Travel Agent - August 18, 2008 - (Page 50)

DESTINATIONS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 48 the best location and view of the hotel. Agents can contact Alejandra Constantino, director of sales, Pacific Coast (011-52-624-146-7174, aconstantino@riu.com). Also, opening up in October is Dreams Villamagna Nuevo Vallarta (www.dreams resorts.com), which will be right next to Riviera Nayarit’s Banderas Bay. Its 228 rooms are all luxury suites and offer views of the Pacific Ocean and the Sierra Madre Mountains from a private and furnished balcony or terrace. Maximum occupancy is three adults and one child or two adults and two children. The best of the best is the property’s Presidential Suite, which has a walk-in closet; a five-piece bathroom with bidet; dining room table with seating for eight; kitchenette with a small refrigerator and microwave oven; furnished parlor with a bar; a home theater area with a 40-inch flat-screen TV, CD/DVD player and surround-sound system; and an office area with computer. The spa spans more than 10,000 square feet and has 11 treatment rooms, including six massage rooms with a shower, two double massage rooms with showers, one hydrotherapy room, one wet massage room with a shower and one facial room. Agents can contact Rodolfo Cresta (rcresta@ dreamsvillamagna.com.mx). ABOVE: A Double Queen Bedroom at the Villa la Estancia Beach Resort & Spa LEFT: Riu Palace Pacifico on Flamingos Beach in Riviera Nayarit Mii Amo Punta Mita (www.enchantment group.com) will open in 2010 as the first destination spa in the 1,500-acre, master-planned Punta Mita resort community. Enchantment Group, a spa and resort development and management company, has planned a boutique hotel with 30 guest rooms, a destination spa and 25 residential condominiums. Progress Overview Riviera Nayarit enters its second year as the fourth-highest tourism destination in Mexico in capturing investment, including a 12.5 percent increase in 2007. More than $350 million was committed to 35 projects spread across several areas, including Bahia de Banderas, Nuevo Vallarta, Punta Mita, Litibu and Flamingos. Since 2005, the Mexican government has invested $1.5 billion in tourism facilities and infrastructure in the destination. While the majority of hotel development in Nayarit is by Spanish brands, high-level American brands currently in the market, or planned for the future, include St. Regis, Four Seasons, Hyatt and Capella. Beyond investment in new facilities and infrastructure, hosting new high-profile events has enhanced Nayarit. These include an Americas Cup Sailing Tour, Riviera Nayarit fishing and surfing tournaments, international sailing events and a Festival of Migratory Birds in the eco-region of San Blas. I Just Opened Villa la Estancia Beach Resort & Spa (www. thevillagroup.com) opened its doors this year and features 245 spacious suites. The one-, two- and three-bedroom units are all decorated with marble floors, granite countertops, whirlpool tubs, walk-in showers and balconies. The Villa la Estancia also offers a 17,000-square-foot Tatewari Spa with a wide array of treatments, including massages, facials, hydrotherapies, body scrubs and wraps, as well as salon services. Other amenities include a fitness center, two championship tennis courts and a Kids’ Club. The Villa la Estancia is part of the Villa Group, which owns the adjacent Villa del Palmar, which also opened its doors this year. Villa del Palmar is perfect for families and couples and features a Spanish Colonial courtyard that opens to gardens, lawns and palm trees. Ten Hacienda-style buildings with terra cotta tile roofs range from four to eight stories. The centerpiece is a free-form activities pool containing a rock garden waterfall with waterslide. This property includes 560 guest rooms, including one- and two-bedroom suites designed with tile 50 | TravelAgent August 18, 2008 floors, bright fabrics and marble bathrooms. The balconies and patios, furnished with dining sets, provide garden, pool or partialocean views. Small and large studios feature a kitchenette, while one- and two-bedroom suites provide a complete kitchen. Further Down the Road Secrets Punta de Mita Resort & Spa (www. amresorts.com) is slated to open in late 2009 and will become the first Secrets property in the Riviera Nayarit region. It will be a 437-room resort in the Litibu area and will have a Greg Norman-designed, 18-hole golf course, as well as an onsite “dolphinarium.” Also scheduled for 2009 is Iberostar’s (www. iberostar.com) first hotel in Riviera Nayarit. The Iberostar hotel complex will also be developed on the beach in Litibu near the new Greg Norman-designed golf course. It will include 456 guest rooms, all with ocean views, comprising 168 King Suites, 168 Double Suites and 120 Junior Suites. CONNECTING YOU To learn more about Riviera Nayarit, visit www. travelagentcentral.com/riviera-nayarit-resources http://www.dreamsresorts.com http://www.dreamsresorts.com http://www.enchantmentgroup.com http://www.enchantmentgroup.com http://www.thevillagroup.com http://www.thevillagroup.com http://www.amresorts.com http://www.amresorts.com http://www.iberostar.com http://www.iberostar.com http://www.travelagentcentral.com/riviera-nayarit-resources http://www.travelagentcentral.com/riviera-nayarit-resources

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - August 18, 2008

Travel Agent - April 18, 2008 Online Now Contents From the Editor Pacific/Asia: Visitors to Ubud will Discover the Essence of Balinese Art and Culture Special Supplement: Malaysia Travel Planner New Zealand: There is Plenty to See and Do Throughout the West Coast of the Southern Alps Europe: Beauty, History and Culture Combine in Valencia, Spain Caribbean: Scrub Island is the BVI’s First Development in 15 years The Wyndham Rio Mar’s $40 Million Makeover is Well Underway in Puerto Rico The Latest on Grenada, a Caribbean Up-and-Comer Mexico: Big Hotel Plans are in the Works for the Riviera Nayarit Florida: Loews Portofino Bay Hotel turns Orlando into Italy Las Vegas: Dinner at these Restaurants Can Get your Clients into Vegas’ Hottest Nightclubs Cover Story: Medical Tourism Special Supplement: Destination Weddings Specialist 3.0 Hotels: Everything Old is New Again at New York’s Algonquin Cruise: Short Cruises Keep your Clients on the Move for Less Group Travel: Disney makes Exotic Locales Friendly for Family Travel Car Rentals: How Much Insurance Does your Client Need for a Rental Car? Agency Profile: Corporate Travel Sales are Rising at MTravel.com, a Division of Montrose Luxury Travel Expo Agenda: Fam Trips, Deals & Incentives, Calendar Hyatt comes to Curaçao New Hotels and Resorts in Asia CLIA Tightens Qualifications for ID Tripology Links Agents to Clients In the Spotlight Agent Access Editorial Index Advertising Index Trendwatch

Travel Agent - August 18, 2008

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