Villa Group puts final touches on Nuevo Vallarta resort

Its been 20 months in the making, but the family-friendly Villa del Palmar Flamingos Beach Resort and Spa -- on a stretch of white-sand beach in the burgeoning resort development of Nuevo Vallarta, just north of Puerto Vallarta -- is finally getting its finishing touches.

The seventh resort in the Villa Group Resorts chain -- soon to grow to eight properties in Los Cabos and both Vallartas -- Villa del Palmar Flamingos, in soft opening since unveiling its first 30 guest units in June 2004, celebrated its official grand opening in December.

Now, with all 278 deluxe studio and one-, two- and three-bedroom guest units -- along with three dining outlets, lagoon-style pool and Jacuzzi, and Internet cafe and market -- in the fold, the property is nearly in full swing, save for its spa.

The 27,000-square-foot spa, still being furnished, should be ready by March 1, according to Flamingos sales manager Jose Luis Lopez.

Weve been opening little by little over the past 20 months, he said. Today, the resort is nearly complete.

Geared primarily toward families and couples, with units housing from two to 10 occupants, Villa del Palmar Flamingos draws the majority of its guests -- 80%, to be exact -- from the U.S., with the balance hailing from Canada and Mexico.

However, the client mix depends on the season, noted Lopez. In June and July, we have holidays in Mexico, and then its a 50-50 split, Mexico vs. the U.S. and Canada.

With all units equipped with kitchens and laundry facilities, Flamingos is definitely family-oriented, Lopez added. And weve tried to keep that same concept across the Villa Group, he said.

In fact, most of the units in all of our properties are basically the same.

In addition to per-night rentals, Villa Group Resorts makes its properties available through timeshare unit Universal Vacation Club.

All in the family

Flamingos studios can house three guests while the one-, two- and three-bedroom villas can accommodate four, eight and 10, respectively, thanks to Murphy beds.

The propertys studios have a kitchenette and one bathroom with tub and shower, while larger units have a full kitchens, a washer and dryer and two or more bathrooms with separate tubs and showers.

All units are equipped with digital flat-screen TVs, air conditioning, irons and boards, purified water, safes and patios.

Villa del Palmar Flamingos also has two two-bedroom luxury penthouse suites.

While the larger units might seem perfect for groups of friends looking to divvy up expenses, Villa del Palmar Flamingos -- wanting to preserve a more manageable, serene ambience -- steers clear of the college-age, spring-breaker demographic that descends on Mexico annually.

As a matter of policy, we dont accept spring-breakers or even other groups of students, said Lopez, adding that the property also does not take bookings from any group larger than 80 rooms, or 200 people.

By experience, we know that when you accept huge volumes in terms of guests, you can make mistakes in service -- and service is of utmost importance to us, he said.

One group that is always welcome is travel agents, who receive discounted rates, invitations to monthly familiarization trips and 10% commission on bookings.

According to Lopez, about 60% of reservations at Villa del Palmar Flamingos come through the trade. Included in that group are wholesalers, traditional travel agents and online travel agencies.

Theres a lot for visiting agents to inspect.

Villa del Palmar Flamingos has three on-site eateries: Main oceanfront restaurant Bella Vista serves whats described as Italian and Californian fusion fare for lunch and dinner, as well as a daily breakfast buffet. The Pizza Bar, between the pool and beach, serves breakfast, lunch and snacks. The Palmita Deli, Market and Cyber Cafe, in the resort general store, offers take-out delicatessen fare, coffee and other eats.

Guests can also avail themselves of en-suite chef service, catering, room service or their own kitchens -- after shopping for groceries at the Palmita Market Place.

On-site diversions include spa services; pool games; nonmotorized watersports; themed dinners; Spanish lessons; pottery classes; and nightly entertainment.

Off-site, meanwhile, golfers can tee off at the nearby Flamingo Golf Club. And in keeping with its family focus, Flamingos offers a daily, supervised Kids Club for children ages 4 to 12.

With much to do on site at the beach resort, vacationers might not want to leave the property. However, Lopez still stresses Flamingos proximity to the charming tourist town of Puerto Vallarta as a major selling point -- although he sees rapidly growing Nuevo Vallarta as a blossoming stand-alone destination.

The most exclusive and beautiful beaches are in this area, he said. Id say that in the next 15 years, Nuevo Vallarta is going to boast most of the attractions in the entire Vallarta destination area.

Banking on that bet, Villa Group Resorts is constructing its eighth property -- a second iteration of the upper-tier La Estancia brand it first piloted in Cabo San Lucas -- right next door to Flamingos.

Villa Group Resorts also operates La Estancia, Villa del Palmar Cabo and Santa Fe Hotel in Los Cabos; Villa del Palmar and Villa Delmar in Puerto Vallarta; and the Sierra Lago in the Sierra Madre Mountains.

To contact Destinations editor Kenneth Kiesnoski, send e-mail to [email protected].