Check out the latest openings in Dominica, Italy and Mexico
ANN RUPPENSTEIN
A round up of the latest hotel and resort openings to entice clients in Dominica, Mexico and Italy.
Following a successful soft opening, Coulibri Ridge is celebrating its grand opening in Dominica. The 14-suite, 285-acre resort will welcome guests starting Oct. 22 and is kicking off the festivities with a “Grand Opening Package” where guests stay seven nights but only pay for five, from Nov. 1 – Dec. 14.
Notably, the project is by a Quebec-born entrepreneur, Daniel Langlois, who first visited the island in 1997. Perched atop a mountain ridge in southern Dominica near the village of Soufrière, Coulibri Ridge is fully off-grid, using solar energy as its main power source, supplemented by wind turbines specially designed to have minimal impact on local flora and fauna. Rainwater, collected primarily through the resort’s unique roof design and purified by ultraviolet light and copper ionization, is funnelled to guest suites and two shared, chlorine-free pools.
Coulibri Ridge features four categories of residential-style suites complete with full kitchens. The Seaview Studio offers 600 square-feet of interior space and a 350-foot terrace complete with a sofa, hanging chair and two sun loungers. The Morne Fou Loft features 950 square-feet of interior space and a 400-square foot seaview terrace. Meanwhile, the luxurious Sky Penthouse duplexes provides 1,000 square-feet of interior space and two terraces – one overlooking the sea, Martinque and the Morne Fou mountain peak, and a second overlooking the lush Sulphur Spring Valley. Four Sky Penthouses feature an outdoor rain shower, and three have private infinity pools.
Two large infinity pools are available for all guests, along with a gym, yoga pavilion, spa facilities for private treatments, and two dining rooms – Mesa and Vista. Rates start at $700 per night based upon double occupancy.
Take me to church! Built upon the original structure of the Church of Christ the King in the middle of Milan, NH Collection Milano CityLife is a new 4-star hotel that blends together a mix of old and new… and gives clients the unique opportunity to stay in an old church from the 1930s.
The church building, made from masonry with a Latin cross floor plan with three naves dating back to 1934, has been partly maintained, as have the original wooden doors, the round arches and the aisles of the side naves, which now serve as a unique entrance to the hotel.
NH Collection Milano CityLife features 185 rooms, including six suites with terraces with stunning views of the city set in the former church; six meeting rooms and an exclusive gym, open 24/7, equipped with Technogym machines. A highlight of the 13-floor structure is the top floor, where the star of the show is the remarkable rooftop, complete with a pool and cocktail bar.
Open to hotel guests and non-guests, the restaurant Tailors incorporates ancient, new and avant-garde cuisine that celebrates Italian tradition. The restaurant offers the finest quality, strictly home-made pasta and meat dishes, always with a strong focus on sustainability through the use of locally-sourced ingredients where possible.
Riu Latino
RIU Hotels & Resorts has opened the doors to its third hotel in Costa Mujeres: the Riu Latino. The five-star resort with 24-hour all-inclusive services offers all guests the amenities and facilities of Riu Classic Hotels, but with the added value of the exclusive service for which the adults-only resorts are known. Until now, it was reserved only for Riu Palace hotels.
Among its 594 rooms, guests will be able to choose from standard double rooms to suites with views to the Caribbean Sea, as well as luxury swim-out rooms with private pools.
The hotel has a total of six restaurants: the main restaurant Moctezuma; an Italian restaurant Milan, an Asian restaurant called Geisha; a steak house offering up the best meat; a gourmet restaurant, Kulinarium; and Pepe’s Food, a grill buffet. It also has five bars: the lounge bar Mariachi, with a terrace; the lobby bar Velvet; a 24-hour sports bar; and our pool bars Tequila and Mezcal, the latter being a swim-up bar.
The outdoor space offers guests a total of five pools, in addition to Splash Water World Water Park. They can also unwind at the wellness centre Renova Spa, where guests have a beauty and hair salon as well as a massage service available to them.
Located on the beachfront of Bahía Mujeres, clients will have the opportunity to go out on a catamaran, try kayaking and take a beginners’ scuba course in the pool. To round out the fun, club Pacha is open from 11:00 pm to 2:00 am, and guests can also revel in the various parties taking place at the hotel: Foam Fest, Silent Disco and Beach Party.
The Riu Latino is 16 kilometres from Cancun, where archaeology and history lovers can discover the wonders of Maya culture. The international airport is 33 kilometres away with great connections to get to the hotel. The Riu Latino will not be the chain’s last new hotel in Mexico this year, as the new Riu Palace Kukulkan is expected to open in November.
