Manoca, a 5-star villa and hotel development south of Rio de Janeiro in the Costa Verde area, is the newest luxury resort development poised to take advantage of the burgeoning Brazilian tourism market. Local developers Derek & Desmond Pinto have teamed up with Aman Resorts to bring this project to life, with plans to open in early 2014.
The Pintos of ARL Ltd., whose wholly owned subsidiary, Patience Empreendimentos Ltd., is behind the project, were born and raised in Brazil and have a long history of construction work in similar ventures in the Caribbean. doha property finder
The resort's location boasts excellent panoramic views from its elevated position of 25 to 90 meters above sea level, with a 23-suite hotel and just 19 villas for rent. This lush peninsula is about a 60-minute drive or a 20-minute helicopter ride from Rio's center, and it's part of a highly sought-after coastline.
According to the Pintos, this area is a "must see" and the ideal location for the first Aman Resort in South America. Amanoca is expected to draw a global crowd, with residents being part of Brazil's "most exclusive, sought after development renowned for its cutting edge architecture and envied location," according to the developers.
The manoca fully-furnished beach and ocean front villas all have ocean views and start at $6.5 million, bordering its own nature reserve. The homes are being designed by award-winning Denniston International Architects and Planners Ltd's Jean-Michel Gathy.
All villa owners will have access to the highest level of service throughout, as well as the resort's exclusive beach club and spa, with a basic design of four bedrooms, extensive living areas both inside and out, and luxurious infinity pools. Extra bedrooms, gaming, and living areas can all be added to villa designs to fit individual needs.
The beach club, which is nestled into the hillside and provides breathtaking views of the surrounding natural landscape, as well as a restaurant, will undoubtedly be a popular hangout for years to come.
Meanwhile, the resort's swimming pools will be among the most spectacular in the area, with views of the resort's 300-meter white sand beach and the Atlantic Ocean.
In January, the Americas hotel sector recorded higher occupancy and rate increases.
The Americas area showed positive results in the three main performance metrics when reported in US dollars for January 2012, according to data collected by STR and STR Global.
The Americas area saw a 3.9 percent increase in occupancy to 49.8%, a 3.7 percent increase in average daily rate to US$103.98, and a 7.7% increase in revenue per available room to US$51.81 in January 2012.
Chicago, Illinois, saw the highest rise in occupancy, increasing 15.4 percent to 47.4 percent, followed by Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with an increase of 8.4 percent to 82.4 percent.
Panama City, Panama, saw the biggest drops in all three major performance indicators. Its occupancy dropped 15.0 percent to 55.4 percent, and its ADR dropped 9.0 percent to US$121.60, while its RevPAR dropped 22.7 percent to US$67.32.
The largest ADR rise was in Sao Paulo, Brazil, which rose 15.5 percent to US$144.40, followed by Rio de Janeiro (+13.7 percent to US$218.13) and San Francisco, California (+10.4 percent to US$157.48).
Chicago (+24.3 percent to US$46.39), Rio de Janeiro (+23.2 percent to US$179.71), and Miami, Florida (+15.8% to US$148.71) all posted RevPAR increases of more than 15%.