The Latest in Luxury Resort & Real Estate News

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Property Sales Exceed Bonita Bay Group's Expectations at Verandah

(FORT MYERS, FL) -- With incentives and values leading the way, property sales in Verandah last year leapt far ahead of projections and exceeded the prior year's sales by 139 percent, according to Bonita Bay Group vice president Gary Dumas, whose Florida firm is developing the 1,456-acre private master-planned community here alongside the Orange River.

Sales of homes and homesites hit 67 last year, compared to 28 in 2007.

"Everyone knows it's a tough real estate market," says Dumas, "but homebuyers continue to see the value of purchasing in a master-planned community like Verandah. With the prices being offered and incentive packages in place, our buyers literally jumped in; more than a third bought within 30 days of their first visit."

Dumas said buyer surveys indicate that the community's mature amenities along a 1.75-mile stretch of the Orange River were a compelling factor in homebuyers' decisions. Two of the main amenities are Old Orange, Verandah's first 18-hole golf course designed architect Bob Cupp, and the Nicklaus-designed Whispering Oak course that opened in 2007.

"When you have two championship golf courses, including one by Jack Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II, along with nine miles of trails, a fitness center, riverfront restaurant, kayaks and a dog park, it's easy to see the depth of the value in purchasing a Verandah home," Dumas adds. "Plus, our buyers know Bonita Bay Group has been around for more than 25 years. We're committed to the Southwest Florida market."

Bonita Bay, based in Bonita Springs, Fla., reports Verandah sales volume for 2008 topped $22.5 million, comprising homesites,  estate, custom and traditional single-family homes, and  villas and coach homes offered by a number of the region's preferred homebuilders.

Nearly 70 percent of Verandah's 1,456 acres will be open space, including natural preserve areas, parks, wetlands, lakes, golf courses and a conservation buffer to help maintain the unique character of the community's riverfront. Verandah will offer more than nine miles of walkways, paths and fitness trails.

Verandah's amenities are located in River Village, the community's social hub with individual buildings nestled into an expansive oak hammock. Among the amenities are a Golf House pro shop; Oak Park with the community treehouse and playground; the Boat House, featuring Blossom's community grill, a canoe and kayak livery and multi-level decks overlooking the river; tennis and fitness center; and the River House, featuring Jesse Fish lounge, the 120-seat Alligator Pear restaurant and the open-air River Terrace overlooking the river.

Verandah offers estate, custom and traditional single-family homes, villas and coach homes with home and homesite packages priced from the low $200,000s to more than $1 million.

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Elite Homes Introducing Turkey's First Residential Golf Course Development

(KUSADASI, TURKEY) -- Elite Homes recently announced the launch of Turkey's first master-planned golf course community called Kusadasi International Golf Resort.  Tracy Ogretici of Elite Homes, a sales and marketing company that specializes in real estate here in the Mediterranean, says Kusadasi's 18-hole USGA-standard par-72 course is "unique to Turkey" because most of the country's other courses are resort hotel courses.

"That's why we feel that there will be a great deal of interest," Ogretici adds. "In addition, it is very well located being within 10 minutes of Kusadasi town, a resort which brings in glamorous cruise liners throughout the year because of its exceptional beauty and facilities."

The new Kusadasi International Golf Resort is being built on the heels of an exciting announcement by the International Golf Federation, which recently endorsed the selection of Turkey as the host country for the 2012 World Amateur Team Championships.

 "I could not dream of this four years ago," Turkish Golf Federation President Ahmet Agaoglu says. "Golf is the fastest growing sport in Turkey. This will help promote and grow golf in our country."

With an average of 300 days of sunshine a year, Elite Homes is marketing Turkey as a year-round golf-playing destination. The elevated Kusadasi Golf Course, located five minutes up from Long Beach, is being designed by Aymerich, a Spanish company that manages 23 courses throughout Spain and Portugal and is involved in the development of 50 new projects.

Artev Global,  the resort community's developer, is being planned for some 2,000 residences at build out. Besides golf, other amenities planned are a heated indoor pool and communal pools, supermarket, sauna and Turkish baths, equestrian and tennis facilities, several shops and an amphitheatre, a health center and more.

Properties range from 1-bedroom apartments starting at $67,707 to 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom villas for $221,795.

"There are a great number of advantages in owning a property here," Ogretici says. "The view from the residential area is stunning as you look down to the Long Beach, the National Park and the Greek Island of Samos. Kusadasi Golf Resort is just 45 minutes from the International Airport at Izmir and the superb resort of Kusadasi is just 10 minutes away.

Kusadasi resort town has experienced explosive growth in the last 20 years and foreign buyers have increased rapidly with over 2,500 resident visas held by foreign residents in and around Kusadasi. This is a cosmopolitan resort where cruise liner passengers disembark to visit nearly archaeological sites, the National Park and to enjoy the spectacular beaches."

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Holiday Inn Club Vacations Adds Myrtle Beach, Tennessee Resorts to Portfolio

(ORLANDO, FL) -- Holiday Inn Club Vacations announced Feb. 19 it is adding two new destinations to its vocational ownership resort portfolio, Myrtle Beach, S.C., and Gatlinburg, Tenn., bringing the total number of resorts to six.  The new resorts will join the three locations currently available to owners and guests - the flagship property, Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort in Orlando, and resorts in Lake Geneva, Wis., and Panama City, Fla., - with another location in Ascutney, Vt., scheduled to go live later this month.

Orange Lake Resorts, under an exclusive licensing agreement with InterContinental Hotels Group to use the Holiday Inn Club Vacations brand, has acquired South Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach, and Crown Park Resort in Gatlinburg - to be renamed Smoky Mountain Resort - from Burroughs & Chapin Company.  Orange Lake will own and operate these resorts as a privately held company.

"The addition of two new resorts to the Holiday Inn Club Vacations portfolio in such a short period of time demonstrates the strength of the alliance and our ability to find strategic opportunities to grow this brand, even during challenging economic times," said Holiday Inn Club Vacations vice president Christian Hempell.  "Guests know and trust Holiday Inn, and we're pleased to offer them even more destinations to experience the brand through timeshare ownership."  

Effective Feb. 13, 2009, Holiday Inn Club Vacations assumed management of operations at both resorts, with a target date for conversion by April 2009.  A timeshare sales operation will begin at the South Beach Resort on April 1. Following is a breakdown of the new resort properties:

• Smoky Mountain Resort, a 109-unit development situated near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, was completed in 2006 and offers indoor and outdoor pools, a fitness room and more.

• South Beach Resort, a 256-unit resort that completed its initial phase in 2003, offers indoor and outdoor pools, a lazy river, a video game room, a fitness center and private stretch of beach located just steps from the resort.

"We are thrilled to be adding one of the most prestigious resorts in Myrtle Beach to our resort offering," Orange Lake Resorts president/CEO Don Harrill says. "Myrtle Beach has always been in the top-10 list of most desired locations in our member surveys.  "Gatlinburg also has a great experience to offer being located so close to the Smoky Mountains National Park."

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