Month: June 2019

One&Only Mandarina and One&Only Mandarina Private Homes, opening in early 2020, will share a space with Rosewood Residences and Rosewood Mandarina (opening in 2022) on a mile-long stretch of coastline that features beach, mountains, jungle and an estuary.

 

And, yes, there will be a farm, a distinct destination within Mandarina. It will have orchards, gardens and greenhouses where food will be grown for its farm-to-table restaurant, as well as cooking class kitchens, animals to delight children and stargazing towers.

 

But perhaps the most distinguishing facility will be the Mandarina Polo & Equestrian Club, which will provide entertainment, social events and sport for those who ride.

 

“You’ll have polo brunches on Sundays. You’ll have either jumping or dressage competitions that you can go to and have lunch and be an observer,” said Ricardo Santa Cruz, president and CEO of RSC Development and the founding partner of Mandarina. “Or you can say, you know what, we as a family just want to go on tame horses for a horseback ride throughout the estuary and along the beach.”

 

To date, 18 of the planned 55 One & Only private homes have sold.

 

While owners will have access to Mandarina’s many pools, a jungle zipline and obstacle course and an array of other activities such as birdwatching tours, the one amenity you won’t find with your $5-million to $10-million villa is a golf course, which isn’t all that unusual at the current crop of residential resorts.

 

“Golf courses are in decline. They’re very expensive to maintain. Fewer and fewer people are playing,” Mr. Santa Cruz said.

 

Besides, the game isn’t an equal opportunity memory maker.

 

“You go on vacation, and suddenly it’s like, ‘Hey, you’re not with the kids during the week, and now here we are on vacation and you’re going to go leave and golf for six hours,’” Mr. Santa Cruz said. “Especially millennials and the newer generation, they want to steer clear of that.”

 

Millennials, he added, think, ‘‘Give me something new, give me something different.’”

 

*Originally posted on Mansion Global

Imagine this: You’re sipping a fresh lime margarita in an infinity pool jutting from a cliff over a gin-clear sea. Below, a private skiff awaits alongside an arcing jetty ready to whisk you off on an epic surf break for an afternoon of angling. A waterfront beach club calls for toes-in-the-sand dining, Hobie Cat sailing, cabana lazing or stand-up paddleboarding. Horses graze next to emerald polo fields. Trail rides, snaking mountain biking courses and a canopy-high zip line invite you to immerse yourself in this untouched Jurassic wilderness. Your ultraswank treehouse bungalow disappears into the thick green canopy yet affords arresting views of the sea and sunset over the pristine Riveria Nayarit. This is Mandarina.

 

“There’s nothing like it in the world,” says Mandarina partner Ricardo Santa Cruz, who, together with developer RHL Properties, dreamed up this low-density, sustainable luxury retreat with every amenity imaginable. Partnered with two of the world’s finest resorts, One&Only and Rosewood, Mandarina (discovermandarina.com) is positioned to be the ultimate tropical escape, especially for San Diegans who can jet to Puerto Vallarta on a direct 2 ½-hour flight and access this jungle-meets-sea paradise with ease. Across Mandarina’s 650 aces, you’ll find multiple ecosystems, from fertile flatlands and estuaries for kayaking and birdwatching to jungle canopy perches and swimmable waters trimmed with ribbons of golden sand.

 

In addition to One&Only Mandarina opening in 2020 with 108 glorious stand-alone bungalows, several infinity pools, a beach club and alfresco farm-to-table dining, 55 One&Only private homes are being built, designed by renowned architect Rick Joy of Amangiri Resort fame and ranging from $4.8 million to $10.5 million. “We wanted to find an architect who understood the philosophy of bringing nature into the home and leaving the smallest and most discreet footprint as possible,” says Santa Cruz.

 

A crusader of organic architecture, Joy has designed four-, five- and eight-bedroom homes (5,000- to nearly 11,000-square-feet) that celebrate seamless indoor-outdoor living and Mandarina’s magical topography. Think glass walls, earth tones, stone accents, infinity pools, dining terraces, outdoor showers, exotic gardens and more. The buildings successfully blend into the landscape, allowing nature to be the protagonist, explains Santa Cruz. Exquisite in every sense, the homes even have Delos’ DARWIN Home Wellness Intelligence (based on Delos and Mayo Clinic’s Living Well Lab research) for optimal water and air purification, and circadian lighting. RHL’s commitment to sustainability and preserving the fragile ecosystems of the jungle and mangroves means one residence for every 2.4 acres, myriad protected green spaces, and golf carts and bikes as green transportation around the property. No condos, no cluster units, no Cabo.

 

But the luxury and adventure doesn’t end there. Mandarina’s Jungle Course at The Outpost has ropes courses and repelling; its Kids Club has a butterfly sanctuary and farm; One&Only’s Mandarina open-air spa delivers blissful wellness under the canopy; and the Mandarina Polo & Equestrian Club sports two tournament-size polo fields, along with jumping and dressage arenas and stables for boarding. Mandarina even has its own official polo team, which captured the Triple Crown last summer at the Aspen Valley Polo Club. Homeowners also receive first-class medical care with a five-year membership to Mayo Clinic Preferred Response for remote access to medical experts and global evacuation services at no cost. And once you join the One&Only Private Home family, expect lifelong One&Only Private Home concierge services and future opportunities to swap One&Only homes in sexy locations like Mauritius and Montenegro.

 

*Originally posted on Modern Luxury.

It’s about to change again, with the imminent debut of the ultra-luxe Mandarina development, which will cover 640 acres and have its own 1-mile beach. The land and seascape — located about 25 minutes north of Sayulita — is reminiscent of Hawaii, particularly Kauai.

 

A new toll road, slated to open in 2021, will link Mandarina to Puerto Vallarta International Airport, cutting travel time from one hour to about 30 minutes.)

 

“Mandarina will be the lowest density ultra-luxury property in Mexico,” said Kappner Clark, chief marketing officer for RLH Properties, a developer of Mandarina.

 

In addition to branded private residence villas, which will all feature ocean views, Mandarina will also have two resorts: One&Only Mandarina and Rosewood Mandarina.

 

“One&Only Mandarina will be located on the hillside, while Rosewood Mandarina will give guests a beach option,” said J.P. Mahony, director of sales for One&Only Mandarina.

 

The 108-room One&Only Mandarina will debut at the beginning of 2020 and feature a beach club with infinity-edge pools, beachside terraces and private massage cabanas. A jetty — which will provide mooring for yachts — will create gentle surf conditions, allowing for a beach area ideal for families with small children. On-site dining venues will include The Plateau, which will offer dining for the whole family, and adults-only The Point. Both venues will feature sea and jungle views.

 

Rosewood Mandarina will open in 2021 with some 130 rooms, as well as 65 residences. The resort will have a beach club; Sense, A Rosewood Spa and several restaurants.

 

Ricardo Santa Cruz, Mandarina Chief Business Development Officer, relayed how Sol Kerzner — founder and CEO of Dubai, United Arab Emirates-based Kerzner International, a company that operates One&Only Resorts — reacted when he first visited the site for Mandarina.

 

“He stood up after an hour and said he had seen enough,” Santa Cruz said. “I thought that meant he wasn’t interested; instead, it was the opposite. Kerzner said, ‘I have clients who travel 24 hours to experience something like this. It reminds me of Southeast Asia.’”

 

Clark notes that family amenities are important to Mandarina’s market, especially considering the rise of multigenerational travel. To satisfy family clients, Mandarina will offer a kids’ club with its own butterfly sanctuary, resident storyteller and tree houses. On-site The Outpost will feature a zipline; a rappel course; a climbing wall; sports fields and courts; hiking, cycling and horseback-riding trails; an arcade; and a movie theater.

 

“What makes the difference will be the experiences at Mandarina,” Santa Cruz said.

 

And there’s no lack of activities. Additional features will include a farm and farm-to-table restaurant, a beach club and an estuary. Polo players and fans will appreciate Mandarina Polo & Equestrian Club, which will have two tournament-size polo fields, jumping and dressage arenas, a clubhouse and lounge, a pro shop and more.

 

“Polo instead of golf may have seemed like an odd choice, but it has been embraced by buyers,” Santa Cruz said.

 

Great care is being taken with Mandarina’s natural environment, as well. During my tour of the property, we drove around extant trees in the middle of the road, which was widened to accommodate them. This holistic vision is also evident in how the villas blend into their surroundings; exterior and interior paint colors of the villas are carefully matched to the soil. This attention to detail throughout the development contributes to an overall eco-conscious ambiance.

 

*Originally posted on TravelAgeWest