November 13, 2008
Welcome to Miami
The northern tip of Miami Beach will soon share the area’s white sandy beaches with three new buildings, comprising the St. Regis Resort and Residences, Bal Harbour. The 27-story towers will house 260 one-, two-, and three-bedroom condominium residences, each facing 1,000 acres of private beach. A staff of chefs will be available for both private dinner parties and in-room meals, eliminating the need to reserve a table or private dining room to host a dinner for 2 or even 20. Homeowners at the St. Regis Bal Harbour have separate amenities from both the resort and from hotel guests, including use of personal valets, detached entrances, and private swimming pools and grounds where only residents can roam. One-bedroom homes start at $1.9 million. (www.stregisbalharbour.com)
—Alexandra Foster
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October 21, 2008
Georgia on My Mind
One of the last remaining untouched islands off the South Atlantic Coast is the latest addition to Hampton Island Preserve private residence community, which comprises a series of small coastal islands. Young’s Island, until now an undeveloped 14- acre private island along the coast of Southern Georgia, has been divided into three new home sites, each on two acres with marshland and water views. Residents of Young’s Island benefit from the same amenities provided to all 500 members of the Hampton Island Preserve community, including a working farm that produces organic fruits and vegetables, a piloted seaplane, equestrian center, guided hunting and fishing expeditions, and a Davis Love III-designed 18-hole golf course, constructed around 20 acres of 200-year-old rice fields. The three home sites start at $6.75 million and will be completed by autumn 2009. (www.hamptonisland.com)
—Alexandra Foster
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October 7, 2008
Caribbean Chic
A new marina community on the island of St. Maarten in the Caribbean’s Netherlands Antilles is set to open summer 2009, offering one- to four-bedroom residences along a harborside village. Cupecoy Yacht Club, which is owned and operated by Orient-Express Hotels, is the real estate association of St. Maarten’s Porto Cupecoy community. Prices range from $650,000 to $2.5 million for residences, which come equipped with individual yacht docks for vessels 50 to 300 feet. Other village amenities include a fitness center, gourmet market, medical clinic, water limousine service, and six dining options ranging from a café to the formal Poissonnerie, a seafood restaurant where diners can select fresh fish prepared onsite. Homes are fully furnished and include private covered terraces, pools, and gardens. (www.portocupecoy.com)
—Alexandra Foster
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September 23, 2008
Luxury in Big Sky Country
The Club at Spanish Peaks, a private residence community at the foot of Montana’s Big Sky ski resort, is offering 49 new condominium residences in the Lodge, the Club’s most recent development. About half of the three- to four-bedroom homes are still available from $2.25 million each. A 5,000- square-foot, six-bedroom penthouse is also available. With ski-in, ski-out access to the terrain of Big Sky resort and a Tom Weiskopf 18-hole signature golf course, one would be content never to leave the community. But some of the best-kept secrets of neighboring Yellowstone Park are uncovered for residents only during one- to three-day private guided horseback tours, complete with gourmet meals provided by an accompanying chef from the Club. Other residents-only amenities include on-site cooking classes, concerts, fishing, and horseback- riding lessons. (www.spanish-peaks.com)
—Alexandra Foster
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August 26, 2008
Coming in for a Landing
The Landings St. Lucia, a 19-acre resort that opened last year, will offer 65 full-ownership residences this October as part of the resort’s second building phase. The one-, two-, and three-bedroom homes, ranging from $630,000 to $3 million, each boast a full kitchen and private terrace opening onto nearly 800 feet of beachfront on the island’s Rodney Bay, with a private yacht harbor and entrance pavilion for residents only. The second phase will also bring a restaurant, boutique, two swimming pools, and tennis courts along the property. The resort’s second restaurant (after the waterfront Yacht Haven bistro) will follow the latest culinary trends, changing chefs seasonally as the menu changes. The resort’s already-completed 7,000- square-foot spa features eight treatment rooms, a fitness center, and full-service salon. (www.thelandingsstlucia.com)
—Alexandra Foster
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August 5, 2008
To Live and Golf in Kauai
In June, the Ritz-Carlton Residences broke ground on a new development at Kauai Lagoons in Kauai, Hawaii, offering 14 private residences with oceanfront views within a 520-acre resort. The one- and two-story homes are situated on private lots up to 2,000 square feet and extend to Kalapaki Beach and a nearby 39-acre freshwater lagoon, which are connected by the development's signature bridge (shown). The residence will neighbor the Ritz-Carlton Club, also under development, which comprises 72 furnished fractional-ownership residences. In keeping with Kauai’s lush island character, two-thirds of the resort will remain undeveloped green space, complete with a two-mile public pathway connecting the residences and club to the shoreline. Jack Nicklaus is currently redesigning Kauai Lagoons’ courses to include four consecutive oceanfront holes. A full-service spa is also planned for the resort, which is set to open next summer. Prices for the residences start at $5.1 million and are for sale now.
—Alexandra Foster
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July 22, 2008
Banyan Tree Grows in the Riviera Maya
Singapore-based Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts will unveil its first western-hemisphere residences in spring 2009 when Banyan Tree Mayakoba opens along the Riviera Maya in Mexico. Fifty U-shaped villas were designed to provide owners with their own private gardens, swimming pools, sundecks, and outdoor baths. Mayakoba, a 1,600-acre plot of land purchased by Spanish development company OHL, has been divided into five separate developments, each operated by a leading resort company. One- to three-bedroom villas range from $1 million to $6 million for beachfront access. Banyan Tree will offer a resort hotel in addition to the 50 residences. Residents will have access to all amenities at the accompanying resort, including golf at El Camaleón, the Greg Norman-designed PGA-rated golf course, a spa with extensive hydrotherapy offerings, and a private beach club with a restaurant and pool. (www.banyantreemayakoba.com)
—Alexandra Foster
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July 8, 2008
Home on the Range
If a South African safari doesn’t satisfy your fervor for the country’s expansive wildlife, African Homesteads is offering the opportunity to own a luxury home within the Phinda Private Game Reserve, a 54,000-acre reserve near the St. Lucia Wetlands. In an effort to preserve the home of the thousands of animals who live there, only 15 homesteads are being offered by partners Tara Getty, great-grandson of oil magnate J.P. Getty and the owner of the first homestead on the property, and Conservation Corporation Africa, a luxury hospitality group. Each five-bedroom homestead is set on five acres with a pool and is staffed with a ranger, tracker, chef, security guard, and housekeeping staff, as well as a personal 4x4 safari vehicle. Prices start at $6 million plus an annual management fee of $150,000 for staff and maintenance. (www.africanhomesteads.com)
—Alexandra Foster
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June 24, 2008
A Match Made in Caicos
Quintess destination club has partnered for the first time with the Ritz-Carlton, offering five four-bedroom villas to members along the beach of West Caicos. Each of the five homes boasts 80 feet of private oceanfront property on the restricted island and will be offered as an enclave of Molasses Reef, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve with private beaches for members only. Molasses Reef is expected to open in early 2009, and the Quintess enclave is expected to open within the following year. In addition to the beachfront location, members can also enjoy access to all of the Ritz-Carlton services, neighboring the Quintess enclave including a fitness center and spa, 24-hour concierge, and three restaurants created by Chef Gray Kunz. Memberships to Quintess’ more than 70 residences around the world start at $210,000, with $18,750 in annual dues. (www.quintess.com) —Alexandra Foster
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June 10, 2008
Fit for a King
A 15th-century palace that was once home to the ruling families of Florence, Italy, has been restored to reveal 36 unique residences now available for purchase as part of the latest private residence club offering from Palazzo Tornabuoni. Managed by Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, the Palazzo is offering studio, one-, two-, and three- bedroom private residences, each with a distinctive cultural and historical provenance, including rooms with frescoes by Baroque-period painter Agostino Ciampelli and 18th-century stucco ceilings. Prices for one-eighth shares in a residence range from $332,000 to $835,000 and include services and amenities such as a household staff, spa and fitness center, and a personal concierge who can provide preferential access to Florentine art, culture, food, and wine. The property is slated to open this fall. (866.753.6667, www.palazzotornabuoni.com) ―Alexandra Foster
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May 20, 2008
The Greenbrier Goes Green
The Greenbrier Sporting Club, a private residential sporting community and membership club tucked within the Allegheny Mountains of White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, is going green. The Sporting Club’s latest residential offering at the club’s Summit Village will comprise 56 unique homesites, ranging from one to more than six acres of land apiece, each custom built to environmentally responsible specifications by architects and designers who fit Greenbrier’s “green certifications.” The green development will minimize environmental impact by using wood products from sustainably managed forests, energy from geothermal sources, and captured rainfall for reuse, while maintaining such luxury amenities as an on-property private golf course, spa, and mountaintop Summit Lodge. Sales for the homes at the Greenbrier Sporting Club’s Summit Village began in mid-May, and the addition will break ground in June. (www.greenbriergreenhomes.com)
―Alexandra Foster
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May 6, 2008
New Views of the Sea of Cortez
Querencia, one of the first private communities in Los Cabos, Mexico, is offering new residences with up to one acre of land on prime real estate along the Sea of Cortez. In its second phase, Querencia is breaking ground on residences, villas, and condominiums available now for purchase that will be completed in fall 2009. The new additions include a Gil Hanse-designed golf course―the community’s second course―a beach club and restaurant, and private cabanas along the seafront. Club membership, which is limited to 700 members upon completion of the second phase, includes access to all amenities for $150,000 annually. Club villas, condominiums, and water-view lots are available from $850,000 to $14 million. (www.loscabosquerencia.com)
―Alexandra Foster
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April 22, 2008
Mayan Riviera Welcomes New Community
A range of residences are available for purchase at Nizuc, a 28-acre private resort community under construction along the shoreline of the world’s second-largest reef on Mexico’s Mayan Riviera. Nizuc is being developed and operated by General Hotel Management Ltd., whose portfolio of properties includes the Setai on Miami’s South Beach and the Legian in Bali. The $180 million development, slated for completion in October 2009, will comprise three beachfront villas (shown), 16 Club Suites condominiums, 160 one-, two-, and three-bedroom residences, and 45 hotel rooms. In addition to the two nearby Jack Nicklaus-designed golf courses - easily accessed by boat via private waterway - and seven sculptured outdoor pools, the reef provides snorkeling and diving. Residences start at $1.3 million, and beachfront villas start at $10 million. (www.nizuc.com)
―Alexandra Foster
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April 8, 2008
Under the Tuscan Sun
Picture an Italian vacation in a 1500s villa perched atop rolling hills surrounded by 150 acres of land and views of neighboring farms and vineyards. This cinematic scene could be experienced on your next trip to Europe, as One Key destination club has chosen the Tuscany region of Italy for its first European location. One Key has acquired 10 homes, ranging from a stone farmhouse in Siena to a seven-bedroom villa in Florence. The picturesque Val d’Orcia hills home (shown), built in the 1500s, has a natural stone outdoor pool, a wood-burning pizza oven, and formal dining room. Located five minutes from the bustling town of Sarteano, this home provides complete privacy on its 148-acre lot. One Key members have the choice of 15-, 25-, or 45-night travel cards that provide access to the club’s multiple homes in 20 locations throughout the world. Fifteen-night travel cards start at $34,900. (www.onekeyworld.com)
―Alexandra Foster
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March 25, 2008
Desperately Seeking Solstice
Solstice, a destination club with 14 luxury properties in desirable locales such as Aspen, Paris, and St. Bart’s - as well as a yacht with a four-person crew available for private charter - has added New York to its growing portfolio. Situated in the West Village, the spacious, contemporary-designed one-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments have terraces and floor-to-ceiling windows featuring sweeping city views. The bonus: Members have access to a personal Solstice lifestyle specialist, who the club says is available anytime to track down tickets to in-demand Broadway shows or secure a table at one of the city’s most popular restaurants. Solstice membership plans vary and start at $615,000 with $34,000 in annual dues. (480.240.2370, www.solsticecollection.com,)
―Alexandra Foster
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March 11, 2008
Fairmont Resorts to Idaho
Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, whose renowned properties include the London Savoy and the Plaza in New York, will break ground on Fairmont Tamarack, its first U.S. whole-ownership resort and vacation-home property. The resort community, tucked into northern Idaho’s Payette River mountains (pictured above), is an all-season destination, but owners are likely to be drawn to there for winter sports: The private mountain at Tamarack is limited to just 2,000 skiers and snowboarders daily, and its snow-front lounge will organize tickets, rentals, and lessons for a day on the slopes. In warmer weather, golfers can enjoy the Robert Trent Jones Jr. signature course at Osprey Meadows.
Buyers can choose from 32 different floor plans in the property’s 305 luxury hotel-condominiums. Homes start at around $700,000 and go up to about $5 million. The resort is set to be completed by 2011. (888.893.1526, www.fairmonttamarack.com)
―Alexandra Foster
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