Auberge Resorts to Open New Resort at Kanai on Mexico's Riviera Maya

MILL VALLEY, Calif., May 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Auberge Resorts (www.aubergeresorts.com), developers and operators of renowned luxury resorts Auberge du Soleil, Esperanza, Calistoga Ranch, The Inn at Palmetto Bluff, Encantado and Rancho Valencia, is expanding its presence in Mexico.  The company today announced plans to open a new 50-suite luxury resort on Mexico's Riviera Maya at Kanai, an exclusive master-planned beachfront community being developed by joint-venture partners ALHEL and GIM Desarrollos.

The Riviera Maya is a coastal paradise renowned for its mangroves and lagoons, ancient Mayan cities, tropical beaches, ecological reserves and the world's second largest coral reef.  Located on a pristine beachfront site, the Auberge resort will feature 50 spacious suites, each offering unobstructed ocean views, a signature Auberge Spa, waterfront dining, swimming pool and beach club bar and grill. The Auberge resort also will feature six luxury oceanfront villas that are destined to become the finest resort residences on Mexico's Riviera Maya.  

Designed by internationally renowned California firms Backen, Gillam & Kroger Architects, along with George Girvin & Associates landscape architects and planners, the Auberge resort will feature a dramatic contemporary design that is inspired by Kanai's natural landscape of lush tropical foliage, long white-sand beaches and panoramic water views. Auberge and the design team, in concert with the Kanai developers, are creating a distinctive plan for the property that respects and preserves the natural environment by adhering to the highest standards of sustainable and conservation-oriented development. The structures comprising the Auberge resort will appear to float like islands among fields of dense green vegetation and will be connected by a series of boardwalks and pathways.  

Every guest room at the new Auberge resort will feature expansive views of the Caribbean Sea and offer large terraces, private plunge pools and outdoor showers for extraordinary indoor-outdoor living. Both the architecture and interiors will juxtapose contemporary materials with regionally authentic design elements and natural materials.

A long shaded garden will characterize the inland-facing side of the resort, providing guests with the option to step out of their rooms and relax either by the beach or in a lush garden environment.

The resort will offer several intriguing dining venues, notably, a world-class restaurant – a cornerstone of every Auberge resort – featuring sophisticated cuisine in a relaxed setting overlooking the ocean.  At the water's edge will be a beach club with a long infinity-edge swimming pool, a casual beachside bar and cabanas on the sand for spa treatments and relaxation. For private parties, celebrations and weddings by the water, there will be a dramatic beachside pavilion with a large event lawn leading to the sandy beach.

The Auberge Spa will be located in a unique and memorable island setting overlooking a sea of protected mangroves and accessed by an elevated walkway.  Treatment rooms will feature private gardens with outdoor showers and baths, and fitness and yoga pavilions will be integrated into the natural environment.  Spa treatments will take their inspiration from the many tropical plants and fruits native to the region, as well as the healing traditions of the Mayan culture.

"We are thrilled with the opportunity to partner with AHEL and GIM Desarrollo in creating a distinctive new resort at Kanai on Mexico's Riviera Maya," said Mark Harmon, CEO of Auberge Resorts. "Our first resort in Mexico, Esperanza, a luxury resort in Los Cabos, has received some of the most prestigious awards and accolades in the travel world and was ranked the No.1 Hotel Spa in Mexico in Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards twice in the last three years. The Auberge Resort at Kanai will give us an opportunity to create something equally special in a very different and exciting setting, one that is sure to delight our guests.  The natural environment of this ecologically spectacular site has inspired us to create a resort of exceptional beauty, with the Auberge Resorts hallmarks of extraordinary culinary and spa experiences, perfectly situated guest rooms that bring the outdoors in, and our signature style of barefoot sophistication."

Situated on the eastern coast of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and surrounded by the natural beauty of the Mayan Rivera's lush lagoons and pristine mangroves, Kanai is located just 24 miles from Cancun International Airport and six miles from Playa del Carmen.  In this private beachfront enclave, Auberge guests will have exclusive access to an array of resort amenities, including white sandy beaches, two 18-hole golf courses designed by award-winning professional golf players Nick Faldo and Jose Maria Olazabal, tennis, water sports and a variety of culinary options.  

About Auberge Resorts

Auberge Resorts is a collection of exceptional hotels, resorts and private clubs, each with a unique personality that assures a memorable guest experience.  Among the distinctive properties are Auberge du Soleil, Napa Valley; Esperanza, Cabo San Lucas; Calistoga Ranch, Napa Valley; The Inn at Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina; Encantado, Santa Fe; Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa, Rancho Santa Fe, California, with several others currently in development.  While Auberge Resorts nurtures the individuality of each establishment, all are characterized by a set of communal elements: intimate, understated elegance; captivating locations that inspire exceptional cuisine and spa experiences; and gracious yet unobtrusive service.  For more information about Auberge Resorts, please visit www.aubergeresorts.com.

About Developers

ALHEL and GIM Desarrollos are among the largest and most prominent real estate developers in Mexico. During the last 40 years, the companies have developed projects in all sectors of the real estate industry, from low- and middle-income housing to high-end residential and commercial real estate developments. Commercial projects include office buildings, luxury shopping malls and power plants. Resort and real estate projects include the luxury master-planned coastal community of Punta Ballena, home to Esperanza, an Auberge Resort, and a variety of residential products ranging from home sites to furnished condos, villas and residences. Current projects in development include: the 280-room Westin and 135-room W Hotel, both in Santa Fe, Mexico, the Westin Expo Guadalajara and Kanai Resort, Riviera Maya which will comprise the 200-room Park Hyatt, a 180-room W Retreat, a-125 room St. Regis resort and an Auberge resort featuring 50 suites.  For more info on the developers, please visit www.alhel.com.mx and www.gim.com.mx.

SOURCE Auberge Resorts