot. On the main level, a 40,000-square-foot semi-circular oceanfront pool plaza boasts an infinity-edge pool trimmed with Bisazza glass tiles in shades of blue and gold. Teak decking, towering palm trees, oversized circular beds, plush cabanas and tented alcoves surround the pool, creating a relaxing enclave. An expansive bar/restaurant and an oversized Jacuzzi tucked beneath a flowering open-air trellis round out the space.

In between the pool deck and beach club a private cabana level is tucked into the building, offering a quiet sanctuary with ocean views. Acclaimed Nikki Beach designer Stephane Dupoux brings his signature style to the beach level which features the club’s main bar, seating area, oversized lounges, cabanas, volleyball courts, and fire pits.

Oversized Rooms and All the Comforts of Home

Hotel rooms are accented with splashes of hot pink against charcoal gray suede walls, providing an understated backdrop for custom-designed tables, sofas, lounge chairs, oversized mirrors and polished wood headboards. Most of the units have large balconies with dramatic ocean, bay or city views. 1930s and 40s pin-up style photographs add a playful air to the spacious, light-filled rooms.

The 3,500 square- foot Presidential Suite includes two master bedrooms, two living rooms, dining area, kitchen, full bar, an entertainment room, and several outdoor decks with ocean views.

DavidBartonGym + Spa

National fitness icon David Barton is opening the newest incarnation of his popular gym and his first-ever spa product at Gansevoort South. The 40,000-square-foot flagship location will include a luxurious spa, yoga studios, and private training.

Gourmet Dining Destinations

Gansevoort South will include a new restaurant by Philippe Chow, longtime chef at the legendary Mr. Chow in New York. Serving Philippe’s signature contemporary Chinese cuisine, this two-story, 9,000-square-foot restaurant on the corner of Collins Avenue and 23rd Street will be his first restaurant to open outside of New York City.

Trendsetting STK restaurant will also open its second location outside of Manhattan at Gansevoort South. Maintaining the quality of a traditional steakhouse while reinventing the ambience, clientele and atmosphere, STK first introduced the steakhouse to a young, sexy market in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District and now brings that successful model to South Beach.

Oceanfront Meeting Space

Gansevoort South includes 45,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor meeting space, with complimentary WiFi and state-of-the-art audiovisual and teleconferencing capabilities.

For information, please visit http://www.gansevoortsouth.com/  or call (305) 604-1000.

First residential offering in Mexico branded with golf’s most iconic mark will surround a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course along the Gulf of Mexico

CAMPECHE, Mexico—The first and only residential offering in Mexico to bear the prestigious brand of golf great Jack Nicklaus was unveiled today in Campeche, with the introduction of “Golden Bear Residences.” The 2,000 residential units that make up the Golden Bear Residences will be situated along a new Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, which serves as the centerpiece to Campeche Playa, Golf, Marina & Spa Resort, an oceanfront, eco-tourist complex on the Gulf Coast side of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula that is scheduled to open late summer 2008.

The historic launch is the result of an agreement signed this week between Projecto Esmeralda Resort S.A. de C.V., a development subsidiary of Spanish-based Grupo Mall, and Nicklaus Real Estate Licensing, LLC, a subsidiary of the Nicklaus Companies. The strategic partnership will utilize the global marketing power of these groups and leaders in their respective industries to promote Golden Bear Residences worldwide.

This is the first time the Golden Bear Residences brand has been granted and introduced in Latin America

. “The Golden Bear Residences brand, in concert with our Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, guarantees a lifestyle that combines exclusivity and the best and most modern services in an exceptional environment, surrounded by native fauna and flora and with a different golf course that gathers mangrove, jungle and beach,” said Julio Noval, a principal of Grupo Mall. “Our teams have joined to establish the new parameters for lifestyle by combining unique experiences, with innovation and quality.”

The strategic relationship established between subsidiaries of the Nicklaus Companies and Grupo Mall led the resort’s developers to create the Founders Club of the Golf Course at Campeche Playa, Golf, Marina & Spa Resort, which offers immediate and multiple advantages for those that choose to acquire a unit. This exclusive membership, of which Mr. Nicklaus is an Honorary Founder member, will feature 250 Founders. Benefits include: special pricing for greens fees during the first year; one year of complimentary membership to the yacht club in the marina; preferential selection of lockers; and several golf-related gifts, such as an electric golf car for ease of transportation within development; a set of Nicklaus Golf Equipment; and other items such as Jack Nicklaus Sportswear and headwear.

Noval values the importance of this agreement: “It is the first time that Jack Nicklaus and his team have granted the use of the Golden Bear brand on this type of residential offering in Mexico, and by doing so, they bring attention to the unique lifestyle enjoyed in a residential-tourist complex. For us, this distinction means a great source of pride, because it is the acknowledgment to a job well done and to the promotion of a singular development that not only incorporates housing with the maximum quality standards, but is situated amid an extraordinary environment the company has been diligent to preserve.”

Jack Nicklaus and his company, Nicklaus Design, are recognized as the world leader in golf course design, and never is that more evident than in Mexico. They have opened 14 courses throughout Mexico in 14 years, and because the Nicklaus name has proven to be a driving force in Mexico’s booming golf market, BEST’s Golf Guides to Mexico honored the Golden Bear with the “Best Golf Course Architect in Mexico” award. The Golden Bear’s work has dominated the magazine’s rankings, with Nicklaus Design being responsible for a third of the top 30, including the world-ranked Ocean Course at Cabo Del Sol at No. 1.

This is Nicklaus’ first design in Campeche, a colonial city nestled on the Gulf Coast side of the Yucatan Peninsula, and one that marries Mayan history and charm with a burgeoning tourist industry. A 2-hour drive southwest from Merida, Campeche provides visitors the appeal of centuries-old dwellings and many of the old colonial Spanish city walls and fortifications which protected it from pirates and buccaneers. The area is rich in archeological wealth, including many ruins of the Maya civilization.

But with all of its historic romance, Campeche also has worldwide tourist and investor appeal because of its vast activities, such as beautiful beaches, boating and some of the Gulf’s finest fishing (the Golden Bear took in some tarpon fishing on his recent visit). Now, thanks to Nicklaus, golf is becoming a major attraction.

“We are excited about our involvement in Campeche Playa, first as designers of the Signature Golf Course, and now through our relationship on the Golden Bear Residences,” Nicklaus said. “I not only love the game of golf, but I am an avid outdoorsman, who enjoys tennis, fishing, boating, and diving, among other activities. Campeche Playa intends to offer all of those amenities and attractions, and we are proud that our golf course will be the central focus.”

The site for Campeche Playa is only minutes from spectacular Mayan ruins, but weaves through lush jungles and mangroves, and hugs some of the area’s top beaches. This marriage of natural lure will bring much of the personality to the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, and, in fact, the 12th hole parallels the ocean.

Another key characteristic to the Signature Course is that is has been meticulously designed with respect to the existing native vegetation on the property, and sustainability measures have been carefully implemented.

“Julio Noval and his team, along with our design team, are taking great care to integrate the beautiful environment found in this area, and we only hope that we can enhance this natural beauty with a memorable golf experience,” Nicklaus added. “There is so much history in this area of the world, and, in fact, we have found pockets of Mayan ruins around our golf site that will be part of the Campeche experience. I know Grupo Mall will continue to embrace the environment and the history that has made Campeche famous, and now we want to add a golf experience that will be a part of Campeche’s exciting future.”

ABOUT CAMPECHE PLAYA

Campeche Playa, Golf, Marina & Spa Resort is located in the historic city of Campeche, in the state that bears that same name, located in the Yucatan Peninsula (in the southeast of Mexico). The area presents several attractions, outstanding among them is its immense landscaping and archeological wealth (next to the sites of Edzna and Calakmul, two of the more famous examples of remains from Mayan culture). The complex will have 3,045 units, as well as two Grand Luxury hotels with 330 rooms, a 150-slip marina, town center, a medical clinic and a carey turtle museum, among other amenities and attractions.

The construction of the mega-development is scheduled to be completed in four phases by the year 2010. During the first phase, the hotel, marina, golf course, town center and 1,243 units will be built and is expected to be operational by mid-2008.

For more information on Campeche Playa and the nearest global sales office, visit http://www.campecheplayaresort.com/

ABOUT NICKLAUS DESIGN

For more than 35 years, the mission of the Nicklaus’ Companies has been to enhance the golf experience, and to bring to the national and international consumer golf-related businesses and services that mirror the high standards established in the career and life of Jack Nicklaus. These services include golf-course design, the development of golf and real estate communities, and the marketing and licensing of golf products and services.

Nicklaus Design, recognized as the world leader in golf course design, has been involved with 322 courses open for play in 32 countries and 38 states. Of those, Jack Nicklaus has designed, co-designed or re-designed 261 courses around the globe, 59 of which have been ranked in various national or international Top-100 lists. Nicklaus Design currently has more than 55 courses under construction and courses under development in close to 40 different countries—25 of which the firm has never been involved.

 

 

Cotton Bay, in Eleuthera, Bahamas, announced that Robert Trent Jones II, Golf Course Architects (RTJ II) will design a signature private 18-hole golf course at the waterfront resort community in Eleuthera, Bahamas. Robert Trent Jones, Jr., chairman of Robert Trent Jones II, will design the new course adjacent to the former course and Robert Trent Jones, Sr.’s only Bahamian golf course. Homeowners and their guests at Cotton Bay Estates, as well as guests at the Cotton Bay Villas hotel, which will feature Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide’s first The Luxury Collection hotel in the Bahamas, will have access to the Cotton Bay Club’s new golf course.

Additional amenities at Cotton Bay will include Ocean Fox at Cotton Bay, the first full-service dive shop on South Eleuthera in more than 30 years; Davis Harbour, a private marina currently open with 38 slips with plans for expansion; miles of private, pink-and-white sand beaches; and professional property management. Cotton Bay will also boast two privately-owned islands for residents and guests to escape to for barbequing, fishing and sunbathing daytrips.

For more information, call 800-255-4539 or visit http://www.discovercottonbay.com/

InterContinental Hotels Group’s extended-stay hotel brand, Staybridge Suites, announced the new Staybridge Suites Outdoor Living Room concept featuring a place where guests can relax and interact alfresco surrounded by amenities such as stacked-stone fireplaces and high-definition televisions. On the heels of other recent residentially inspired brand enhancements, including the Staybridge Suites Gathering Table, the Just Like Home Theater and Wireless Anywhere, the Outdoor Living Room will make its debut at the Staybridge Suites Montgomery-EastChase, Ala., when the hotel opens next spring.

The Staybridge Suites Outdoor Living Room concept will be available to new and existing hotels as a décor option in 2008 and can include amenities such as: all-weather outdoor living room furniture; stacked-stone fireplaces; open, landscaped gardens with water features and arbors; gazebos with ceiling fans; high-definition televisions; and background music. The first Staybridge Suites Outdoor Living Room will be situated lakeside at the Montgomery-EastChase property and will feature several outdoor living areas with comfortable, all-weather teak furniture set amidst extensive resort-inspired landscaping including three oversized date palm trees imported from Arizona. The Outdoor Living Room will also feature multi-level garden trellises with ceiling fans, an outdoor stacked-stone fireplace with semi-circular seating and background music.

For more information, visit www.staybridge.com

The Villa Group said it remains on track for a summer 2008 grand opening of its Villa La Estancia Beach Resort & Spa, located on Banderas Bay in Nuevo Vallarta. This comes on the heels of the recent grand opening of Villa del Arco Beach Resort and The Desert Spa in Cabo San Lucas, The Villa Group’s newest addition to its portfolio of luxury Mexico suite resorts north of Puerto Vallarta. Fifty suites of the three-phase project are now available for vacation stays. Villa La Estancia will open the second phase of its 245 suites, its main restaurant and lobby this December, with the final phase slated for completion during summer 2008. Bookings are currently being accepted based on these opening dates.

The property will feature a freeform swimming pool, dancing fountains, whirlpool spas and one-, two- and three-bedroom suites with marble floors, granite countertops, whirlpool tub, walk-in shower and balcony. Wrought-iron gates open to Hacienda-style entryways where individual doors lead into each suite. Suite sizes range from 1,200 square feet for one-bedrooms to 3,350 square feet for three-bedrooms. Deluxe guestrooms are also available. All suites feature a complete kitchen with three-stool breakfast bar, full-size refrigerator, four-burner stovetop with oven, microwave, toaster, blender, coffee maker, garbage disposal, dishes, cookware and utensils.

Other in-suite amenities include individually-controlled air conditioning, ceiling fans, LCD televisions with satellite movie service, direct dial telephone with voicemail, high-speed Internet access, electronic safe, hair dryer, iron with ironing board, clock radio, walk-in closet, wet bar on balcony, daily maid service, turndown service (on request) and in-room dining. In-suite dishwashers, as well as laundry rooms with full-size washers and dryers, are provided in the two- and three-bedroom suites.

For dining, the poolside La Parrilla has two swim-up bars, shaded terrace seating and serves Mexican favorites, wraps, gourmet burgers, sandwiches and salads. The casual eatery is open daily for breakfast and lunch.

The only restaurant in Nuevo Vallarta to feature Kobe and Angus Certified Beef, La Casona will offer fine dining in an air-conditioned dining room or open-air terrace flanked by a wood-burning fireplace. Fresh seafood, New Zealand rack of lamb and nightly chef’s specials will add to the creative gourmet fare. The restaurant will open in December with daily buffet breakfast and dinner service. For morning cappuccino, box lunches, baked goods, snacks, premium beverages, fresh produce, souvenirs and sundries, a Cyber Café and International Deli service both properties. Computers connect to high-speed DSL lines for easy Internet access in the Internet Café, while Palmita Market is equipped with everything any well-stocked supermarket offers. The property will also feature a 3,500 square foot fitness center and the 17,000 square foot Tatewari Spa.

For more information, visit http://www.villalaestanciavallarta.com/ or http://www.villagroupresorts.com/

Adventure Guide Puerto Vallarta & Vicinity www.jetsetters.tv and www.jetsettersmagazine.com and www.beachbooker.com

Mountain Travel Sobek (MTS) relaunched its Private Adventures, a series of active, independent trips designed for clients who prefer the privacy and flexibility of a private trip, but desire the peace of mind of having their travel plans arranged by experts. Private Adventures made its debut as Explorations in early 2006 to address a demand for private adventure trips. Based on the success of the initial launch, MTS has more than doubled its offerings. The company has created some new itineraries and adapted some popular group itineraries as Private Adventures. The concept is based on providing ease and choices. Participants choose their desired trip, their traveling companions, and when they’d like to go. MTS does the rest. Fifty-four itineraries are offered in 33 different countries, including the Himalayas, the plains of Africa, Vietnam and the Andes. The Private Adventures feature a variety of accommodations and degrees of guiding, such as traveling with a private guide throughout a journey, joining local guides at each destination, or following a self-guided itineraries in Italy, France, or Switzerland.

For more information about Private Adventures, call 888-MTSOBEK or visit www.mtsobek.com

ResortQuest Hawaii is offering a new collection of private homes, cottages and villas. The six properties are fully equipped homes and estates. The Kaua’i Harbor House features three-bedrooms with three baths on a two-acre landscaped property. The Waimea Plantation Cottages Kruse House & Manager’s House is a two-story, five bedroom, fully air-conditioned home and each bedroom has a private bathroom. Each bedroom also features a private entrance that can be secured for additional privacy. It is a two-story, 4,000 square-foot, five-bedroom, four-bath furnished plantation home. The newest of ResortQuest Hawaii’s properties, the ResortQuest Waikoloa Colony Villas is located on the 15th fairway of Waikoloa’s Beach Course behind a gated entryway, within five miles of 10 golf courses, its units include furnished one-, two-, and three-bedroom villas.

The Hanalei Faye House and Cottage is located on Hanalei Bay, Kauai where South Pacific was filmed. The six-bedroom house and one-bedroom cottage share three beachfront acres and 360-degree views of ocean and mountains. The ResortQuest at Poipu Kai offers private three-bedroom homes within the condominium resort’s 70 tropical acres. These condominiums feature fully equipped kitchens and private lanais. The resort offers many recreational facilities including swimming pools and jet spas that service each individual community, nine tennis courts, and a jogging/walking trail. At ResortQuest Shores at Waikoloa a gated entryway provides secure property access to this condominium community offering extra-spacious, two and three-bedroom, 2,000 square foot golf villas overlooking the 18th fairway of Waikoloa’s Beach Course.

Call 866-774-2924 or visit www.ResortQuestHawaii.com

Kipling & Clark, a company focused on private, personalized luxury travel to Greater China, Japan and all of Southeast Asia, has introduced a new division that creates custom luxury journeys specifically for families traveling with children. The Kipling & Clark Family Luxury Expedition division creates custom-designed journeys to Greater China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India-Bhutan for the entire family to enjoy together–kids, parents and grandparents.

“We launched our Family Luxury Expeditions division because of the great demand from our clients to create high-end, high-touch, personalized journeys that the entire family can enjoy together,” said Randy Lynch, founder and president of Kipling & Clark. “My wife and I have been traveling throughout Asia with our seven year old daughter since she was a toddler, and every city we’ve been to in Asia has been warmly welcoming of our family. Many of the Buddhist-based and Confucian-centered Asian cultures fully embrace the family ideal and consider children national treasures; this love for children is fully displayed while interacting with visiting families. It’s a beautiful exchange that knows no boundaries.”

For Kipling & Clark Family Luxury Expeditions sample itineraries, visit this link.

For more information, visit www.kiplingandclark.com

New this fall, Snake River Lodge & Spa, a RockResort in Jackson Hole, Wyo., introduced its Mountain Lodge Penthouse Floor with five new accommodations. Three new one-bedroom suites and two executive king rooms were designed for the fifth floor. Each room is equipped with LCD flat screen televisions, a double-sided fireplace, and a private balcony overlooking the Gros Ventre Mountain Range. One-bedroom suites offer a living room with a pull-out queen sleeper sofa and a wet bar. Large bathrooms feature separate tub and shower and a smaller flat screen television by his and hers vessel sinks.

For more information, call 966-975-ROCK or visit www.rockresorts.com

Vail Resorts, Inc. has announced it will serve natural, hormone-free meats and poultry and organic dairy products in casual on-mountain restaurants at its five resorts — Vail, Beaver Creek, Breckenridge and Keystone in Colorado and Heavenly in California and Nevada — beginning this ski season. The company believes it will serve more meals made with natural meats and certified organic dairy products each year than any other restaurant operator in North America and that the effort will be the largest undertaking to offer these products in the travel industry. To accomplish this, Vail Resorts has created the Good Food Partnership with two other Colorado companies: Coleman Natural Foods LLC and WhiteWave Foods Company, maker of Horizon Organic dairy products and Silk soymilk products.

Vail Resorts serves more than 2.5 million lunches each ski season at approximately 40 on-mountain venues across its five ski resorts, primarily to families and active, health-conscious guests. The organic dairy products and natural meats procured through the Good Food Partnership will be used to prepare meals in Vail Resorts’ on-mountain kitchens by resort chefs. Nationally, sales of organic food and beverages grew by 20.9 percent during 2006 to reach $16.7 billion, up from $13.8 billion in 2005, according to the Organic Trade Association (OTA), based in Greenfield, Mass.

Call Vail Resorts at 303-404-1800 or visit http://www.vailresorts.com/