With stunning views, superb amenities, and an exclusive location along the beautiful Riviera Maya, the sumptuous Capella Bahia Maroma resort will deliver all the magic of Mexico, minus the crowds.

By Jade Wollman

It is a known fact that Mexico is one of the world’s premier tourist destinations. Replete with pristine beaches, ancient ruins, a vibrant nightlife, and a warm climate, Mexico without a doubt offers its visitors an intoxicating blend of culture, natural beauty, and pleasure. However, within the confines of this eclectic country now rests an elusive gem, one that is only beginning to glisten as it gradually comes to fruition. This gem is Capella Bahia Maroma, the exclusive residential resort development tucked within the breathtaking landscape of the Yucatán’s Riviera Maya.

After 30 years of meticulous planning, Capella Bahia Maroma residential resort is close to unveiling its magnificence to jet setters around the globe. Managed by legendary hotelier Horst Schulze, former president of The Ritz-Carlton Hotels and founder of Capella Hotels and Resorts, Capella Bahia Maroma will deliver all the superb elements expected of a Schulze hotel, as this top-tier brand is world-renowned for its stellar amenities and services in luxury hotel living. Exquisite architecture and interior design, exclusivity, individualized services, attention to detail-Capella Hotels and Resorts offers unparalleled service and a wide array of choice to ensure its guests an inimitable experience. “The needs and desires of today’s top-tier consumer have changed,” Schulze explains. “Capella will be focused on choice-and we will offer choices that no other hotel in the world can match.”

Despite the impeccable precedent Schulze has set for his nine hotels (eight others are located in Ireland, Austria, Germany, Mexico, Singapore, and Colorado), Capella Bahia Maroma in particular will surpass all expectation, thanks in part to the vision of its owner and developer, the esteemed Tomassi Family of Grupo Carrousel. For three generations, Grupo Carrousel has been one of Mexico’s prime development companies and is responsible for some of the first resorts ever to be introduced to Cancun. Now, having partnered with Capella, this dynamic duo will deliver in the winter of 2008/09 the ultimate luxury retreat: a top-tier resort rich in Mayan tradition and design, superb, stylized hospitality, and world-class golf, spa, and beach amenities. “We have insisted on a project that reflects the genuine spirit and influences of the region, and this is one of the many reasons we are so pleased to have selected Capella Hotels and Resorts to manage this property,” says Carlos Tomassi, president of Grupo Caroussel. “Capella infuses unique local attributes at every level, all while establishing simply the best service standards in the world.”

Marked by a unique blend of ecological diversity and exquisite, native designs, Capella Bahia Maroma effortlessly stands out among the burgeoning luxury resorts in the Riviera Maya region. Set within 254 exclusive acres overlooking the vast Caribbean Sea, sheltered between mangrove forests and the world’s second largest coral reef-the Great Maya Reef-Capella Bahia Maroma embodies the stunning, versatile landscape indigenous to Mexico. Celestial white-sand beaches grace the coastline, welcoming guests to indulge in a day-or even a lifetime-of leisure. World-class snorkeling and diving abound in nearby Cozumel, where guests can mingle with a plethora of tropical fish, explore the penetrating depths of underwater caves, and discover the clandestine histories of sunken Spanish galleons. Adding to the region’s rich and ample history is the sacred Chichen Itza, one of Mexico’s most popular archaeological sites and home of the famous El Castillo, the step pyramid recently named one of the New 7 Wonders of The World by the New7Wonders Foundation. Rife with myriad pyramids and magnificent stone monuments, this UNESCO World Heritage Site reveals for its visitors a glimpse into the region’s extensive Mayan-Toltec past. Thus, with so much in reach of this multifaceted resort, it is of no wonder that Capella Bahia Maroma will be met with international acclaim. “This is truly one of the world’s most spectacular locations,” Schulze agrees.

Complementing this idyllic backdrop is another haven all its own-the retreat itself, a sanctuary for nature lovers, culture buffs, and golf aficionados alike. Comprised of only 127 for-sale residences and 86 resort villas, Capella Bahia Maroma offers the lowest density of any resort on the Riviera Maya-perfect for the jet setter who covets a popular destination without the concomitant tourist congestion. Ranging in size from 3,250 to 3,770 square feet and starting at $2.9 million, Capella Bahia Maroma residences boast an exceptional blend of ancient architecture with modern Mexican design. Private beach-front homes nestled within old coconut palm plantations, golf estates bejeweled with verdant panoramas of the course, jungle haciendas enveloped by lush vegetation-these are just a few of the exquisite options available for prospective buyers. With flexible layouts ranging from three to four bedrooms and two to four and a half baths, the residences of Capella Bahia Maroma will undoubtedly captivate those who long for the Yucatán’s ravishing beauty.

Bringing a new standard of luxury to the word “amenity” are the resort’s two prized facilities-Capella’s Maya-inspired Auriga spa and its private, Rees Jones-designed golf course. Pure serenity constitutes Capella’s own Auriga, a holistic spa that will rejuvenate both homeowners and hotel guests with ancient Mayan healing traditions and Auriga brand treatments based on phases of the moon. Treatment rooms will float like lily pads on still water, creating a tranquility and ambiance optimum for total mind/body rejuvenation. A Spa Pharmacy will supplement the Spa Café, where certified nutritionists will customize guests’ diets, incorporating salubrious natural and herbal products into daily regimens. In your own home you will be treated like, well, a guest.

But it is the golf course that holds the key to Capella Bahia Maroma: an 18-hole, par 72 course that weaves velvety green through the natural terrain of the premises. Designed by the esteemed Rees Jones, son of the legendary golf architect Robert Trent Jones, Sr., and the man responsible for a multitude of award-winning courses, Capella Bahia Maroma’s course will be the only private one in the entire Yucatán Peninsula, not to mention the final course sanctioned for construction along the Caribbean coast. “When you think of the world’s great courses, so many classic holes that finish on the ocean come to mind,” says Jones. “It’s a privilege to work with such a remarkable natural setting, and so exciting to watch our own seaside layout take shape.” And what a privilege for its guests, too-a 7,000 yard private golf course practically licking the coast, designed by a man renowned for his seaside designs.

In the winter of 2008/09, Capella Bahia Maroma will open its expansive doors, and the privileged will enter. They will discover sacred Mayan Ceiba trees adorning private infinity plunge pools. They will bask under traditional palapa leaves that cover their roof terraces. They will master the art of Mayan cuisine in their full gourmet kitchens. They will slumber beside a tranquil pool with waterfall cascades. They will open glass walls to striking Caribbean views and the ocean’s whisper. They will float like lily pads in the Auriga Spa. They will golf. In 2008, the privileged will enter a world they will create for themselves-a world enchanted by the Yucatán, by the Riviera Maya, by Capella.