Month: May 2019

Stretching for miles along the Pacific Ocean, relatively unknown Riviera Nayarit is one of Mexico’s last remaining beachfront jungles. Celebrated hospitality group One&Only is in the final stages of creating an ultra exclusive residential destination here.

 

One&Only Mandarina Private Homes will feature two styles of villas designed by famed architect Rick Joy to complement the landscape and capture dynamic views. The secluded setting affords privacy and serenity. Walls of glass blur the line between indoors and out. Private infinity pools and gardens overlook the jungle and the ocean.

 

Mandarina will also be home to a 108-room One&Only resort; luxury Rosewood hotel and residences; spa; jetty harbor; two beach clubs with pools, terraces, dining areas and massage spaces; farm; polo grounds; equestrian center; and trail systems for biking, hiking and horseback riding.

 

Instead of a traditional golf resort, the developers opted for an equestrian theme with unprecedented amenities. Mandarina recently announced the debut of its polo team as well as a partnership with Aspen Valley Polo Club. As part of the pairing, the clubs will host jointly sponsored tournaments twice a year, with a winter event at Mandarina and a summer one in Aspen, Colorado.

 

Other planned features include the family-friendly Canalan Beach Club; an estuary with walking paths; and a farm complete with gardens, orchards and a greenhouse. Harvested produce serves as the basis for a truly farm-to-table culinary experience. And programming for kids revolves around jungle adventures, replete with treehouses, hanging bridges and a butterfly sanctuary.

 

One&Only Mandarina is located just an hour north of the Puerto Vallarta International Airport. Villas are now available, ranging in price from $4.5 million to $12 million. Residents enjoy an extensive menu of first-class services, such as property management; charging privileges at all hotel amenities; in-residence private dining; spa services; personal training sessions; travel arrangements; pre-stocked groceries; laundry and dry cleaning; medical services; and boat moorage. 

 

*Originally posted on Artful Living

San Francisco Giants pitcher Mark Melancon was standing in the middle of the ballpark … and imagining himself in his hot tub.

 

No, it wasn’t an idle moment during a game or practice at Oracle Park. Melancon was test-driving the floor plans for his family’s dream home in Mexico.

 

He couldn’t get to the actual site so he made the most of home-field advantage by bringing the project to California. Developer Ricardo Santa Cruz and two colleagues flew up from Puerto Vallarta to map out the 19,000-square-foot mansion using stakes and rope in the stadium’s outfield.

 

“It was really helpful because it gave me a physical idea of how big each space was,” Melancon told the Star in a phone interview. “On paper, it was hard to grasp.”

 

The residence, designed by Arizona architect Rick Joy, will be a secondary home for the pro athlete, his wife Mary Catherine and their three children, ages 3, 4 and 7.

 

It’s the largest of 55 private villas at One&Only Mandarina, a new luxury resort and residential community on Riviera Nayarit, about an hour north of Puerto Vallarta. The other homes, which are being marketed by The Agency, range up to 11,000 square feet and are priced at roughly $4.5 million to $12 million (U.S.).

 

As the first buyers about 18 months ago, the Melancons paid $9 million for their retreat that’s perched on a private cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

 

“Your house is a really big house,” Santa Cruz had told Melancon. “We need a big, flat field.”

 

The pitcher, who has played for the Giants for two years since signing a four-year $62-million (U.S.) contract, knew just where to find one: his home stadium.

 

Santa Cruz’s team made two visits there — last fall and again in March — spending three or four hours positioning stakes and stringing yellow rope across the grass to outline the scale interior and exterior living spaces. Then the Melancons did a walk-through, tweaking and adjusting the layout before finalizing the design so construction could begin.

 

Among the changes were enlarged bedrooms and a wider kitchen after Melancon pictured himself opening the fridge doors and decided more room was needed. He also paid special attention to the gym.

 

“It was nice to be able to see how big it was,” he says, envisioning how his fitness equipment would fit. “I’m picky on that stuff.”

 

According to Santa Cruz, Melancon “had a really big wish list” for his tropical hideaway, which is divided into three buildings.

 

The final plans, customized for an active family who enjoy entertaining, include a media room, casino and game room, two hot tubs and two pools.

 

The infinity pool, which appears to hang off the edge of the bluff, isn’t designed for water games so a kid-friendly second pool was added, Santa Cruz explains.

 

He lauds the Melancons’ choice of location, which offers “spectacular views” of the beach, ocean, mountains, and the development’s polo fields and equestrian centre.

 

“What’s really cool about the home is one wing goes into the jungle so you get the full jungle immersion,” he says.

 

Calling the purchase a “wise investment,” Santa Cruz suggests a ballpark figure of $15 million as the appreciated value of Melancon’s property once his villa and the resort hotel are finished in about a year.

 

San Francisco’s Oracle Park, meanwhile, has been returned to its original purpose. Melancon and the Giants host the Toronto Blue Jays on May 14-15 after San Francisco swept a two-game series at the Rogers Centre late last month.

 

“Toronto’s one of my favourite cities,” Melancon says. “I love it there. The people are nice, down-to-earth.”

 

*Originally posted on The Star