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Santa Monica
Tides Riviera Maya Gets a Viceroy Makeover
The beautiful Tides Riviera Maya resort in Mexico has just materialized from a multimillion-dollar renovation project re-branded as the Viceroy Riviera Maya, joining other posh Viceroy properties in Santa Monica, Palm Springs, Miami, Anguilla, Snowmass and Abu Dhabi.
Raising the resort to new levels of luxury, Viceroy gave the oceanfront all-villa property an infusion of opulence while maintaining its casually elegant Caribbean vibe. Eleven new villas with plunge pools, including the resort’s first beachfront and ocean view villas, were built, bringing the property’s total number of accommodations to 41; the original 29 were given a makeover as well, including the ultra-exclusive Presidential Villa.
The Coral Grill, featuring a Mexican-Mediterranean menu cooked on wood-burning grills, was added to complement the existing La Marea restaurant, now relaunched as a destination for fine dining. A cozy new Library Lounge also adds to the entertainment options at the resort. Other improvements include a new fitness center and retail boutique. The six-acre property located on the Caribbean coast of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, an oasis merging the sea and jungle with every conceivable comfort, features a swimming pool, a spa employing Mayan healing technique, and long stretches of perfect white sand beach.
Santa Monica Penthouse Oceanview
The Pacific Coast Highway just past Santa Monica’s California Incline is one of them. Maybe it’s the circular nose that hangs over the highway, or maybe it’s the skinny little front legs it seems to perch on. But whatever the appeal, it’s a magnet for lookie-loos. Even I find myself straining my neck upward to peek inside some of the units as I whiz by on the road.
And now the 4,000-square-foot penthouse unit has just come on the market at $4,925,000. While not as breath-taking a price-tag it’s a breath-taking unit in an eye-catching landmark. And for you faint-of-hearters, we have every reason to believe that the hillsides around it, despite their precarious look each time it rains, aren’t going anywhere.
Billed somewhat immodestly as the most-sought after penthouse in Santa Monica, we are hard-pressed to disagree. It’s the only two-story unit of its size in the building and has ocean views from every room, plus 180-degree jetliner views of the city lights. There are three large bedrooms and three bathrooms plus an over-sized master suite with two large walk-in closets, floor-to-ceiling windows, marble and hardwood floors and high ceilings. Amenities in the building include a gym, pool, spa and valet parking. There is around-the-clock security.
BLVD, Hotel and Spa Unwraps In Studio City
PNK Group has announced it will hold the grand opening of BLVD. Hotel + Spa on February 28th, 2011 at 10730 Ventura Bl. in Studio City, California. The hotel will have 58 rooms including 30 suites, many of them with garden patios and balconies, as well as a day spa.
PNK Group, which already owns other hotel properties, took on a new direction with BLVD. The name BLVD came from Los Angeles’ fabled boulevards and will serve visitors to Universal Studios Hollywood, the Hollywood Bowl and John Anson Ford Theatre and studios and production facilities nearby. The facade is done in warm earth tones in a subdued Southwestern style. At night, blue lighting bathes the building in a modern glow. Sat Garg of Akar Studios worked on BLVD’s interior design. The ground floor is both a lobby and a lounge with views to the BLVD Bar and Lounge and wall murals depicting a stylized version of the Los Angeles skyline. There will also be a small coffee bar, deli and upscale boutique. The hotel has an indoor pool, gym, and spa provide guests. Room has complimentary WiFi and some have rain showers, in-room lounges, patios and balconies. Like the bar’s signature cocktails, a number of the suites bear the names of Los Angeles’ legendary boulevards including Sunset, Wilshire, Robertson, Santa Monica, and Ventura.
The BLVD Bar and Lounge promises to be a neighborhood as well as guest attraction, offering the occasional live DJ.
Real Estate Round-Up
A global energy and ethanol company in San Diego, has listed a house he built on spec in Pacific Palisades for $9.495 million. The listing is with Madison Hildebrand. Actor and teen star Carlos Pena Jr. has bought a Mediterranean-style home in the San Fernando Valley for close to its $1.5-million asking price. Television writer Lyla Oliver has sold her Santa Monica home for $1.902 million. (more…)
Lee Harvey Oswald’s Coffin Sold
Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested as a suspect for President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, but was slain two days later by nightclub owner Jack Ruby. Oswald’s body was briefly exhumed in 1981 in the course of the long drawn investigation into the sensational assassination. A Texas funeral home owner had swapped his simple wooden coffin for a new one. The original coffin was put on the auction block late last month.
Lee Harvey Oswald’s original coffin was bought by an anonymous bidder for over $87,000. Nate D Sanders Auctions in Santa Monica were handling the auctions. They were of the opinion that anything connected to the JFK assassination always attracts bidders and goes for a high price. The identity of the bidder was not known but the auction house assured that the buyer of the coffin might speak publicly very soon.
The coffin has been damaged by the water that seeped in. the metal ornamentation has rusted and part of the coffin including its roof has rotted and the satin lining has disintegrated. Funeral home owner Allen Baumgardner had held onto the coffin since Oswald’s body was dug up in 1981.
Beach Club of Hotel Casa del Mar
Everyone in Southern California has been heading for the beach. The result is that you simply become a part of a growing crowd and are unable to enjoy the weekend or the beach. Hotel Casa Del Mar in Santa Monica has a solution on offer that gives you access to exclusive amenities and services that can make your weekend memorable and enjoyable.
The Hotel in Santa Monica has created a beach club membership program that offers exclusive benefits, priority access and preferred amenities to members. The annual membership fees for Club Casa del Mar members is $2,500 and it entitles him to pool access, fitness centre access, free parking, preferred seating in the lobby lounge and Catch restaurant.
There are several other benefits for the members of the Club Casa del Mar. They are entitled to a 25% discount on all spa services. They also get a complimentary one night stay in the penthouse every year. The annual benefits also include a onetime facial treatment, two free massages every year, two free yoga sessions or two sessions with a personal trainer.
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