Front Elevation: Rising from the Ruins

Idyllic surroundings make the Riviera Maya Mexico’s newest paradise.

text by: Jessica Taylor

April 1, 2008

•3 The Fives
Location: In Playa del Carmen, five miles north of downtown and a mile south of Mayakoba.
Residences: 240 two- and three-bedroom condos and 25 three- and four-bedroom villas.
Amenities: Villas will contain private gardens, pools, and solariums. All owners will have access to the beach club, swimming pools, and tennis courts; the Karisma hotel’s spa and dining; and a seven-acre nature park.
Timeline: First phase slated to open fall 2008; second phase in spring 2009.
Pricing: From $299,000 to $750,000.
800.361.1518, www.thefives.com.mx

•4 Maroma Resort and Spa
Location: On a 500-acre coconut plantation, 45 minutes south of Cancún.
Residences: 25 three- and four-bedroom hacienda-style villas.
Amenities: Owners will have access to the 65-room resort’s two restaurants, two bars, three swimming pools, tennis courts, fitness center, art gallery, multimedia theater, Mayan-inspired spa, and a temazcal (sweat lodge).
Timeline: The resort opened in 1995; ground breaking on the residences is not yet determined.
Pricing: Not yet determined.
866.454.9351, www.maromahotel.com

•5 Nizuc
Location: On the Caribbean Sea, five miles south of the Cancún International Airport.
Residences: 10 freestanding three- and four-bedroom villas (three planned for phase one and seven planned for phase two) and 160 one-, two-, and three-bedroom oceanfront resort residences with 14-foot-high ceilings a minimalist design that utilizes the natural materials found in the region.
Amenities: All residences will contain private swimming pools and hot tubs. Owners will have access to two Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses, a residents-only beach club, and hotel facilities—including three restaurants, a cigar lounge, six swimming pools, tennis courts, an Espa spa, a fitness center, and a kids’ club.
Timeline: Broke ground late 2007; completion slated for late 2009.
Pricing: From $1.3 million to $13 million.
+52 998.885.0144, www.nizuc.com

•6 Rosewood Residences at Mayakoba
Location: Within the Mayakoba development.
Residences: Limited number of two- and three-bedroom residences and eight one-bedroom spa suites.
Amenities: Docking facilities, beach club, spa, and access to the 128-room Rosewood hotel with boat transportation. Additionally, owners have access to Mayakoba’s Greg Norman–designed golf course, 20 restaurants, five spas, and more than a mile of white-sand beach.
Timeline: Hotel opened December 2007; breaking ground on residences in 2008, with a completion date on the spa suites scheduled for 2008 and 2010 for the villas.
Pricing: Residences from $1.5 million to $4.2 million.
866.519.8769, www.ownrosewoodmayakoba.com

•7 The Tides
Location: On eight acres in Playa del Carmen.
Residences: 98 studios and 111 one- to three-bedroom units.
Amenities: All residences will contain private plunge pools and media centers. Owners will also have access to the resort’s pool and private beach club with a fine-dining restaurant, spa, and fitness center.
Timeline: Will break ground on the residences this year; completion in late 2009.
Pricing: From $450,000 to $2 million.
888.752.9220, www.tidesplayadelcarmen.com

•8 Tres Ríos
Location: On 326 acres, 30 minutes south of the Cancún airport and 10 minutes north of Playa del Carmen.
Residences: The plan calls for 26 homesites and an undetermined number of fractional- and whole-ownership resort residences spread throughout the project’s five hotels and 1,700 rooms.
Amenities: The master plan includes a marina and yacht club, an equestrian and polo center, a nature park with three rivers and nine cenotes, kayaking, an on-site biologist, tennis courts, retail shops, spas, and restaurants. An ocean reef is just offshore.
Timeline: The development’s first hotel, the Hacienda Tres Ríos, is scheduled to open this summer. The rest of the master plan will roll out over the next 10 to 15 years.
Pricing: Fractional residences, sold in one-quarter shares, are priced from $300,000; whole-ownership residences from $10 million to $15 million.
800.224.4231, www.tres-rios.com

•9 Viceroy Mayakoba
Location: Within the Mayakoba development; resort residences and villas are situated either on the beach or on the lagoon.
Residences: The 164 villas and residences include studios and one-, two-, and four-bedroom layouts, as well as a five-bedroom beachfront villa.
Amenities: Residences will feature heated plunge pools and indoor/outdoor showers. Owners will have access to a residents-only beach club, a kids’ club, and Mayakoba’s Greg Norman–designed golf course, 15 restaurants, five spas, and more than a mile of white-sand beach. The project will feature the interior design of Kelly Wearstler and the architecture of Legorreta + Legorreta.
Timeline: Scheduled to open spring 2009.
Pricing: From $800,000 to $8 million.
800.473.0089, www.viceroymayakoba.com

RESOURCES

Akumal Real Estate, +52.984.875.9064, www.akumalrealestate.com

National Mexican Association of Professional Realtors, www.ampirivieramaya.com



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