W Hotels to Debut in Costa Rica in Early 2019

W Costa Rica, Reserva Conchal will feature two properties — the townhomes of Aromo and the Llama del Bosque — both of which include professional services, first-class amenities and an iconic and contemporary design.

Desarrollos Hoteleros Guanacaste S.A., a subsidiary of Florida Ice and Farm Company S.A., announced that it intends to develop W Hotels in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The W Costa Rica, Reserva Conchal is anticipated to open in early 2019.
With destinations in outstanding locations throughout the world, W Hotels merges the high-design aesthetic and boutique spirit of an independently owned hotel with the attentive, professional service, amenities and dependability of a first-class business hotel. Each W Hotel is distinctively inspired by its surroundings, infusing cutting-edge design, décor, cuisine and ambiance with authentic local influences.
The new W Hotel will be developed in Reserva Conchal, one of the most exclusive mixed-use developments of Costa Rica, and it will be operated by Starwood Hotels & Resorts as per the terms and conditions of the operation agreement executed between Starwood and DHG.
The townhomes in Aromo and the Llama del Bosque are the new properties that will be featured in W Costa Rica, Reserva Conchal. In the Llama del Bosque, guests are minutes away from several restaurants, the Beach Club and the heart-stopping beauty of Playa Conchal’s white sands. The residential component of the property is incorporated into a condominium infrastructure, which guarantees harmony and design continuity throughout the neighborhood. The iconic design and contemporary luxury of both properties will set the stage for an extraordinary experience at W Costa Rica, Reserva Conchal.
Amenities will include 151 guestrooms, the “W Living Room” lifestyle lounge, specialty restaurants, a destination bar and lounge, a fitness center, natural trails for biking and hiking, tennis courts, an infinity edge pool, a spa and meeting space. Unique promotions, exclusive partnerships and signature Whatever/Whenever® service will set W Costa Rica, Reserva Conchal apart as a place to work in comfort, play in style and escape the average hotel experience.

Photo courtesy of Reserva Conchal

Opening summer 2018, AYANA Komodo Resort will offer the only five-star accommodations in the region

AYANA is launching a brand-new resort on the little-known and undeveloped eastern Indonesian island of Flores, set to open in summer 2018. A one-hour flight east from Bali, AYANA Komodo Resort, Waecicu Beach will be the first and only five-star hotel in the region, putting both the town of Labuan Bajo and the island of Flores on the map as one of the hottest up-and-coming destinations. The AYANA properties in Bali and Jakarta are famed for world-class hospitality, exceptional design, superior cuisine and unparalleled service.
AYANA Komodo Resort, Waecicu Beach will offer visitors 12 suites and 189 premium guest rooms, each offering an ocean view with the distinctive Kukusan Island in the distance. The unconventional design will have guests check in on the 11th floor lobby and reach their room by descending toward the beach. The town of Labuan Bajo is considered the premier launching point for trips to the home of the famous Komodo Dragon. The resort will be actively raising funds to support Komodo National Park in developing facilities and enhancing the safety and training of Komodo Rangers.
The new resort will feature a rooftop wedding and function suite, a rooftop bar, lobby bar, HonZEN Japanese restaurant, Kisik Seafood BBQ, an all-day dining venue serving relaxed Asian cuisine and international food, a private beach, two main swimming pools, a children’s pool, a spa, gym and kid’s club. The resort will also offer day trips on the property’s catamaran and power boat.

AYANA Komodo Resort will also debut a 177-foot-long and 36-foot-wide, 9-bedroom traditional phinisi ship, named AYANA Lako’dia (meaning “safe journey” in the local language), that will take guests (either by full charter or bookable by bedroom) around the island for 2- or 3-night trips.

Photos courtesy AYANA Komodo Resort, Waecicu Beach

Timbers Resorts, recently announced that it is expanding into one of the country’s most sought-after destinations, Kiawah Island, South Carolina. Timbers Kiawah Ocean Club & Residences will be the first Private Residence Club on Kiawah Island offering 21 thoughtfully designed residences across three oceanfront buildings, along with a first-of-its kind collection of dedicated amenities on the island.
Kiawah Island was recently named Travel & Leisure’s #2 island in America and is just 30 minutes from Charleston, which was just named Travel & Leisure’s “Best City in the World” – the first American city to ever win the award.
Timbers Kiawah will include a private clubhouse offering a central lounge area, owner services team, valet, temperature-controlled owners’ wine wall, bar and state-of-the art fitness facility will serve as the hub of the new resort.  There will be a private beach club, offering Timbers Kiawah Owners an oceanfront pool, bar and grill and beach services and more.

Kiawah Island is South Carolina’s premier beachfront resort community that boasts the area’s most well-known wide sandy beach, 123 acres of parks, 30 miles of biking trails, and the Kiawah River, offering boating, kayaking and fishing. Kiawah is also home to world-class tennis and golf, including the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, which will host the 2021 PGA Championship, previously hosted at the course in 2012.

Timbers Kiawah Ocean Club & Residences will be located in the West Beach area of Kiawah Island on Southern Pines Lane, conveniently located minutes from Freshfields Village, the community’s boutique shopping and dining center, 30 minutes to downtown Charleston and 45 minutes to Charleston International Airport.

Photo credit to Timbers Kiawah Ocean Club & Residences.

With sprawling acreage and the Western spirit, luxury dude and guest ranches are a new vacation trend promising an exceptional outdoor experience.

By Samantha Myers
 
 

Originating in the American West a little over 100 years ago, ranches served as lodging spots for travelers passing through while journeying over vast land and deserts. This longstanding U.S. tradition has been kept alive today with luxurious dude and guest ranches throughout the mountain states, providing an experience that incorporates time-honored ranch ideals, but in magnificent, all-inclusive vacation experiences.

Different than a guest ranch, dude ranches are where visitors are taught how to live on the ranch, including how to ride and care for horses, go fishing, and participate in activities such as rodeos and family-style meals. “Dude ranches offer a more programmed approach that embodies a more romantic notion of our country’s cowboy heritage with a strong focus on horseback riding,” says Jennifer O’Donohue, marketing and sales director for Triple Creek Ranch. “A guest ranch is a more relaxed take on the ranch experience.”
Identifying as a luxury guest ranch, Triple Creek Ranch, located in Darby, Montana, is an adults-only ranch surrounded by 4 million acres of National Forest Service land at the base of Trapper Peak, the tallest mountain in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. “We offer a rich array of Montana outdoor adventures throughout the year, and our guests enjoy the amenities, cuisine and service that they expect from a fine resort,” says O’Donohue. “Our secluded nature provides a serene retreat from which guests venture forth each day to play in our great Montana backyard, or to relax in our tranquil hideaway.”

While each ranch resort location has activities unique to their landscape, typical ones include horseback riding, hiking, fly-fishing, archery, shooting sports and most come equipped with full-service spas. One of the most coveted activities offered at Triple Creek Ranch includes sapphire panning, where guests sift through dirt at a nearby mine in search of rough gems — an experience unique to Montana, also known as the “Treasure State.”
Homesteaded in 1877, and now spread across 30,000 acres of Wyoming landscape, Brush Creek Ranch embodies the spirit of the West and still operates as a growing, working cattle ranch as it did in days past. This luxury dude ranch offers cabins ranging from new-builds to renovated historic ones and brings all the traditional aspects one might expect in a ranch immersed in nature.

“We really believe in something when it comes to the ranch,” says Mike Williams, general manager at Brush Creek Ranch. “When you look out to the south side of the lodge, when you’re looking at the Sierra Madres and there’s snow on them, hay meadows, livestock.… We really know that guests come out to the West for that sense of place. They’ve seen it on TV; they’ve seen it in Westerns. They want to be outdoors, to breathe fresh air, sounds, smells, get their fingernails dirty and try new things.”
Unhindered by technology (there are no TVs in the rooms), Brush Creek aims at bringing the family together. The staff encourages guests of all expertise and ages to embrace the ranch’s saying, “Learn to do and learn to do better.” Brush Creek upholds a sophisticated activity concierge service aimed at understanding their guests’ desires for the trip and helping meet those goals alongside equipped and well-trained guides.
“I grew up in a place where you lock your doors, you lock your cars,” says Williams. “It’s not like that here in Saratoga. We’ve never issued a guest room key here. We never lock the doors. It’s just the Western way of life.”

“At The Home Ranch, it’s wide open spaces, fresh air, being in a place where you are well-served and meeting other guests, but still feeling like you have your privacy,” says General Manager Brooks Bradbury. At the year-round Clark, Colorado, ranch, dinner is served each night on common tables in the dining room, giving the chance for guests to get to know each other. The Home Ranch prepares what they call “haute mountain cuisine” for each meal, featuring farm-to-table food, where produce, herbs and meat, among others, are all raised and grown on the property.

Sustainability is a common feature for contemporary luxury ranches, and most serve organic, regionally and locally sourced and seasonally diverse food enjoyed within another rich ranch tradition of communal, family-style dinners. These, coupled with musical events, bring the historic characteristics of ranches to life everyday. Every Tuesday night at The Home Ranch, a cowboy group performs, and, in the summertime, every Wednesday following dinner, there is a barn dance featuring musicians playing country western dance music.

“Every meal is an event,” says Steve Shotsberger, general manager of the 5-star guest ranch The Ranch at Rock Creek in Philipsburg, Montana. “We do different things every night for dinner, from a four- to six-course tasting menu, to barbecues, to supper clubs. We change the location most evenings.”
Accommodations in luxury ranches include many different options, all of which offer exquisite lodging experiences. In the case of Rock Creek, varied accommodations include granite lodges, “glamping” cabins, a 19th-century historic barn or luxury homes.
“The number one thing that resonates with me is the memories that we create,” adds Shotsberger. “It’s such a unique experience in a beautiful setting in Western Montana — our guests don’t get these anywhere. It’s a combination of absolutely wonderful product, variety in structure and architecture, followed by service. We make sure we deliver customized experiences to every guest.”

Overall, the ranches report guests typically stay four to seven days, with summer the most in-demand season, followed closely by fall. Depending on accommodations, season and number of guests, prices range from $750 to $3,000 per night.

Photos courtesy: Triple Creek Ranch, Brush Creek Ranch, The Home Ranch and The Ranch at Rock Creek

Tambor Tropical in Puntarenas, Costa Rica, an intimate boutique beach resort featuring 12 beachfront suites on the Pacific Ocean, is listed for $4.2 million by Josh Reef of the Hurwitz James Company. Built with both comfort and adventure in mind, Tambor Tropical offers guests a unique experience to connect with nature while providing high-end amenities.
Located at the end of a short, palm tree-lined road in a serene, unspoiled setting, guests of the resort can enjoy an unforgettable experience with nature. Tambor Tropical nurtures local wildlife, and encourages guests to take advantage of the environment. Guests can enjoy activities ranging from yoga on the beach to stand up paddle boarding, and ziplining through the jungle to scuba diving off the coast. The resort also offers exciting birding trails and tours, with close to 300 different bird species on and around the property.
Each suite spans 1,000 square feet with full kitchens, a sitting area and hardwood floors, and there is one garden suite offering 700 square feet. The resort features a massage and Jacuzzi studio, a large beachside tile pool with a jacuzzi, 450 feet of beach frontage and about 200 acres of lush gardens. There’s a full restaurant, bar, kitchen, walk-in cooler, dry storage, dining rancho, exercise rando, laundry services and a maintenance shop.
Mitch Gabourie and Andrea Webb, who have stayed at the resort four times, say “There hasn’t been an instrument invented which could measure how much this special place means to my family and myself. It’s a paradise to heal all the slings and arrows of life. Beautiful as always… Amazing memories!” Five-time guests Ruth and Michael Smith state, “There is no place like Tambor Tropical.  It overwhelms the senses – the sight of the bay, the sounds of the monkeys and the birds, and the smells of the flowers. But just as special is the charm of the staff of Tambor. We will return for our sixth time next year to the paradise that is Tambor.”
The resort sits on 3.5 acres, with an additional 2.5 acres and 400 feet of beachfront available for condos and expansion. For more information, contact Josh Reef of the Hurwitz James Company.
Find Josh on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Youtube.

Soneva, luxury resorts in Maldives and Thailand, recently announced that two European visual artists will be visiting Maldives’ Soneva Fushi in February and March to design an exhibit of recycled glass artwork.
Tobias Møhl, Danish glass artist, will be visiting Soneva Fushi from February 10 to March 2; Russian visual artist Maria Koshenkova will be visiting from March 24 to April 14. Their visits are part of the resort’s Featured Artists program, which has recently welcomed glass and visual artists from around the world, including Maestro Lino Taliapietra, Martin Janecky, and Flavie Audie.
Tobias Møhl’s work resembles sculptural forms that are informed by the lineage of functional glass vessels. Møhl is inspired by techniques of the Venetians, and showcases the historically Italian glass-making idiom into his own and his Scandinavian voice in his work.
Møhl’s work is included in collections of the Corning Museum of Glass, Corning, NY; the Museum fur Kunst und Gewerbe, Hamburg, Germany; the Danish Museum of Decorative Art, Copenhagen, Denmark and other public and private collections in the USA and Europe. A studio artist and teacher, Tobias Møhl works and resides in Ebeltoft, Denmark.

Danish glass artist Tobias Møhl’s glass vessel (above, left); Russian visual artist Maria Koshenkova’s “Frozen Leader” (right)

Soneva Fushi’s second guest artist, Maria Koshenkova, was born and raised in St Petersburg, Russia. Now living and works in Denmark, she operates her atelier ‘Koshmar’ in the heart of Copenhagen. Her work is inspired from Russia, and Scandinavia, where she lived and was molded as an artist.
Koshenkova’s techniques involve using glass in combination with other materials such as wax, wood, and ceramic tiles that create a sense of balance between reality and abstract. Koshenkova also aims to show the conflict of violence yet the need for harmony as the two pillars of being human, with glass indicating this tension.
Since 2006, Koshenkova’s works have been exhibited internationally, including major exhibitions of contemporary glass in Europe, the Coburg Glass Prize in Belgium; the Ebeltoft Glass museum and Sophienholm Denmark, as well as museums including the Moscow Biennale of Contemporary Art.
Møhl and Koshenkova will work from Soneva Fushi’s world-class Art and Glass Studio and the work produced will be on sale at the on-site boutique. The materials and other objects used in the art will be found at Soneva Fushi’s resort.
Soneva owns and operates Soneva Fushi and Soneva Jani in the Maldives and Soneva Kiri in Thailand. Soneva in Aqua, an ultra-luxurious yacht, was launched in the Maldives in 2015 and sails out of Soneva Fushi. Soneva Fushi resides in the Baa Atoll and provides fifty-seven private villas to their guests.
For more information about Soneva, visit www.soneva.com. More information about Soneva’s art program can be accessed at: http://www.soneva.com/soneva-art/featured-artists/.

By: Kelly Potts

SookePoint Ocean Cottage Resort in British Columbia, Canada, has recently launched seven levels of surfside yacht suites, offering views of exciting nature shows, sunsets and storm watching just 16 feet from the ocean.
Founder and Developer Michael Thornton says, “It’s not like anywhere else in the world that I’ve ever seen because you are on the tip of a peninsula that feels more like a large yacht,” noting that SookePoint is for people who want a front-row experience in nature.
The Yacht Suites range from 401 square feet to 1,577 square feet, with prices ranging from $339,000 to more than $1.2 million, and are available as primary residences or recreational homes to rent out. The resort also offers one- and two-bedroom ocean cottage suites.
The new Yacht Suites will allow owners many exciting and leisurely activities including whale watching, kayaking among the humpbacks, eagles, seals and sea lions, stargazing and underwater diving. Residents can also enjoy hiking on one of the premier trails in Canada with tidal pools and scenery of the forest and sea that spans more than 100 square miles.