Mexican resort and real estate development
company the Villa Group continues to hone its growing high-end
array of four- to five-star properties south of the border with the
opening of the Desert Spa at the new Villa del Arco Beach Resort
& Spa in Cabo San Lucas.
The
31,000-square-foot facility boasts 17 treatment rooms, two VIP
suites with private Jacuzzi and shower, a beauty salon and a menu
of spa treatments using a line of exclusive, desert-inspired,
therapeutic products.
The new spa is just
the tip of the upgrade iceberg at the Villa Group. With nine
resorts and hotels already open or in development in Cabo San
Lucas, Puerto Vallarta, Nuevo Vallarta and the Sierra Madre
mountains, the chain has plans for two more: Punta Cancun and
Ensenada Blanca in Loreto, Baja California Sur, are scheduled to
open by the end of 2008.
The current
collection includes Villa La Estancia, Villa del Arco, Villa del
Palmar and Hotel Santa Fe in Cabo San Lucas; 
Villa del Palmar and Villa del
Mar in Puerto Vallarta; Villa del Palmar Flamingos and Villa La
Estancia in Nuevo Vallarta; and the Sierra Lago Resort & Spa in
the Sierra Madres.
A strong player in
vacation club timeshares, the Villa Group also markets to
non-members who want a pleasant stay without any timeshare
pitches.
As the properties'
popularity rises, group officials said they were enhancing the
resort experience for all guests, with top service, comfortable
rooms, amenities and excellent restaurants.
A new look in Vallarta
Villa del Palmar
Puerto Vallarta Beach Resort & Spa is gradually undergoing
major renovations. Eighty-five of its 572 rooms will be refurbished
by November.
In addition to new
walls and floors, the guest room upgrade includes furnishings
designed for the resort by design company Legacy Minor. Guests can
expect the current beach-themed pastels to be phased out in favor
of a more sophisticated decor, including hard oak and
marble.
Villa del Palmar
attracts families with its plethora of activities and festive
environment, but management is eager to branch out to other
markets. Carlos Aquino, corporate director of Villa Group Vallarta
Resorts, said he planned to attract a more varied crowd.
"We're looking to
upgrade everything, from the rooms to activities," Aquino said. "We
even have plans for a food and beverage upgrade with the quality of
food and remodeling of the pool bar to create an oceanfront
bar/grill operation for optimum beach views."
Located in the
newly designated Riviera Nayarit tourism zone on Mexico's Pacific
Coast, Nuevo Vallarta is a burgeoning resort destination just a
20-minute drive north of Puerto Vallarta.
Guests who truly
want to escape from Mexico's hustle favor this area. Some take
their seclusion further by staying in the Flamingos neighborhood,
where several resorts are contained within a private property.
Locals claim the beach is the whitest, widest and least rocky in
the area.
Villa del Palmar
Flamingos Beach Resort & Spa is a five-star resort introduced
in 2005, geared predominantly toward families and couples looking
for a secluded atmosphere.
There are 275
oceanview suites overlooking Banderas Bay, all furnished with
marble floors, private terraces and fully equipped
kitchens.
The property
distinguishes itself with its location, touches like a pool
concierge program and bike tours to nearby village
Bucerias.
The resort's decor
embraces the culture of the native Huichol Indians. The strong
influence of indigenous culture is reflected in art pieces and
treatments at the resort spa that opened last April. For instance,
a new four-handed massage is complemented by a sugarcane rub that
has been used in the area for centuries.
Next door, new
five-star resort Villa La Estancia will have its official soft
opening in November, although the pool and 50 of the 245 guest
units are already open.
The resort is
designed to mirror the decor, services and ambience of the Villa
Group's La Estancia property in Cabo San Lucas, down to the
wrought-iron gates at entrances, archways in the foyer,
all-oceanview rooms with terraces and pool butlers.
Because Villa La
Estancia is catering to a higher-end demographic than does
Flamingos, services and facilities are not interchangeable between
the resorts. In addition, Villa La Estancia will feature more
prominent security, officials said.
Upscale in Cabo
In Cabo San Lucas,
the three Villa Group properties -- Villa del Palmar, Villa la
Estancia and the new Villa del Arco, which opened in July -- are
situated within one large complex, all sharing commanding views of
the El Arco rock formation.
Unlike the Nuevo
Vallarta properties, facilities in each component resort of the
Cabo complex are open to guests at all three. A trolley shuttles
passengers among them.
Villa Group
continues to position its 5-year-old, 156-suite Villa La Estancia
as a premier luxury property. Celebrities such as Brad Pitt and
Bono have graced its corridors.
A new penthouse
boasts Bulgari amenities, wireless Internet access and prime views
of the Pacific. Guests enjoy the three beachside hot tubs and La
Casona, a fine-dining restaurant noted for its Kobe
beef.
The four-star Villa
del Palmar will undergo general renovations in all 458 suites,
including installation of wireless Internet. Crowding at the
resort's Bay Breeze Spa, until this month the only spa in the
complex, should be relieved by the opening of the Desert Spa at
Villa del Arco.
Also new at the
217-suite, five-star Villa del Arco is the adjacent fitness center.
The 4,500-square-foot gym features seven treadmills, four
elliptical bikes, three stationary bikes, 10 strength-training
stations, a multi-purpose station, four free-weight stations, a
yoga and Pilates studio, lockers and showers.
Timeshare owners
and Villa del Arco guests staying on all-inclusive plans can use
the gym for free; European Plan guests at all three Cabo resorts
can use it for a $10 daily fee.
The resort also
recently introduced on-site restaurant La Perla, which serves
seafood, steaks and international cuisine.
The Villa Group is
promoting Villa de Arco and the new spa with two three-night
European plan packages for couples available through Dec.
8.
The first, the
Desert Spa Discovery, includes deluxe, one-bedroom, oceanview suite
accommodations; two 50-minute aromatherapy massages; his and hers
facials; and unlimited access to gym and spa facilities. Rates
start at $1,015 plus tax.
The Desert Spa
Adventure includes deluxe, one-bedroom, oceanview suite
accommodations; a couple's spa suite experience (hydrotherapy
followed by a 50-minute massage); facials, personal training for
two; unlimited gym and spa access; and a spa cuisine lunch for two
at La Perla. Rates start at $1,143 plus tax.
The Villa Group
pays agents 10% commission on packages and stays. Call (877)
845-5247 or visit www.villagroupresorts.com.
To
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