The WPJ

The Latest in Luxury Resort & Real Estate News

» Featured Columnists | By Scott Kauffman | February 27, 2009 8:25 AM ET



Dakota Mountain Lodge, Golden Door Spa Preparing for Summer Opening

(PARK CITY, UT) -- Dakota Mountain Lodge & Golden Door Spa, the first ski property in the prestigious Waldorf Astoria Collection, continues to move forward and reports it will be open this summer. The luxurious condominium hotel project, which will be managed by the world-class team associated with the Waldorf-Astoria, is located at the base of The Canyons Resort, one of the top-rated skiing and snowboarding mountains in the United States.

According to the developer, longtime Park City-based DuVal Development Partners I LLC, fewer than 40 residences are left for sale in the original phase composed of 104 full-ownership units. The world-class residences are priced from approximately $435,000 to $2.5 million and range in size from 359-square-feet studios to 2,015 square-feet,  4-bedroom, 4-bathroom suites

The Dakota Mountain Lodge hotel units that will be made available to guests will range in size from suites with gourmet kitchens to the six-bedroom "mansion in the sky" penthouses. All of the units are outfitted with the finest furnishings, including custom Viking appliances, European Steam Showers and jetted tubs.  A second phase of the property is planned for an additional 137 guestrooms in 65 condo residences.

"Our hotel residences at Dakota Mountain Lodge & Golden Door Spa offer a unique opportunity for discerning buyers," says Lee M. Hindin, founder of DuVal Development Partners.

"First, there's the high standard of quality and service established by the Waldorf Astoria brand. Secondly, our design, finishes, world-class amenities along with our ski-in, ski-out location genuinely makes Dakota Mountain Lodge a one-of-kind experience in alpine living."


The Dakota Mountain Lodge & Golden Door Spa is one the newest resorts to open at the base of The Canyons, the world-renowned four-season resort.  Among the Park City hotel's many distinguishing features is the new Frostwood Gondola that offers superb ski-in/ski-out convenience and golf only feet away. 

Other notable amenities at the $100-million project will be the new Park City home of the acclaimed Golden Door Spa, and the planned Canyons Resort 18-hole golf course. 



New Tom Doak-Designed Golf Course Community Emerges Along Baja California Coast

(BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, MEXICO) -- Critically acclaimed golf course architect Tom Doak, who takes on a limited number of golf projects each year, is close to opening his latest gem called Bahía de los Sueños. The private luxury resort-style community is situated here along the pristine shores of the Sea of Cortez in the undiscovered Bay of Baja California.

Surrounded by authentic fishing villages, Bahía de los Sueños is characterized by secret coves and desert sierras, all along a coastline as tranquil and secluded as when Spanish settlers landed here in 1535. Based on the exquisite custom homes are starting to dot the Doak-designed golf course, Bahía de los Sueños - or "Bay of Dreams" - is poised to become one of the world's leading destinations.

"Bahía de los Sueños offers discerning property owners a supreme resort lifestyle far removed from the crowds of Cabo," says PCS Development president Charles Freedman, the developer behind Bahía delos Sueños. "The community has the feel of an old Mediterranean fishing village, but it is Baja to the core. Everything planned here - including the finest services, beautiful hotels, golf and beach clubs, gourmet dining and state-of-the-art spa - will be offered with the most sophisticated design and elite presentation. But the real luxury of Bahía is its privacy, and its natural, restorative energy."

Located 35 miles southeast of La Paz and 100 miles northeast of Cabo San Lucas, Bahía de los Sueños encompasses approximately 4,300 total acres. The low-density eco-friendly project calls for 600 custom homesites, 450 casita-style residences, and the Doak-designed 18-hole golf course.  Homesites and residences are priced from $300,000 to more than $6 million.

Future plans call for elite resort amenities, hotels, private airport, and a boutique commercial center. The region's most compelling features - its swimmable waters and virgin sand -will turn the Bahía de los Sueños Golf and Beach Club and Fishing Club into social centers and launching pads for numerous outdoor escapes.

"Turquoise seas, clear blue skies and serene desert mountains have defined Baja for centuries," said Freedman. "We are committed to developing a community that embraces these characteristics by drawing upon an authentic architectural heritage that is at once dramatic and intimate; one which combines the charm of Mediterranean fishing villages with the rustic elegance of Mexico."

The developer reports more than 50 homesites have already been sold with at least 10 estates completed or under construction. One of the most expansive custom estates at Bahía de los Sueños sits across three homesites and encompasses approximately 20,000 square feet. The residence features eight elegant bedrooms, a movie projection theater system, a 3,000-square-foot, solar-heated infinity pool, and an entertainment building with a basketball court and putting green. Integrated into the home are a Bulthaup-designed kitchen, Agape and Dornbracht plumbing fixtures, Albertini windows and doors, and Spanish stone and marble.

Of course, the heart of Bahía de los Sueños is its golf course - scheduled to open for play this fall --  and private clubs. Doak has crafted a beautifully restrained, habitat-sensitive layout that responds to the bay-view topography and emphasizes conservation of land and water. Expected to be one of the highest-rated courses in Mexico, it embraces the Bahía de los Sueños Golf & Beach Club, a private club that welcomes resort guests and homeowners. An 18-hole, three-par executive course will offer a chipping-and-putting alternative adjacent to Doak's masterpiece.

"The magnificent variety of terrain and views sets this property apart from others in Cabo and around the world," Doak explains. "The first few holes play among giant Cardón cactus, before a great uphill, par five ninth hole and a stunning turn working up and around a huge hill. To me, the best stretch on the course might be the 11th through 14th holes, beginning at the high point of the course and playing back down to the beach over illustrious topography."



Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain Golf Resort on track for Fall Opening

(MARANA, AZ) -- Superstar Tiger Woods has put the spotlight back on golf by playing in his first tournament in eight months this week at the Accenture World Match Play Championship here in the Arizona desert. For the sake of golf's popularity and corporate sponsors tied to the game, Woods' return couldn't have come any sooner.

The many golf resorts and golf club communities associated with the game would certainly echo those sentiments what with the ongoing challenges in both the travel and real estate industries. So it goes without saying the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club, Dove Mountain is thrilled to be hosting Woods and the world's best golfers at their newly opened golf course this week.

Located in the Tucson area, the Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course is the High Sonoran Desert's first new Nicklaus course since La Paloma Country Club opened in 1984. When the Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain 250-room resort hotel opens in October, it will be the only luxury golf resort destination in the area, featuring a luxurious 50,000-square-foot clubhouse.

The initial $220-million phase of the 850-acre master-planned resort community calls for 91 single-family homes and 16 estate-sized homesites. Lot development is well under way and construction is on pace for several Ritz-Carlton Residences that will be used as models, director of sales Rob Shiels told the Real Estate Channel.

The wholly owned Ritz-Carlton Residences are priced from $1.25 million to $3 million, and range in size from 1,900 square feet to 5,400 square feet. The homesites start at $700,000.

The golf club is currently available to the public for a limited time this year before it becomes restricted to just resident members and resort guests of The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain.
 



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