home | Roda Golf & Beach Resort Calidona development to be first De Vere operation outside the UK Calidona, a major Spanish developer, has appointed London based ReardonSmith Architects to design a new resort in Spain. It will be managed by De Vere Hotels & Resorts. The development, on a 107-hectare site in the Roda district of San Javier, Murcia close to the Mediterranean is to be completed in phases with the hotel opening in summer 2008. Working with local architects, IDOM, ReardonSmith is currently masterplanning the entire scheme with the aim of creating a resort that is significantly different from those around it, both in terms of scale of building and design style. "The Roda Golf & Beach Resort will be on a more human scale than is typical in the area," explains Vanessa Yusuf of ReardonSmith. "For example, although the hotel will be large, there will be a residential quality to it and the massing of the bedrooms will be broken down to create an intimate environment. The design style will be influenced by the local haciendas, again differentiating it from the international look of other resorts in Murcia." Building materials will include brick, terracotta, timbers and local render. The plan is based on a village concept in which the hotel is the hub. ReardonSmith's concept for the 150 hotel guestrooms marks a departure from the norm. About half the rooms will be built apart from the hotel, in clusters, again with private gardens, spreading away from the hotel towards the golf course. Other guestrooms will be located directly adjacent to the spa, offering a focused spa experience for those guests seeking such a retreat. In the main hotel, interconnecting doors and communal lobbies will make the bedrooms flexible for family use. De Vere currently operates 18 hotels including 9 golf resorts, and has branched out into resort ownership in recent years but this is the first time the company has taken on an operation outside the UK. |
| From SLEEPER Publication Date: Spring 2006
Back to the Press page |