ST. REGIS RESORT, PUNTA MITA TO OPEN IN 2007

ST. REGIS HOTELS & RESORTS CONTINUES TO EXPAND GLOBALLY WITH SECOND NEW PROPERTY IN LATIN AMERICA

WHITE PLAINS, NY – December 19, 2005 – Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) announced today a joint venture agreement to build a new St. Regis Resort in Punta Mita, Mexico. Scheduled to open in late 2007, the new ultra-luxe resort is being developed by Ideurban Consultores, one of Mexico’s largest private development and construction companies and DINE, master developer of Punta Mita. St. Regis Resort, Punta Mita will be the brand’s second property in Mexico, opening shortly after the St. Regis Hotel, Mexico City also set to debut in 2007.

Located 35 miles northwest of Puerto Vallarta on the Pacific Ocean surrounded by white sand beaches, spectacular ocean views and lush tropical landscape, St. Regis Resort, Punta Mita will feature 120 magnificently appointed guest rooms and suites each with its own outside shower, and approximately 65 luxury villas for both fractional and whole ownership. The resort will offer signature services for which the St. Regis brand is renowned worldwide including its trademark butler service, world-class concierge, exquisite design, and a magnificent spa.

The highly-anticipated resort will include Punta Mita’s second Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course with greens meandering through the resort grounds, a 10,000 square foot spa and fitness center, two full-service restaurants, and a Beach Club with a pool grill and bar. The resort will also offer 7,000 square feet of meeting and function space, ideal for a corporate retreat or a wedding celebration.

“There are few resort destinations in the world that combine the prestige, vision and raw natural beauty of Punta Mita,” said Kerry Hatch, president of St. Regis Hotels & Resorts. “This is truly one of the world’s most exquisite enclaves and an ideal location for a St. Regis resort.”
“We are very proud to bring the addition of this exclusive hotel to Starwood’s portfolio, this is a great year for Starwood Latin America Division and we are very pleased to have such strong plans for the development of the brand in the region,” said Osvaldo Librizzi, President of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Latin America.

Punta Mita is an innovative, master planned resort and residential community covering more than 1,500 acres on a spear-shaped peninsula, surrounded on three sides by white sand beaches, Pacific Ocean waters and lush tropical flora. The resort is a gated, low-density development and has been planned and designed in accordance with the highest quality of international real estate development and environmental standards. The master plan of Punta Mita calls for a variety of exclusive residential offerings and estate lots, a total of three championship golf courses plus a tennis center, beach clubs, spa and wellness center, yacht pier, and a small commercial village.

St. Regis Hotels & Resorts includes the most celebrated properties in the world. Founded by John Jacob Astor with landmark St. Regis Hotel, New York over a century ago, the company will unveil highly anticipated St. Regis properties in Bora Bora, French Polynesia (2006) Fort Lauderdale (2006), Anguilla (2007), Mexico City (2007), Singapore (2007), Atlanta (2008) Bal Harbour, FL (2008) and Deer Valley, UT (2008) that will further enhance the brand's legacy. Personalized service and amenities, enviable locations and luxuriously localized design are recognized worldwide as hallmarks of the St. Regis experience. For more information on St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, please visit www.stregis.com.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 850 properties in more than 95 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood® Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, Sheraton®, Westin®, Four Points® by Sheraton, W®, Le Méridien and the recently announced AloftSM. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com .

About DINE: DINE is Mexico’s premier real estate developer with commercial, residential and master planned communities throughout Mexico. They are a wholly owned subsidiary of DESC, one of Mexico’s largest corporations with interests in four sectors: real estate, petro-chemicals, auto parts and food products.

About IDEURBAN: Established in 1974, IDEURBAN is one of Mexico City’s leading urban development companies delivering a complete range of integrated real estate solutions and construction services. Supporting the needs of communities, governments, commerce and industry on a local, national, and international basis, the company has led projects in markets ranging from hospitality, residential, retail and commercial to highway infrastructure, mixed-use developments and urban planning. IDEURBAN is recognized for its skilled professional staff and its commitment to the highest quality and ethical standards. The company is currently involved in the development of the three largest private-sector construction projects in Mexico City, including the St. Regis Hotel.

Article Publish Date : 12/19/2005

Private Investment in Mexico’s Tourism Sector Booming

Chicago, IL (OPENPRESS) July 29, 2006 -- Exceeding US$11.6 billion, private investment in Mexico’s tourism sector has already surpassed federal goals for the 2001 to 2006 period by 29 percent, reports Sectur in its latest comprehensive study on the subject. Domestic and foreign private investment reached the original US$9 billion goal in June 2005, after increasing at least 12 percent annually since 2002.

The report also shows that interest in Mexico’s famous beaches remains high, with the sun and beach segment outpacing all other tourism products by garnering 48 percent of private investment. Three coastal states also ranked in the top three in amount of private investment received: Guerrero State (US$2.63 billion), Quintana Roo State (US$2.47 billion) and Nayarit State (US$92.5 million) captured almost 52 percent of the total amount invested between 2001 and 2006.

Approximately 89 percent of private investment in Guerrero went to tried-and-true beach resort Acapulco on the Pacific Ocean, whereas 82 percent of the private investment Quintana Roo received was channeled to the Mexican Caribbean hot spots Cancun and Riviera Maya. More than 60 percent of Nayarit’s private investment went to the Pacific resort town of Nuevo Vallarta.

Rounding out the top Mexican five states receiving the highest amount of public investment are border states of Baja California (US$86.3 million) and Sonora (US$78.4 million). Together, the states on the U.S./Mexico border, which also include Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas, received 19 percent of private investment in Mexico, ranking the region second overall.

Among the northern region’s major tourism attractions are Copper Canyon in Chihuahua; the La Quemada archaeological sites in Zacatecas; the bustling city of Monterrey in Nuevo Leon and 200,000-acre Cuatro Cienegas Valley in Coahuila. International sources account for 25 percent of all private investment, with the United States as the top foreign investor in Mexico’s tourism infrastructure.

Mexico has long been taking strategic steps to stimulate tourism and attract private investors through its National Trust Fund for Tourism Development, Fonatur. This government agency is responsible for conceiving, planning and building five sea-side tourism destinations – Cancun, Los Cabos, Ixtapa, Loreto and the Bays of Huatulco – since its 1974 inception.

These resorts areas generate 54 percent of foreign revenue entering the country from tourism and benefit from a master plan, urban-resort planning mechanisms, and annual construction programs and enforcement.

Because fomenting international tourism is a national priority for Mexico, the country’s regulatory framework legally protects foreign investors. Mexico allows foreign investors to have ownership in the majority of economic fields and activities, including real estate, allowing 100 percent participation in shared capital. Investors are also offered a profitability guarantee and investment security through Fonatur.

In addition to the ease of investing in Mexico, investors are also attracted by the security of investing in a proven destination: Mexico is the world’s seventh most-visited country and ranks 12th in terms of foreign revenue earnings from tourism; in both categories, it is the leader in Latin America.

Fonatur’s efforts have been recognized by industry organizations such as the Live in Spain association, which honored the agency with its development and promotion of residential tourism award during the 2006 edition of the Madrid Real Estate Exhibition.

About FonaturCreated in 1974, Mexico’s National Trust Fund for Tourism Development (Fonatur) is the premier developer of integrally-planned tourism destinations in Mexico and has created such world-class resort areas as Cancun, Ixtapa, Loreto, Los Cabos and more recently, Huatulco. To diversify the nation’s tourism industry and give it a more competitive edge, Fonatur builds and promotes new tourist resorts that meet market demand and at the same time spur social change in different parts of the country. Fonatur often serves a joint venture partner for private investors who want to benefit from participation in Mexico’s high-quality tourism development programs.

For more information on Fonatur, visit www.fonatur.gob.mx.
About the Mexico Tourism Board The Mexico Tourism Board (MTB) brings together the resources of federal and state governments, municipalities and private companies to promote Mexico's tourism attractions and destinations internationally. Created in 1999, the MTB is Mexico’s tourism promotion agency, and its participants include members of both the private and public sectors. The MTB has offices throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America.

www.thenewsmarket.com/visitmexicopress.

Young baby boomers are typical owners of luxury homes

Friday, July 28, 2006

Today’s owners of million-dollar homes are typically younger baby boomers who work for a corporation, maintain diversified investment portfolios, and have household income of less than $500,000. Their homes can include such amenities as entertainment rooms, designer kitchens and wine cellars, according to the 2006 Coldwell Banker Previews International Luxury Survey.
The annual survey, which included interviews with 300 U.S. homeowners whose primary residence is valued at over $1 million (and over $2 million for California residents), also found about 35 percent of respondents own second homes. An additional 35 percent said they are considering buying an investment property and/or a secondary residence for family use.

Luxury real estate service Coldwell Banker Previews International commissioned the study, which was conducted in March and April by market research firm International Communications Research.

"The typical million-dollar homeowner likes to live well, but they are not living an ultra-lavish lifestyle," says Jim Gillespie, president and CEO for Coldwell Banker Real Estate Group. "We did not find huge numbers of these consumers having amenities like heated floors (14 percent), tennis courts (4 percent), or backyard putting greens (5 percent)."

About 65 percent of respondents have a designer kitchen and 37 percent already have a wine cellar or are considering adding a wine cellar to their homes, according to the survey. Meanwhile, 59 percent said they have a room in their homes devoted exclusively to entertainment. And in those rooms, 89 percent said that they can accommodate more than six people, with 84 percent indicating that they have either a 50-inch or bigger HDTV screen, or media systems such as DVD players and a surround sound system.

Fifty-seven percent have a wet bar and 24 percent have movie-theater style seating in their entertainment rooms. Also, 54 percent of respondents already own or plan to buy original artwork, according to the Coldwell Banker announcement.

Some other popular amenities in million-dollar homes: Security system, 86 percent; professional landscaping, 67 percent; in-ground swimming pool, 37 percent; hot tub 35 percent.

Of those respondents who own a second home, 55 percent of the second homes are in recreation areas, including the beach or oceanfront, 32 percent; lakefront, 11 percent; or in ski resorts or mountain areas, 11 percent. Among those who would consider buying a second home, 42 percent would select beach and oceanfront locations, 14 percent would choose ski areas and mountains, and 12 percent would choose lake areas.

The survey also found that 32 percent of those polled do not plan to retire until they are 65 or older, with 14 percent stating that they plan to retire at 60-64. Respondents said that when it is time to retire, they look forward to traveling internationally (46 percent) or within the U.S. (42 percent).

About 70 percent of respondents said that interest rate increases will have no impact on their planned luxury purchases.

About 62 percent said they have recently visited a high-end resort/spa; 43 percent went on an active vacation such as a ski trip, bike or hiking trip; 28 percent traveled for more than three weeks internationally; and 25 percent spending same amount of time traveling domestically. About 18 percent of those surveyed have flown on a private plane over the last year and 9 percent went on an extreme vacation or adventure vacation, such as an African safari, Coldwell Banker said

About 5 percent of those surveyed employ a personal assistant, 4 percent have a live-in housekeeper and 1 percent have a driver.

About 84 percent described themselves as moderate- to low-risk investors. The survey found that majority retirement holdings vary widely among respondents: Individual stocks, 29 percent; mutual funds, 23 percent; real estate, 19 percent; mixed portfolio including real estate, 14 percent; bonds, 11 percent; mixed portfolio excluding real estate, 11 percent; 401k, 7 percent; CDs, 2 percent; annuities, 2 percent; IRA, 2 percent; pension funds, 1 percent.

About 33 percent of respondents expect a tax refund this year, and 39 percent plan to invest this money in their homes, the survey revealed. About 29 percent plan to save that money, and 12 percent plan to invest it in stocks, bonds or mutual funds.

About 43 percent of luxury homeowners made more than $500,000, and 41 percent cited their household income as between $200,000-$500,000. Owners of million-dollar homes shop at Nordstrom, 34 percent; Neiman Marcus, 17 percent; and Saks Fifth Avenue, 10 percent; with Macy’s, Lord & Taylor, Talbots and Pottery Barn also making the list of top shopping spots.

http://www.dailynewstranscript.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=76911

Latin America's real estate sector is booming

SPECIAL REPORT

June 12, 2006

Real Estate: Latin Boom

Latin America's real estate sector is booming, thanks in large part to a growing number of US retirees buying homes. Panama, Mexico and Costa Rica are leading the way, but also Argentina is seeing a boom.

BY JOACHIM BAMRUD

Donald Trump is busy these days. Apart from running his real estate empire and planning another reality TV show, he is preparing to develop a 62-story hotel and apartment tower in Panama City, Panama.

The planned Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower will feature morethan 300 hotel rooms and 500 luxury apartments as well as a casino, yacht club and its own private beach.

But Trump isn't the only one developing highrise towers in Panama. "In Panama City there are new sky scrapers going up all over," says Robert Baker, president of theAmerican Chamber of Commerce in Panama. Panama is seeing unprecedent interest from U.S. retirees, partly as a result of positive media coverage in Conde Nast Traveler and magazines published by the American Association Retired Persons (AARP). And CBS filmed three Surivivor series in Panama, more than any other country, Baker points out.

Panama is one of three real estate markets in Latin America seeing heightened interest, according to Rogerio Basso, Latin America real estate specialist at US-based consultancy Ernst & Young. "In general, markets that provide a good combination of air lift from major destinations, proximity to key source markets and coastal locations are experiencing explosive growth," he says. "In discussions with our clientsand the investment community, we are observing that there is heightenedinterest in Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama."

NEW STANDARD

The Trump project, with a total cost of $220 million, will start in thesecond half of the year and be ready by 2009. Construction firm Arias Sernay Saravia SA and real estate marketing company Espacios Urbanos S.A., bothfrom neighboring Colombia, are also involved in the new project.

"With this development we will set a new standard of luxury in Panama,"Trump said in late April. "The Trump Ocean Club, International Hotel &Tower, will be a magnificent and distinctive contribution to Panama City,one of Latin America's most dynamic cities."

LATIN AMERICA'S TALLEST?

The 104-story Ice Tower in Panama City set for completion in 2010. Meanwhile, Panama City has also seen a race between two rival projects aimedat becoming the tallest building in Latin America. The 104-story residentialand hotel building, Ice Tower, is slated to be completed in 2010.

The building is being developed by F&F Properties LTDA., Inc, from Panama, while the design is being done by local architecture firm Pinzon, Lozano &Asociados. Spain-based Olloqui Group is constructing a 93-floor building, Palacio de la Bahía, located on the Bay of Panama. It is expected to be finished in 2009 and is being designed by local architect Jesús Díaz & Asociados.

The two projects were originally smaller, but subsequently started adding floors to obtain status at the tallest building in the region. And Grupo Mall, another Spanish developer, is building a multitower centerof apartments, hotel and commercial mall. The project, scheduled for partial completion in 2009, is designed by UK architect Chapman Taylor LLP.

And the real estate boom isn't only limited to the capital. The K Group,Trump's local partner on the new tower, is also developing Emerald Bay on Isla Contadora and Coronado Country Club Resort, a major development consisting of 300 apartments and houses, near the main tourist areas of Panama. A new project similar to the Miami Seaquarium is going up in SanCarlos and even the Wal-Mart heiress is looking for land in Panama, Bakersays.

European real estate investors are also developing luxury beach front villasin the Azuero Peninsula, Isla Viveros in the Pearl Islands and Montañas de Caldera near Boquete, according to the International Herald Tribune. "You have a real boom going on here," Baker says. "Land prices are going up fast and some of the big condos in the city are increasing in price by$25,000 per month." He expects the boom to last at least five more years, if not another decade.

Apart from the existing demand, future developments will also be helped by such factors as the planned expansion of the Panama Canal, a planned refinery by U.S. oil giant Oxy and a new mega port near the Pacific entrance of the canal. Combined these will inject $11.8 billion into the Panamanian economy, Baker says.

BABY BOOMERS

But Panama isn't the only real estate market seeing a boom. All across Latin America, there is increased investment from U.S. and European buyers. "Real estate in Latin America is attracting significant interest amongst U.S. buyers searching for second- and third-vacation homes," Basso says.

"The baby-boomer generation is fueling a majority of real estate purchasesin Latin America."

And the trend is expected to continue as individuals continue to retire andthe U.S. real estate market is seen as less favorable, he says. The U.S.market has been appreciating significantly in recent years, leading manyAmericans to look for affordable alternatives.

More recently, rising speculation about the bubble has had a similar effect. "Concerns about a possible real estate bubble in the [United States] is leading investors to assess other markets where fundamentals, and the possibility of appreciation, are still present," Basso says. The exceptions to the U.S. real estate investment boom are countries like Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela, which are hurt by image problems relating to security or political stability or both, experts say.

MEXICO AND ARGENTINA

Thanks to a pickup in economic growth and new U.S. mortgage lending, Mexico's real estate sector is growing dramatically. Total real estate activity by local and foreign investors jumped from $1 billion in 2004 to $3 billion last year and is expected to double to a whopping $6 billion this year, according to Basso.

"U.S. lenders are now providing mortgage lending in Mexico," he says. "This is critical in driving real estate growth."

Such lending provides financing sources to fuel real estate purchases and comfort for U.S. buyers considering purchases in a foreign country as these individuals deal can deal with the same institutions, and similar terms, as they are used to in the mainland, Basso points out.

Meanwhile, the country's GDP has been growing at 4.2 percent and 3.0 percent the last two years after only expanding by 1.4 percent in 2003. Also Argentina is seeing a boom. The country's economic crisis in 2001-02led to a strong decline in real estate prices. At the same time, the eurohas appreciated against the Argentina peso, leading to bargain conditionsfor European investors. The result: a boom in residential real estate,especially from Spanish buyers. "Most of the investments in residential, and in some cases in commercial, real estate were by Spaniards due to strong cultural factors," says Pablo Manes, corporate business manager for U.S.-based real estate broker Colliers International in Buenos Aires. Residential real estate prices in 2003 and 2004 even passed the prices pre-crisis, he says.

There has also been an increase in commercial real estate demand, accordingto Manes. "With the economic improvement, inflation under control, growingreserves and the agreement with creditors, companies are coming back to the country," he says. "At the same time, companies here are growing and needmore space." With little or no recent investment in commercial real estate, prices forexisting space has sky rocketed and vacancy is at an all-time low in class A space in Buenos Aires, according to Manes. "The demand for office space is very strong," he says. "When we have a new client that wants large space, we have have a limited number of places to show them."

While commercial real estate is still not at pre-crisis levels, he expects that may change soon. "If growth continues like this...we will be at the same level as before the crisis," he says.

OUTLOOK

In the short- to mid-term, real estate in Latin America is anticipated to continue to experience high levels of interest from both U.S. and Europeanbuyers, Basso predicts. "Affordable destinations, phenomenal natural beauty, ease of access, but most importantly, significantly wealth stemming from a retiring baby-boom generation should continue to provide sound demand-side fundamentals to fuel this growth," he says. "However, it remains to be seen whether these Latin American nations will be able to properly respond with supply-side offering to continue to attract foreign buyers."

Second-Home Buyers Head South

Second-Home Buyers Head South

As the price of beachfront property in the United States escalates, more people are looking south of the border for vacation homes

RISMEDIA, July 13, 2006-(KRT)-

As the price of beachfront property in theUnited States escalates, more people are looking south of the border for vacation homes. That has created big opportunities for Denver developer Pat Butler, who has spent more than a decade developing resort property in Mexico.

In 1993, Butler founded Denver- based Club Acquisition Co. to acquire resort and vacation properties. The company has worked in Arizona, California, Colorado and Mexico. In 2004, his company partnered with Paladin Realty Partners to develop the Estrella del Mar Golf and Beach Resort in Mazatlan. When completed, the 816-acre development 10 minutes from the Mazatlan airport will have 1,145 home lots and 631 condos.

The development is expected to generate $500 million in sales from condos and lots. Prices for home sites start at $195,000. Prices for condos start at $275,000. The resort features 3K miles of beaches on the Pacific Ocean and a Robert Trent Jones Jr. championship golf course. The master plan includes a branded hotel, an equestrian center and stables, a tennis center and a spa.

Estrella del Mar is Butler's second venture into Mexican resort development. In 1994, he bought El Dorado Ranch, a 200,000-acre retirement and vacation property just north of San Felipe, a fishing village on the Sea of Cortez. About 35,000 acres of that property can be developed to allow foreigners to own land in Mexico.

So far, more than 7,000 homesites have been sold and1,500 residences have been built. Prices for the homesites start at $40,000.Prices for condos start at $350,000.

"The Mexican government is interested in responsible foreign investment,"Butler said. It wants investors to create jobs, educate the workforce and work with charities. Butler has responded.
His El Dorado Ranch development and other businesses in San Felipe -- including a hotel, plus Thrifty Car Rental and Century 21 franchises -- have provided more than 500 jobs and supported local education, sports and ecology. Butler also has provided numerous educational scholarships and grants and sponsors a charity celebrity golf tournament that benefits the San Felipe de Jesus School.

U.S. citizens wanting to buy vacation homes in Mexico should follow the same rules they do when buying real estate in the United States, said Richard Krumbein, head of international practice for the law firm Snell & Wilmer LLP, which has offices in Denver. It's important to check for a clear chain of title and put down payments into escrow, just as you would in the U.S.
"The reason people get in trouble is because they tend to leave their common sense at the border," Krumbein said.

On the Mexican mainland, a foreigner can buy property fee simple except when it is in the restricted zone: 32 miles from the shoreline or 62K miles from the border. Buyers can purchase real estate in the restricted zone through a Mexican bank trust called a fideicomiso. For an annual fee of about $300, the bank serves as a trustee, holding title to the property for up to 50 years. Mexican real estate is a good investment, Krumbein said. Just like in theU.S., it's booming. "The two economies are closely tied," he said. "When the U.S. sneezes,Mexicans get pneumonia."

Copyright C 2006, The Denver Post Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

http://rismedia.com/index.php/article/articleview/15192/1/1/

Punta Mita's Four Seasons Resort Ranked #1 Golf Course in World by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine

Punta Mita's Four Seasons Resort Ranked #1 Golf Course in World by Conde Nast Traveler Magazine

Upscale Resort in Mexico's Hottest Development Also Takes Top Honors in Accommodations and Service

PUNTA MITA, Mexico,

June 21 /PRNewswire/ --

The Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita -- the flagship resort of the innovative 1,500-acre, master-planned community just north of Puerto Vallarta -- has taken top honors in three categories of Conde Nast Traveler's eleventh annual Reader's Choice survey on the world's finest golf resorts.

In this year's evaluation, The Four Seasons Punta Mita is named the #1 Golf Resort in the world, as well as the top property for both accommodations and service.

Conde Nast Traveler's survey polls readers each year, asking them to rank their favorite golf spots in six categories using a five-point scale. Course design accounts for 20% of the overall score, while speed of play accounts for 10%. Accommodations, service, food/dining and facilities each account for 17.5%. Readers rank properties as excellent, very good, good,fair or poor. The Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita topped the overall golf resort list with a score of 96.7, the accommodations list with a score of100, and the service list with a score of 100.

"Conde Nast Traveler has its finger on the pulse of what the world's most discerning travelers want, and this survey is an excellent judge of how a particular property or destination is faring in today's competitive industry landscape," said Lynne Bairstow, Marketing Director for DINE, the developer of Punta Mita.

"We are thrilled to have been recognized as aleading destination -- and THE home of the favorite golf resort in the world -- by travelers.

These rankings prove what a special place Punta Mita truly is."The private Jack Nicklaus Signature Course at The Four Seasons GolfClub Punta Mita is an astonishing 19-hole championship course featuring eight holes facing or playing along the ocean and breathtaking ocean vistas.

Its famed 19th Hole, an optional par-3 called the Tail of theWhale, plays 199 yards from a mainland tee box to an island green in the Pacific Ocean. Playing between 5,037 and 7,014 yards, the private Punta Mita Golf Club is open only to Punta Mita property owners and their guests, guests of TheFour Seasons Resort, and other Punta Mita residents. A second Jack Nicklaus Signature Course is now under construction at Punta Mita.
For information or reservations, log onto
http://www.lapuntarealty.com

About Punta Mita

Punta Mita is an innovative, master-planned resort and residential community covering more than 1,500 acres on a spear-shaped peninsula, surrounded by white sand beaches, Pacific Ocean waters and tropical flora.The resort is a gated, low-density development planned in accordance with the highest quality of international real estate and environmental standards.

Punta Mita is home to The Four Seasons Resort and its Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course, as well as residential homes. A St. Regis Resort & Residences is under construction and will open in early 2008.Punta Mita's master plan calls for up to four luxury hotels, exclusive residential offerings and estate lots. Two championship golf courses, atennis center, beach clubs, spa/wellness center, equestrian center, yachtpier and small commercial village will complete this privileged residential resort community.

DINE, Mexico's premier real estate development company and a subsidiaryof DESC, is the owner/developer of Punta Mita. DINE is Mexico's premierreal estate developer with commercial, residential and master-plannedcommunities throughout Mexico. DESC is one of Mexico's largest corporationswith interests in four sectors: real estate, petro-chemicals, auto partsand food products.

Sotheby's Int'l Realty Luxury Network Expanding in More Than 30 Countries around the World

Sotheby's Int'l Realty Luxury Network Expanding in More Than 30 Countries around the World

RISMEDIA, July 20, 2006-Sotheby's International Realty Affiliates, Inc. announced the Sotheby's International Realty R network is now operating in 18 nations and has executed master franchise agreements to expand into 16 additional countries and territories.

Since September 2004, more than 100 firms around the world have signed multi-year franchise agreements to operate Sotheby's International Realty R offices.

Sotheby's International Realty affiliates are part of a truly global full-service luxury real estate network. Franchisees are provided with worldwide marketing support and business development tools to enhance their position as a luxury leader in their respective markets. In turn, the franchise affiliates provide real estate clientele with global marketing exposure and high quality real estate services.

"We began to create the Sotheby's International Realty franchise network less than 30 months ago, and are extremely pleased with the response from the luxury market," said Michael R. Good, president & CEO of Sotheby'sInternational Realty Affiliates, Inc.

"For far too long, luxury real estate firms and their clientele only could choose to be part of referral networks offering little more than marketing support for select listings. Not only do we provide superior global marketing exposure for our affiliates' propertylistings, we also support these firms with a full range of products and systems that help strengthen their businesses."

"With deep roots in the world-renowned Sotheby's auction house, our brand attracts savvy international real estate buyers and sellers. Our network's innovative real estate services are designed to connect these highly desired consumers with our franchisees and their sales professionals," added Good.

The Sotheby's International Realty luxury network currently has more than 325 offices located in 18 countries including Anguilla, Australia, Bahamas,Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, France, NewZealand, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Maarten / St. Martin, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.

Master franchise agreements have also been signed with companies located in16 additional countries and territories, including firms in Argentina, Barbados, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Mexico, Monaco, Nicaragua, Panama, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Russia, Saba, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

These companies are expected to open Sotheby'sInternational RealtyR offices in the near future.

http://rismedia.com/index.php/article/articleview/15275/1/1/

Smart buyers

Smart buyers know that resort real estate is very big in the United States right now, but many are wondering if sales have peaked in the United States. Because many are wondering how much more the United States can up the ante on the resort real estate, some buyers are looking outside of the United States for their private community desires.

Punta Mita is a gated community located in Mexico that has sort of set the standard for what a luxury community is all about.

Many consider Punta Mita to be the gated community resort for those that are looking to buy a home that gives them that resort feel. Punta Mita has not become a raving successon its own, there are things that have helped to make this private community as successful as it is today.

Private Community Success Factors Punta Mita has been very popular because it is easy to access. An international airport is just 28 miles away and there are literally hundreds of flights to and from the United States each week.

In addition to easy access, Punta Mita offers some of the most beautiful real estate that you can find! Picturesque real estate, ocean front property and beautiful beaches are really attractive features for this private community.

Mexico also offers political and economic stability, which is important to most home buyers. In addition to being stable, the Punta Mita resort offers excellent values on homes that are better than those in California, Hawaii, and the Caribbean.

Who Lives In Punta Mita? Punta Mita is 95% American owned. Punta Mita works very hard to make home ownership quite simple, even if the buyers are not from Mexico.

Offering not only beautiful homes and amenities, but advise on how to buy a home the right way. Punta Mita is an all encompassing, truly great place to live.

Everything that one could possibly want is located in this gorgeous gated community, so it's obvious to see why so many Americans travel out of the U.S. to own a home there.

http://sitemail.puntarealty.com/sitemail5/parse.pl?redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.golfhomeconnect.com%2Fgolf-community-news%2F137%2Fnews.html

Pittman: Mexico set for housing boom, real estate appraiser predicts

Pittman: Mexico set for housing boom, real estate appraiser predicts

DAVID PITTMAN

Tucson Citizen

Mexico in 2006 is similar to the United States in 1940, a country set toembark on a post-depression housing boom.

That is the view of Bruce D. Greenberg, a real estate appraiser active in the United States and Mexico. Greenberg believes the narrow election win for conservative Felipe Calderonas Mexico's president will mean the continuation of economic policies initiated by former President Vicente Fox. He said the perpetuation of those policies will provide the country with the fiscal and monetary discipline needed to move forward successfully.

Greenberg - who operates offices in Tucson and Mexico City and satellite branches in the Mexican communities of Rocky Point, Los Cabos and PuertoVallarta - said his appraisal practice began slowing about two months ago and is gearing back up since Calderon's apparent victory.

"Consumers were watching the election results closely, as were Wall Street and the Mexican business community," he said. "All are reacting favorably now that it's over."

While Calderon appears to have won the presidential race by a razor-thin margin over leftist Andrew Manuel Lopez Obrador, Mexico's special election court has until Sept. 6 to decide whether to certify the results.

A decade ago, Greenberg said, it was easy for people to go to a Mexican bank for a loan to buy a donkey or a tractor, but difficult to get a mortgage for a home. That is not the case today, and the election of Calderon will speed the pace of Mexico's modernization, he said.

Greenberg believes several large financial institutions will soon expand to Mexico."Watch for banks, such as Wells Fargo and Bank of America, to join Deutsche Bank, Citibank and HSBC," he said.

Greenberg, among the most active appraisers in western Mexico, also expect swell-known real estate firms to become active in more areas of the country."ReMax, Century 21, Coldwell Banker and Prudential are common in oceanresort communities," he said. "Watch for their growth in the interiorcities."

Greenberg expects Multiple Listing Services, which are in short supply in Mexico, to soon take root."I predict that Realtor associations and the MLS will grow enormously throughout the resort community corridors of Mexico," he said. "Besides LosCabos and Puerto Vallarta, lenders from Wall Street will demand this service, along with other more sophisticated information data.

"The state of Sonora was a voter stronghold for Calderon. Greenberg said Calderon's election means rapid growth in Sonora will continue."I think you'll see San Carlos become another growing area for second homes, similar to Rocky Point," he said.

http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/19556.php

Mexico's elections

Mexico's elections

A nation awaits

Jul 13th 2006 MEXICO CITY

From The Economist print edition

With court challenges under way, a clear winner looks unlikely before September

AP

ON JULY 12th demonstrations in support of Andrés Manuel López Obrador swept Mexico. But they were not what the presidential candidate of the centre-left Party of the Democratic Revolution (PRD) had hoped for in his last-ditch bid to be proclaimed the victor.

Although Mr López Obrador has called for a massive rally in Mexico City on July 16th in protest against alleged fraud in July 2nd's election, the gatherings around the country have so far attracted protesters only in the hundreds, and the thousands, rather than the hundreds of thousands.

According to the final official count by Mexico's independent Federal Electoral Institute (IFE), Felipe Calderón, the candidate of President Vicente Fox's centre-right National Action Party (PAN), pipped Mr López Obrador to the post by just 0.58%, or 244,000 votes.

Although Mexico City's former mayor had been ahead for much of the count, he fell behind as late results from states supporting Mr Calderón came in. He is now contesting the vote.The final outcome rests with a special electoral court, known by its Spanish acronym, Trife, whose decision is final.

It will evaluate challenges to the count made by all three main parties. Mr López Obrador is disputing the count in 50,000 of the country's 130,000 polling stations; the PAN is contesting it in 1,500, and the PRI in 800.

Mr López Obrador is also challenging the vote on the ground that government intervention notably advertisements by Mr Fox lauding the government's achievements gave him anadvantage.

Although some of Mr López Obrador's challenges may be legitimate, he seems to be making some illegitimate ones. At a press conference on July 10th, he presented two videos allegedly showing irregularities, which now appear to be bogus.

One of them showed a man stuffing a ballot box. But it turned out that the man, who is a school teacher and the local electoral overseer, was transferring presidential ballots, which had mistakenly been placed in the legislative ballot box, to their correct place. The local PRD representative has confirmed that it was done correctly.

The Trife has until the end of August to make a decision about any alleged irregularities, and must announce its decision by September 6th. It islikely to take its full allotted time. Composed of seven independent judges,the court has broad powers, though these have never been used before in a presidential election. It can certainly order recounts, or even annul the vote, of specific polling stations, though it is not clear whether it could order a total recount or annul the election entirely.

According to Fernando Franco, a former Trife judge and now a professor at ITAM, a university in Mexico City, a failure by the court to declare the vote valid by the September 6th deadline would be tantamount to annulling the election.But, as Mr Franco notes, there is a presumption of validity. The court would have to find extraordinary evidence that the election was flawed to take such a step. This seems unlikely. No evidence of systematic irregularities has yet surfaced.

Some errors have been found in the overall tabulation of votes but, according to José Woldenberg, the respected head of the IFE during the 2000 elections, these are likely to cancel each other out without affecting the overall result. Independent EU observers said the IFE had been impartial.

Mr López Obrador's claim that Mr Fox is a traitor to democracy, is rooted in the president's persistent attempts to prevent him from even entering the race. But in ending seven decades of rule by PRI, Mr Fox is also regarded as one of the founders of Mexico's nascent democracy.

Mr López Obrador's legal case is hurt by the fact that his own party representatives signed off on the count in many of the polling stations where he is now challenging the vote. The former mayor is now insinuating that some of them may have been paid off. But in more than a quarter of the stations, the PRD did not even have a representative present.Mexico's financial world seems much more concerned with what happens after December 1st than with the short term. In the expectation that the current political crisis will be resolved by legal means, neither Standard & Poor'snor Fitch, two rating agencies, have changed their ratings of government bonds.

Although interest rates inched up at the most recent auction of government debt and most people expect the peso to fall, this is due as much to external factors (such as rising American interest rates) as to electoral uncertainties.

Meanwhile, the jittery Mexican stockmarket has been rising with every bit of good news for Mr Calderón, and falling with every sign that Mr López Obrador might still have a chance.In all probability the market will settle down as it, like the rest ofMexico, gets used to the long wait until September 6th. What is needed now is patience.

It is far from ideal that the final decision over who becomes Mexico's next president rests with the seven individuals who sit on theTrife rather than the millions of Mexicans who voted on July 2nd. But the court has established a track record of impartiality, ruling in favour of the three major parties in almost equal proportions over the past decade. Further, the court's judges are barred from any other government post tha tmight have been affected by their decisions for two years after their terms end. Six of the court's seven judges end their ten-year terms in October.

Regardless of how they rule, a large portion of the country is sure to beunhappy. But the 1996 reform that empowered the Trife as the final arbiter of any election is far superior to what came before, where a simple majority of the lower house of Congress sufficed to declare a vote valid.

Americans looking for land deals migrate to Mexican coast

Americans looking for land deals migrate to Mexican coast

03:34 PM CDT on Thursday, June 15, 2006

By Angela Kocherga / KVUE News

Mexico used to ban foreigners from owning oceanfront property.

Now, Americans can buy homes right on the beach, and that's sparked a boom in once remote regions like Nayarit which sits along Mexico's Pacific Coast.

Land bargains spark building boom along Mexico's Pacific Coast. Many of the real estate sale signs there are in English.

"I think it's going to be one of the premiere, upscale residential options for Americans here in Mexico," said real estate agent, Fred Feibel.

Feibel, a Houston native, moved to Nayarit eight years ago when the area was largely undiscovered by Americans, except for a few surfers. Real estate experts in that once remote area said prices have doubled,tripled and in some cases quadrupled in recent years.

A few homes ares elling for more than $1 million.

"I saw the beaches, the undeveloped beaches," said real estate broker, CarolDavenport. Those beaches were what attracted Davenport. She moved here from Dallas last summer to scout properties for Texas Investors.

But what about those who don't have millions to invest? Can they buy a dream home in Mexico?

Well, that depends on the dream said Davenport, "you can't have somebody who retires on $600 a month and expect them to get resort property. That's notrealistic." But the real estate experts say there are still bargains, although not right on the beach.

"One can live in Mexico on any budget," said Ann Emboury who is a Nayarit resident. "We're not investors. We just wanted a home. We wanted to be part of a community." The former Tucson teacher moved here with her husband and roy less than a year ago. They live in a modest home just a few blocks from the beach.

Experts predict more Americans will move to Mexico in the near future as baby boomers cross border in search of affordable retirement property.

http://www.kvue.com/news/state/stories/061506kvuemexicoproperty-cb.8c45de30.html

Mexico becoming more than a spring break destination

Mexico becoming more than a spring break destination
Strong work force, proximity allow neighbor to compete with Asia

By Ryan Johnson

Like a large chunk of students at the UA, I went to Mexico over springbreak.

I even went to a tequila factory. But I'm pretty sure I came away with an extremely different impression ofthe country than the revelers in Rocky Point, Acapulco, Puerto Vallarta,Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Cozumel, Playa Del Carmen and Rosaritadid.

While they saw beaches, bead vendors and beer, I saw a country of opportunity.As part of a master's in business administration class called International Management, I had the opportunity to attend a field trip to Guadalajara over spring break.

The dozen or so of us on the trip went from factory to factory, seeing howMexico is trying to redefine itself. We watched Mexicans make DVDs at aTechnicolor plant (if you buy "The Chronicles of Narnia" next month, weprobably saw it being made). We saw how Wonder Bread was made, from flour tobagging. We saw where lots of Hewlett-Packard customer service calls areanswered - it's not just India anymore. And we saw a plant for Jabil, a high-tech electronics manufacturer.

Globalization has been both a boon and a bane for Mexico. The North American Free Trade Agreement brought growth and new markets - factories right acrossthe border sprang up to produce our televisions, videocassette Now it appears that Mexico is finding its niche.
Unable to compete with Asia onprice, Mexico is now competing in quality and proximity.
recorders and shirts. But not long after, just as Americans got used toseeing "Made in Mexico" on their underwear, Mexicans faced "Made in China"underwear. Turns out when it comes to employers, $5 per day is greatcompared to $5 per hour, but pales in comparison to $5 per week.

Many of the border factories closed, and it appeared that Mexico was stuckin an uncomfortable void: too rich to be able to produce cheap goods for theU.S. and the rest of the rich world, but too poor to be in thedeveloped-world club.

Now it appears that Mexico is finding its niche.
Unable to compete with Asiaon price, Mexico is now competing on quality and proximity.

Technicolor says that movie studios prefer to produce DVDs in Mexico becausethe country is widely viewed as more secure for intellectual property thanChina. In fact, a Chinese tour group to HP was turned away simply because of nationality. Mexico is also marketing its proximity to the U.S. as an asset for therapid-turnover, high-velocity world of technological manufacturing.
Trendschange so quickly that the three- or four-week boat ride from Asia to Los Angeles can mess up a product cycle. Grupo Bimbo, the company behind Oroweatbread and Entenmann's pastries, can get a product from the middle of Mexico to the U.S. in hours.Moreover, companies want to be in Mexico for the chance to take part in the growing domestic market.

Indeed, the big concern of 2004 - outsourcing - is now looking like a global blessing. While it used to be that for every job out sourced, one U.S. job was lost, now the Harvard Business Review reports that it takes 13 jobs outsourced to cost a single U.S. job. Not only is HP saving costs by outsourcing to Mexico, but it is also selling more computersthere and creating more jobs in Silicon Valley, Calif. And every job created in a Mexican city creates even more job opportunities throughout the country.

Jabil, the electronics manufacturer, says that its 4,000 Guadalajara jobs create 13,000 jobs throughout Mexico. What about the next step for Mexico? "Doesn't it still have corruption?"asked my father, who studied for two years in Guadalajara.It is getting better, Mexicans respond.

One of the biggest themes of the companies we visited was transparency as well as openness of data. A workerat Technicolor couldn't steal a screw if he tried. And every piece of motherboard at Jabil is traceable by computer from anywhere in the world.

We heard from the former Mexican ambassador to India, who said that globalization is forcing Mexico to stamp out corruption. What about Latin America's age-old vice, lack of punctuality?

Companies are forcing employees to stamp out the old culture. Besides, American college students sleeping in until 3:30 p.m. on springbreak can't really say much for their own punctuality. Mexico may be a playground for overzealous U.S. college students during spring break, but while we're passing out on the beach, they're working.

Pacific Hamlet could become Mexico's next hot stop

Pacific Hamlet could become Mexico's next hot stop

By Alfredo Corchado

SAN FRANCISCO, Mexico - Maybe it was the impossibly bright orange sunsetover the Pacific Ocean, the sound of waves crashing onto the shore, brieflydisturbing the peace and the silence around us. Or it may have been the eclectic crowd - old hippies, yuppies and theultrarich - enjoying the isolated innocence on an unspoiled Mexican beach. Whatever it was, I couldn't avoid a creeping realization: I didn't miss Cancun, its blindingly white sandy beaches, or the turquoise Caribbean waters. And just forget Acapulco and its nonstop nightlife and foul bay.

I had found a new paradise, and just in time. I'd thought I'd visited everybeach in Mexico. I had grown jaded about many places where you arrive eagerto hit the water or relax and read a book, only to end up feeling cleanedout by resort operators and their hidden costs, such as the 5 percent covercharge just to dine.

This quiet stretch of Pacific coast in Nayarit state renewed my faith. I'm enjoying this place, just 45 miles north of Puerto Vallarta and a world away from Mexico's more well-known and crowded tourist destinations. Before long, however, the inevitable pressure of beach-seeking humanity will be arriving by the plane load. The place is no longer a secret beyond the small but dedicated group of vacationers, the vast majority from California,who come back year after year to live a few days in simple luxury. The northern rim of Bahia de Banderas has become an eclectic refuge for the pinchers of pennies and the deep pockets alike. Lodgings go for anywherefrom $35 for a no-frills room in Cielo Rojo to $550 at the Four SeasonsPunta Mita.

This windswept coast was once a string of remote fishing villages nestled byhilly jungles. But it's now a playground for jet-setters and surfer dudesalike, all chasing the next big wave. At once, a vivid reminder of Spain'sCosta Brava and California's Santa Cruz. Nayarit state, made famous in the movie "Night of the Iguana," has been known as the jungle around Puerto Vallarta - for decades a principal destination for U.S. travelers from the West Coast. It was a small, unhurried resort area squeezed against the Pacific by tall mountains hidingthe colorful but reclusive culture of Mexico's Huichol Indians.

The charming hamlet of San Francisco, known locally as San Pancho, won meover with its tropical beachfront and lush green hillsides of seeminglyundisturbed parrots. It has some of the best bird and whale watching in the world. It's off the beaten path and reflects a downshift tourism - a quieter andmore relaxed environment. More important, it was the unusual, welcome hospitality offered by friendly locals who appear eager to embrace the transformation of this fishing village into a world-class resort.

Its cobblestone streets and white sands call out for early morning or evening walks. It's also a surfer haven, this point proved by a travelcompanion who'd wake up at 5:30 a.m. to hit the waves. I preferred hikingthrough mountains, taking in the views and endless miles of pristine beachesalong the Nayarit coast. Like the region itself, ours was a peacefulcoexistence.

That doesn't mean that some aren't worried about losing a traditional way oflife. They've seen what's happened to once-secluded Cancun, or NuevoVallarta. A local group of women is protesting to preserve public beach access they've always had before.

Yet change is coming: Both the federal and state governments are pumpingmillions of dollars into roads, electric lines and municipal water projects.They're creating what locals proudly call Mexico's next best tourism destination. Among the projects: a new road to connect San Pancho to Sayulita, anindolent fishing village known for its surfer-worthy waves, and Punta Mita, where Four Seasons is the star attraction.

It's one charming beach afteranother, interrupted only by tropical forests and mangroves. Farther inlandare Nayarit's volcanic highlands and the cultural attractions and pristinebeaches of Guayabitos and big-city Tepic. I stood on top of a mountain, watching the sunset and Bungalow Lydia belowus, taking in the whispering wildlife and hushed sounds, mindful that the secret will soon reach Texans, if it hasn't already.

http://www.seacoastonline.com/news/03262006/travel/94639.htm

Mexico Plans Controls for the Sea of Cortez and its Bordering Land Areas

Monday, July 3, 2006

Mexico Plans Controls for the Sea of Cortez and its Bordering Land Areas

By Barnard R. Thompson

The Mexican Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), onJune 21, 2006 published a notice in the Official Daily (Diario Oficial de laFederación) of not just national but too international interest andimportance. Notice that a law that better manages Mexicos Gulf ofCalifornia (Sea of Cortez) and its contiguous coastal areas is to go intoeffect, plus a call for comments on the draft proposals a publicopportunity that will end 60 days from the publication date.

The Notification of the Proposal of the Marine Ecological Ordinance of theGulf of California refers to a 168-page Spanish language document that isnow available for review and comment, part of a Mexican government publicconsultation mechanism. A link to the draft document can be found on theSEMARNAT Internet site, plus print copies are available at sites listed inthe published notice. Information on an English language synopsis of thedocument and its attachments, and the public comment process, is obtainablevia mexintel@ix.netcom.com.

*The Proposal of the Marine Ecological Ordinance of the Gulf of California,”hereafter referred to as the Proposal, is divided first into sections thatin turn are subdivided and indexed to deal with 15 Coastal Management Units(UGC), and seven Oceanic Management Units. The coastal and land zones canbe described as starting at Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur; running upthe Gulf of California to its northernmost Baja California- Sonora terminus;and back down mainland Mexico to Punta Mita, Nayarit, which is justnorthwest of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco. And then the southern demarcation isan oceanic line drawn straight between Punta Mita and Cabo San Lucas.

The Oceanic Management Units, or UGOs, include the islands and everythingelse within the greater marine limits.Environmental protection and natural history interests heavily influencedthe draft Proposal it would seem, especially when hearing participant andworking group member lists are also taken into consideration. To the degreethat developers, landowners, tourism interests, recreation and sportsenthusiasts, and some entrepreneurial sectors seem to have gotten the shortend of the stick. Yet maybe this is necessary considering the fragility ofthe region, and the exploitation of certain areas therein.

From the very beginning, the Proposal states that the ordinance is designedto be an environmental planning and policy instrument. A management planimplemented due to need, and a working program that will be kept currentthrough the continuous work and involvement of all levels of government,along with civil and sectoral interests.

This plus regular reviews in orderto make changes or adjustments when deemed necessary, and to enforce thecode and principles.To theoretically insure a balance between environmental protection andproductive activities, with the goal of a regional development vision basedon sustainability, a large Marine Ecological Ordinance of the Gulf ofCalifornia Committee was formed, and work began on June 5, 2004.According to the draft document, this two-part committee consists of anexecutive section and a technical division. A committee of the whole thatwill govern and direct processes to institutionalize a plural participationmechanism in order to prevent and attend to environmental conflicts in theregion, and thus legalize decision making around regional development, the document states.

So work began, divided into four basic categories: characterization;diagnostic; prognosis; and proposal. And this last point called for thedraft Proposal now completed and under final review, “the model of ecologicordinance and ecological strategies.Information and concerns regarding each of the 22 UGC and UGO units areoutlined in the Models chapter, whereas the recommendations and plans fornot only marine areas and insular properties, but too for adjacent coastallands, are found in the Ecological Strategies chapter of the Proposal.

Among the items addressed, especially within the Ecological Strategies, arepoints and matters anyone interested in the Gulf of California, its coastalenvirons, and its flora and fauna might want to review and maybe submitcomments.The Ecological Strategies are discussed in nine subtitles: regional trends;general sustainability actions; interaction between marine and coastalenvironments; inter-sectoral; social participation; inter-cultural;follow-up process; precautionary focus; and research agenda.Commercial fishing is a concern, as are aquaculture sites.

It goes into coastal area land problems, especially agricultural runoff areas. And itmentions energy exploration and exploitation.The Proposal addresses tourism and land developments, plus urban growthproblems in vulnerable locations. Among other things, marinas are aconcern, recreational boating (and commercial shipping) are worries, and itasserts pleasure activities such as sportfishing must be controlled.

Mankarios Partnership To Spearhead New Luxury Projects

Mankarios Partnership To Spearhead New Luxury Projects
7/6/2006
By Glenn Haussman

DALLAS – Hot on the heels of its successful gig managing more than $1.5 billion in assets with Ty Warner Hotels & Resorts, The Mankarios Partnership is moving into the next phase of its evolution. The company, with its expertise in luxury hotel development, asset management and property management, has just signed an agreement with Serendipity Land Holdings to provide technical services and ongoing management and marketing for a new $100 million project in Punta de Mita, Mexico.

This marks the second major deal the company has signed during the last three months. In May, Mankarios Partnership announced a strategic alliance with RPC Holdings (formerly Royal Palm Communities), to assist with the development, execution and ongoing management of the Paramount brand of ultra-luxury mixed use developments. Here the company will provide general advisory services, technical assistance, pre-opening services and long-term hotel and condominium management. The first project is to be located in Miami.

When it comes to building the next generation luxury hotel, founding partner Atef Mankarios said in an exclusive interview with Hotel Interactive that today’s luxury consumer is not just more savvy, but brings with them an understanding of the luxury hotel experience gleaned from high-end magazines, television shows on the Travel Channel and personal experiences.

This understanding, combined with a foresight of where the market is headed, will help Mankarios advise Serendipity on the type of experience that must be delivered to define the new luxury market.

“We are building a product that is in competition with every great hotel our guests have ever stayed in, and they have been to the world’s greatest hotels,” Mankarios said. “To be successful we have to be more creative, more precise and more exacting in the execution of services and consistency of delivery.”

The mixed use El Banco in Punta de Mita project will contain just 40 hotel suites and 35 casitas. Each room will have its own pool and the finest amenities and facilities, including a beach club and 10,000 square foot stand alone spa.

When Mankarios was the President of Rosewood Hotels & Resorts he put his imprint on Las Ventanas al Paraíso, a Los Cabos resort he helped create. He also managed the resort through his association with Mankarios Partnership while his company was advising Ty Warner Hotels & Resorts. The property is widely considered one of the world’s best resorts.

Now, Mankarios said the concepts created there will serve merely as a springboard for the El Banco project, which his company will manage under a long-term agreement when it opens. “We are going to take everything we learned from building Las Ventanas and make that our starting point. That project taught us great lessons, but we have evolved and we will use that project as a frame of reference in creating this new resort.”

For RPC, Mankarios said his company will be an integral part in helping the company build a collection of world class mixed use developments that inject each property with not only a sense of place, but a distinct style, architecture and an extremely personalized style of service. At this level of the market, Mankarios said, service is the major defining factor that wins or loses a guest.

Mankarios has long been an expert in service delivery, his firm’s hallmark. “Service is our defining factor and the ability to deliver comprehensive personalized service. We will take each guest and make sure they feel they are the only guest in the building,” said Mankarios.

Tim Koogle, CEO of Serendipity Land Holdings, said one of the reasons they selected Mankarios Partnership was the company’s understanding of personalized luxury and service. “Atef Mankarios and his team’s experience in developing and operating such world class resorts as Las Ventanas at Paraiso in Cabo San Lucas, The Lanesborough in London, and some of the world’s greatest hotels and resorts, led us to this exciting selection. Their level of expertise and credible track record in creating and operating one-of-a-kind resorts guided our decision making. We are looking forward to a long and successful relationship,” Koogle said.

One way he said the experience will be delivered is through an excellent food and beverage program he promises will never rely on celebrity chefs, who he said are rarely behind the stove because they are off opening even more outlets. Instead, they groom chefs from the inside and give them the necessary tools to create a top culinary experience. In any event, Mankarios said true luxury aficionados are past having their meals served under the moniker of a celebrity chef.
“The consumer today is more sophisticated and well rounded and doesn’t believe in going to a place because there’s a name on the door. They go beyond that to what is on the table. We also know better than to chase around a name; we will leave that for the uniformed,” Mankarios said.
Though the Mankarios Partnership has been offered many advisory and management contracts, Mankarios said the only effective way to run this business is to be highly selective regarding the projects his team takes on. He studies the fundamentals to make sure it is a new or existing development is worth pursuing. With the Punta de Mita project, Mankarios said in 10 years the market will be as strong as Los Cabos.

The Punta de Mita project will make its debut sometime in 2008.

Fadesa invests 27 mln eur in land for in planned Mexican tourist resort

Fadesa invests 27 mln eur in land for in planned Mexican tourist resort

MADRID (AFX) - Fadesa Inmobiliaria SA said it has invested 27 mln eur to acquire four stretches of land in Nayarit, on the Mexican Pacific coast, to develop a tourist resort.

In a statement, Fadesa said it plans to build a 640-room hotel, a residential area of 1,284 rooms and a beach club on the land.

'The project forms part of the first phase of a plan designed by the Mexican governmentto convert the Clip Nayarit in to a leading tourist area, such as the Riviera Maya on the Caribbean,' Fadesa said.

Fadesa's investment accounts for only four of a total of 21 sections of land due to be developed, the company added.

A Mexican trendsetter

A Mexican trendsetter
By Andréa R. Vaucher
International Herald Tribune
FRIDAY, MARCH 11, 2005

COSTA CAREYES, Mexico Approach Costa Careyes from the sea, and the vibrant colors of the houses pop out at you. The indigos and ochres echo the plumage of the exotic birds that inhabit this jungle paradise; the purples and vermilions are as dazzling as the birds of paradise and ginger lilies.

Architecturally, the villas are as audacious as their exterior tints and seem to sprout from the vertiginous cliffs as organically as the lush vegetation.

At the beachfront restaurant where the conversation is in half a dozen languages, Gian Franco Brignone, his white hair and caftan flowing, chatted with a bikini-clad beauty and a dashing young man in mud-covered polo clothes.

Thirty-five years ago, Brignone, now 79, had the foresight to buy a swath of rain forest and sandy coast along 13 kilometers, or 8 miles, of this deserted stretch of Mexico's Pacific coast between Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta, in the state of Jalisco, even though no road connected the towns.

This luxury development now consists of 42 villas, 40 smaller casitas and a 48-room hotel.
An artist and entrepreneur from a Turin banking family, Brignone came to Careyes on a tip from Antenor Patiño, the Bolivian tin baron who developed Las Hadas, one of Mexico's first luxury resorts. Brignone hired a plane and flew over Careyes's dramatic ramparts, which rise steeply out of the sea. Then he packed up his family in Paris and moved.

His son Giorgio Brignone, who runs the Careyes real estate operation and its polo club, said: "My father wanted to go to a country that had good weather all year round, a place with a stable political system that was close to an important market. Europe was a little narrow for my father, because he had a broad imagination."

The bungalows that Gian Franco Brignone built on the beach became a place for friends, like the Fiat tycoon Gianni Agnelli and the British financier James Goldsmith, to don pareos and Speedos and take a break from the European hustle. In 1973, as the Manzanillo airport opened and a road linked Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta, Brignone began to build his dream.

Inspired by Gloria Guinness's Acapulco villa, which featured curved stucco walls and open-air living areas, Brignone pieced together his Careyes aesthetic.

He combined elements of Mexican modernism - specifically the vivid colors and interplay with nature espoused by Luis Barragán, winner of the 1980 Pritzker Architecture Prize - with his own European sensibility and eye for detail.

The first house - the eight-bedroom, bright blue Casa Mi Ojo, with its dramatic hanging bridge suspended 30 meters, or 100 feet, over the crashing waves and connecting the house with a private island - was a collaboration with a Barragán disciple, Marco Aldaco, and set the standard for future Careyes residences.

If the Careyes house has signature details, they are the infinity pool, seemingly suspended over the sea, and the open-air great room.

The windows have shutters, but never screens, and frame breathtaking views. The floors are made from hammered concrete and marble chips, and much of the custom furniture is built of the same "elephant skin" stucco as the walls. Cabinetry is carved from local woods to look like Moroccan moucharabie screens and to allow the air to circulate throughout the rooms.
"My father made a marriage of Mediterranean and Mexican architecture, mixing the European sensuality with the Mexican daring, colors and openness," Giorgio Brignone said.

"And in doing so he enriched both styles. This became the Careyes style - a very human architecture, which has been copied up and down the coast."

Gian Franco Brignone began selling land in 1976, shortly after he built the hotel, the El Careyes Beach Resort, which is now managed by Starwood under its Luxury Collection brand. To purchase land, buyers had to respect his strict architectural and ecological requirements.
Giorgio Brignone said: "We don't use bulldozers here. If there's a rock or a tree we build around it."

There is also a slightly tongue-in-cheek list of 27 emotional, spiritual and practical qualities that the founder expects Careyes homeowners to possess. (See "What to bring," at right.) These include living in the present, respecting the heritage of Mexico, being polyglot and having committed most of the seven deadly sins, especially sloth.

The first person to buy land in Careyes - an American widow who lived in Switzerland and Punta del Este, Uruguay - epitomizes the current Careyes community.

It is an urbane crowd that has done the Costa Smeralda and St. Bart's and has at least a second home in places like Manhattan and Montevideo, Uruguay. A young Mexican steel magnate recently bought the adjacent property, the old Club Med Playa Blanca, and plans to turn it into a vacation compound for family and friends.

Initially, life in Careyes was hardly what such sophisticates were used to; there was no phone service until the mid-1990s. Kari Ardissone, the wife of the former inventor and plastics tycoon Alberto Ardissone recalled driving down the coast to a little town and waiting in line with Henry Kissinger to use the only phone for miles.

Since 1988, the Ardissones have spent the Christmas-to-Easter polo season in Careyes; the rest of the year they divide between London and Lake Maggiore in Italy. Like most Careyes homeowners, who come from 27 different countries, both speak several languages.

Alberto Ardissone calls their villa, Agua Alta, a "Moroccan hacienda," which covers 1,000 square meters, or 11,000 square feet, and includes nine bedrooms and two pools.

Describing the huge appreciation in value at Careyes, Giorgio Brignone said: "We originally sold the land here for $2 a square foot. Now it's $20 a square foot. Originally four- or five-bedroom villas in Careyes went for $600,000 and now they are $2.5 million."

"But the people who bought didn't buy for the investment," Brignone added. "They bought for pleasure and it ended up being a good business."

Some Careyes villas cost even more. The twin 930-square-meter ochre "castles" - as Gian Franco Brignone calls them - positioned on promontories on either side of the bay, are for sale at more than $10 million and rent for $5,000 a night.

Built in 1996 by Brignone and another Barragán disciple, Jean-Claude Galibert, Sol de Oriente and Sol de Occidente are named for the directions that they face.

Each has eight bedrooms and a 930-square-meter infinity pool that surrounds the house like a moat. These are the accommodations that have been favored by Giorgio Armani, Francis Ford Coppola, Silvio Berlusconi and Stevie Wonder.

Residents say Careyes is seductive.

"It's a place where you can have a dinner party with fantastic people every night or run off to a deserted beach and feel the power of the sea and the nature," Kari Ardissone said.
"The closest gas station is one hour away. There's no Sam's Club. You still have to be a romantic, daredevily kind of person to love it here, CNN notwithstanding."