The Spa's the Thing
Three residential resorts promote world-class spas as a way to relax at your home away from home.
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The Ritz-CarltonGrand Cayman
The Ritz-Carlton, thanks to developer Mike Ryan, is finally pioneering the
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luxury resort market in Grand Cayman, a place so wealthy that it
has never felt compelled to cater to tourism. "It has the highest per-capita
income in the region, the fifth-largest banking center in the world, the
number-one hedge fund center in the world, and is a leading offshore
financial hub," Ryan says. (Click image to enlarge); function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();) |
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Ground broke on the development in 2003 and, after cleaning up in the wake of Hurricane Ivan, the resort opened its doors to a mix of hotel rooms and real estate offerings in December 2005. Now luring visitors to Seven Mile Beach is an "Endless Service" program that includes use of a BMW 6 or 7 Series and a crewed powerboat; the usual array of water sports as well as stingray feeding on Grand Cayman’s famous "Stingray City" reef; Eric Ripert restaurants; a Greg Norman nine-hole golf course; a Nick Bollettieri tennis program; a Jean-Michel Cousteau "Ambassadors of the Environment" educational program for ages four to 18; and, soon, a marina for 54 boats up to 200 feet.
About a dozen residences in the RC towers are still available, ranging from $2.9 million to $44 million (2,400 to 20,000 square feet). Three design packages—Traditional, Beach and Modern—come with Poggenpohl kitchens and Viking, Sub-Zero, Asko and KitchenAid appliances. On the boards is development of 22 freestanding homes (priced from $1 million to $2 million) and condos (about $2 million each).
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As practical as they are decorative, Italian glass mosaic tiles
adorn the surfaces near the whirlpool. "We thought about all the stages of
water," says designer Carl D’Aquino, who gave the common areas a warmer feel. (Click image to enlarge)To complement the laid-back elegance of the development, the Swiss skincare and cosmetics company La Prairie recruited New York’s D’Aquino Monaco to design its spa. "We thought about all the stages of water," says Carl D’Aquino, "from the purity of the glaciers to, ultimately, the warmth of the Caribbean Sea." That progression is exactly what they achieved. Leaving the scorching island sun behind, guests walk through silver-leaf doors that open onto a chilled foyer where water rushes over quartzite walls and under a glass bridge. On either side are cast and fused-glass screens that look like chunks of icebergs.
Proceeding inward, the color of the water morphs from cool blue
hues to warmer tones. The lobby—all sleek lacquer and streamlined custom
furniture—features columns ringed in beadwork down which water drips
languorously. By the time spa-goers reach the Silver Haven lounge upstairs, the
environment has become warmly enveloping, with low-lit private seating areas
defined by silk shag carpets and floor-to-ceiling drapes covered in millions of
silky pearlescent threads. Finally, guests are guided across a threshold of
river rocks to reach the treatment cabines, which are sheathed in blue silk
wallpaper and glass mosaic tiles.
Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman, 345.815.7777, www.residences-cayman.com
D’Aquino
Monaco, 212.929.9787,
www.daquinomonaco.com
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