The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company is expanding its collection of Reserve hotels with a 2016 opening on Pearl Island. Situated on 45 miles south of Panama City, the resort marks the sixth planned Reserve property.
The centerpiece of the Reserve will be an open-air resort with 80 rooms, a spa, private beach club, three swimming pools, and three restaurants, as well as access to a world-class marina, dive and fishing village, and an equestrian center. The spa will include outdoor treatment pavilions and treetop villas.
Capturing the character of Pearl Island, one-and two-story villas situated on the beach reveal oceanfront views and boast guestrooms with private plunge pools and outdoor private terraces. For executive retreats, the property will also feature an 1,800-square-foot function pavilion and boardroom with ocean views.
Surrounded by a private natural reserve, the 3,500-acre private island is the third largest in the Archipelago of Las Perlas. Co-owned by Dolphin Capital Investors and Grupo Eleta, it is one of approximately 250 different islands inhabited by fishing communities throughout the archipelago.
To ensure the island remains unspoiled, about 70 percent of the acreage will stay permanently untouched. Stringent development guidelines will keep environmental impact to a minimum through engineering and environmental sciences, as well as sustainable practices for water, energy, waste, and transportation. The architectural integrity of the island will be maintained through a series of low-density villages and sustainable architecture. The developers of the Reserve are also creating a collection of Ritz-Carlton Reserve branded Residences, which are designed in the same architectural style of the resort.
“We are thrilled to forge this partnership with Dolphin Capital Investors and Grupo Eleta, who are developing this remarkable project,” says Laurent de Kousemaeker, chief development officer, Caribbean & Latin America, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. “It has been years in the making and we’re so pleased to have reached an agreement to make this private sanctuary a future Reserve property,” he added.
This Reserve joins current locations in Phulay Bay in Thailand and Dorado Beach in Puerto Rico, and upcoming locations including Molasses Reef in Turks and Caicos, Tamuda Bay, Morocco, and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
