Month: June 2018

Welcome to Mandarina, the ultra-luxury resort and residences in the Mexican jungle currently under construction. It offers upside investment potential to high net worth buyers. Mandarina is located in Riviera Nayarit, along a nearly 200-mile coastline, less than an hour drive north of Puerto Vallarta’s International Airport (Licenciado Gustavo Díaz Ordaz).

 

Ricardo Santa Cruz, president & CEO, of RSC, the founding partner of Mandarina took almost a decade to assemble the 640-acre property from a variety of landowners, some of whom were initially reluctant to sell. “I was patient and worked with each landowner one by one to put together the parcels we needed,” said Santa Cruz.

 

Santa Cruz was well equipped for this challenge. He has a strong track record, negotiating 4,000 acres of strategic land acquisitions throughout Mexico for development purposes and securing more than $90 million of investment capital.

 

It started with a vision for this Mexican jungle, one of the last remaining beachfront jungles in Mexico. Mandarina was developed along a one-mile stretch of swimmable beach, with the goal of being the most significant new luxury resort and residential community Mexico has seen in decades. There is a long history to the land where Mandarina is located. Much is being preserved from mountains to shoreline to flatland to tropical jungle. “This is a pristine jungle. We are developing a low-density project while taking care of the land. Our design all along has been focused on having as minimal impact as possible,” Santa Cruz notes.

 

The One&Only Mandarina Private Homes will debut alongside the One&Only Mandarina beach resort, luxury Rosewood Residences, and Rosewood Mandarina.

 

The villas of One&Only Mandarina Private homes designed by the internationally noted Rick Joy Architects are selling quickly. Prices range from $4.5 million to $12 million. Since launching sales early this year, a range of North American buyers have purchased seven villas in Phase One.

 

There are 55 One&Only branded villas, all with ocean views. The striking contemporary architecture fits with the surrounding landscape. Homes range in size from approximately 8,000 to 18,000 square feet of interior/exterior living. The indoor/outdoor lifestyle is showcased throughout, taking advantage of the mild climate. Infinity-edged pools overlook the jungle, coastline, and ocean, all homes are positioned for privacy and of course the views.

 

Every detail of the homes are designed to draw buyers used to the best of everything, and willing to pay for it. Marc Schechter who runs an investment advisory firm outside Detroit was an early buyer at Mandarina. He purchased two homes with price tags of around $5 million each. Schechter was familiar with the general area as his parents owned a vacation home there for years. “I saw what was going on with Mandarina and was totally impressed. “I fell in love with the architecture and as an early owner, I got to work with the designer. I bought two homes thinking I may eventually sell one at some point.” He also plans to rent the homes out using them himself on select weeks. “I’m intending on receiving both cash flow and appreciation,” said Schechter, whose homes range around 8,000 square feet each.

 

Residents at One&Only Mandarina Private Homes enjoy a large menu of first-class custom-tailored services including property management, charging privileges at all hotel amenities, in-residence private dining and spa services, personal training sessions, travel arrangements, pre-stocked groceries, laundry and dry cleaning, medical services, and boat moorage.

 

No surprise sales are brisk since the One&Only brand is all about ultra-luxury living. The One&Only hotel at Mandarina is scheduled to open end of 2019. Listen to Phillipe Zuber, president and chief operating officer of One&Only Resorts. “We saw great possibilities in Mandarina for One&Only both with the private homes and the resort. It is a spectacular site by the Pacific Ocean and the architecture will create an iconic resort for both hotel guests and private owners. We are confident it will be unique,” observes Zuber.

 

Looking to attract the monied polo set, the Mandarina Polo & Equestrian Club will feature state-of-the-art polo grounds, a clubhouse, arenas, two tournament size polo fields, polo lounge, pro shop, horse boarding, dressage and on-site veterinary clinic. Other top shelf amenities include One&Only Majahua Beach Club and the One&Only Spa to name a few.

 

The Mandarina proves high net worth individuals are more than willing to pay for a privileged amenity-rich lifestyle in a unique setting.

 

*Originally posted on Forbes

You know that feeling when you’re staying at a hotel so nice you start thinking, “If only I could just move here.”

 

Starting in 2019, Mandarina — a new $1 billion luxury residential and hotel resort in Mexico’s coastal jungle — will let guests do just that.

 

The development, an hour north of Puerto Vallarta on the Riviera Nayarit, will be anchored by two luxury hotels — one by One&Only and the other by Rosewood. Mandarina will also have privately-owned residences by each brand, along with a tantalizing array of equestrian, wellness, and aquatic activities, all spread over more than 600 acres.

 

The residences at One&Only Mandarina were developed by One&Only Private Homes, the company’s first-ever branded real estate venture, and will include 55 villas built on spacious lots scattered along the coast and jungle (there are 48 still available). Residents will get a corner of paradise all to themselves, while still accessing the fine restaurants, open air spa, and extensive equestrian facilities available to guests of the hotel — all included with the villa’s purchase. In case that’s not enough, villa owners also get several amenities reserved just for them, including in-residence private dining and spa services, one-on-one training sessions, personal shopping, and boat moorage at Mandarina’s jetty.

 

Award-winning architect Rick Joy, known for his sleek, earth hugging designs, aimed to bring the outdoors into the concept for the property’s four-, five-, and eight-bedroom villas. Each one has huge windows, stucco walls, and concrete floors that incorporate soil sourced right from the resort, as well as Rosa Morada hardwood harvested from elsewhere in Mexico.

 

Because “experience” is the key word in any luxury hospitality venture these days, Mandarina’s residents and hotel dwellers alike will have plenty experiential offerings to choose from. There’s a fire pit perched at the tip of a jetty, which can be reserved for sunset dinners. Kids will get to groom ponies and embark on jungle discovery adventures, complete with tree houses, hanging bridges and a butterfly sanctuary. Mandarina will also feature state-of-the-art polo grounds, dressage and jumping arenas, and that staple of Mexican beach vacations: moonlit horseback rides along the water.

 

The biggest draw may be what nature, not humans, created: sandy beaches, mammoth cliffs and a dense, high canopy jungle. The property, about two thirds the size of Central Park, sits on super-fertile volcanic land — making it green as far as the eye can see.

 

“You feel like you’re somewhere in Thailand or Indonesia because of the lush vegetation and dramatic coastline that falls into the ocean,” Ricardo Santa Cruz, a founding partner of Mandarina, said in an interview.

 

Santa Cruz, a dual citizen of Mexico and the U.S. who worked in medical technology before developing hotels, said he’s made it a priority to be a good environmental steward and neighbor to the locals. To help residents of Monteón, a town of a few thousand inhabitants just north of Mandarina, the developers invested $3 million in infrastructural and cultural projects, including building a water treatment plant, a church, and a community beach club, he said.

 

This fits in with a broader trend among the region’s hoteliers to promote balance, not just with yoga mats and surfboards, but as a development ethos — capturing tourist dollars while preserving natural resources and supporting local economies. Resorts up and down the coast have been getting environmental certifications, with initiatives like installing energy efficient elevators, helping protect sea turtles, and switching to biodegradable chemicals. Meanwhile, the government has been cleaning beach waters and restoring coral reefs damaged by tourists.

 

As the number of resorts on the Riviera grows, along with their footprint, the ability to strike this balance could mean the difference between selling a snippet of paradise today and allowing others to enjoy it tomorrow.

 

The villas at One&Only Mandarina, priced between $4.5 and $12 million, are on sale now and should be move-in ready late next year.

 

*Originally posted on Travel & Leisure