Unique Homes Blog

ON LOCATION

The season’s first snow had just fallen on Park City. Outside the dining room at the St. Regis Deer Crest, flakes on the firs sparkled as much as the gold of the Aspen leaves. At another new luxury resort, the Montage, workers were hard at work to finish the property by the time the snow flies in earnest.

The Montage brings a new vision of luxury to Deer Valley. Although the overall architecture is inspired by the great lodge aesthetic, the 80 private residences, which occupy the upper six floors, reflect a very comfortable European ambiance with coffered ceilings, burnished hand-scrapped walnut floors, limestone fireplaces and cherry cabinetry. The views dazzle. On a recent visit, the snow clouds parted to reveal a spectacular panorama extending as far as the Uinta Mountains in Wyoming, 75 miles away.

With 51 different floor plans, potential buyers have a huge range of options and orientations, including north and south views in a single residence. Prices for the Montage Residences Deer Valley range from
$2 million to $10.9 million. Ownership at Montage feels as though one is in a private club rather than a huge hotel. However, multiple restaurants, a spa, vintage bowling alley, game room and, of course, Utah’s pristine powder are only a short ride in one of the elevators restricted to owners.

Few skiing experiences quite match making first tracks on a groomed trail and being on the mountain before the lifts open to everyone else. That’s only one of the benefits for the first owners at Montage. Other perks include the option of joining Talisker Club.

Many owners at both resorts grew up skiing in Aspen and Vail but increasingly they are bringing their families to Utah simply because of Park City’s proximity to Salt Lake International, which means they can be on the hill within an hour of landing. And Deer Valley’s consistent rank as the No. 1 resort in the U.S. and Utah’s “greatest snow on earth” helps a little too.

GOING GLOBAL

Take the elevator to the ground level of your penthouse. There’s no time to stop and relax in your indoor pool/spa; exit through the front door and jump onto your boat that’s docked just steps away and make your exit.

No, it’s not a scene from an action flick—it’s the Aquaminiums at the Royal Phuket Marina of Thailand. Residents of the luxury units can park their boat into a drive-in berth that leads directly into the ground-floor level of the apartments.

“The Aquaminium [is] a superb investment and lifestyle purchase for the discerning buyer looking for a very special kind of lifestyle,” says Gulu Lalvani, the developer of Royal Phuket Marina.

Of the 15 units in the marina, only two are Aquaminiums; however, the remaining have outdoor docks. Surrounded by boutique shops, restaurants and a spa, Royal Phuket is “a world-class marina on par with international resort communities in the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Florida,” according to Lalvani.

Lalvani saw tremendous potential in Phuket, Thailand’s largest island province, but heavy import duties kept yachts away from the area. In 2001, Lalvani negotiated with Thailand’s former Prime Minister to lift the ban, and “the rest was history,” he says.

“Today, Royal Phuket Marina is now firmly on the international yachting map, and for luxury homeowners it is known as one of the most exclusive addresses in Asia. We have visitors from all over the world.”

—Jessica Decina

FABULOUS FINDS

The slopes at Pronghorn in Oregon and Montana’s Spanish Peaks both have hundreds of inches of snow per year, dozens of zigzagging trails and breathtaking mountain peaks. But it’s more than just the thrill of skiing that draws so many buyers to the areas.

A decade ago, Tom Hix saw the opportunity to “raise the bar” for the central Oregon destination market. The sun-soaked town of Bend was “the Palm Springs of Oregon,” he jokes. “All of that rain in Portland hits the Cascades and turns to snow. They get 50 inches of snow a year, 300 days of sunshine.”

Today, Pronghorn offers a variety of residences, from 15,000-square-foot plots to million-dollar estates. Hix has also opened the resort to the “stay and play” crowd, which offers a taste of a luxury membership at Pronghorn.

Although the market isn’t as strong as it used to be, the allure of Pronghorn hasn’t faded. “The days of the speculators have gone,” Hix says. “We’re seeing a buyer who wants to be part of the community.”

It’s a similar story in Big Sky, Montana, home of Spanish Peaks. With 5,700 acres and 850 residences, it’s one of the premier ski-in, ski-out resorts in the state.

Developer Dean Genges believes it’s Montana’s “mystique” and its tight-knit community that gave the club one of its best summers, sales-wise, in the last four years. Surrounded by acres of national forest and close to Yellowstone National Park, Big Sky will never become “Manhattan in the mountains,” he affirms.

A significant amount of new members are referrals, because, as Genges puts it: “It’s a place that families can give to their family. No matter where their lives take them, they can always come back to Spanish Peaks.”

—Jessica Decina

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