Beachfront vacation villa on the Mexican Caribbean Sea coast, one hour south of Cancun, for the world travelers seeking seeking peace and beauty. http://www.caribbeanmag.com/search/hotels/Akumal_Mexico/villamiramar/hotel/238/11/ en-us Copyright 1998 e-TravelMedia.com/CaribbeanMag.com Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:59:00 EST Built in the Palm Beach "Mizner" style, Miramar has 8,000 square feet of Old World charm and elegance with new-world standards of luxury, security and convenience. The villa features luxurious handcarved antique furnishings from Italy, England and Mexico, custom designed moldings, pre-Colombian artifacts from Belize, original oil paintings and statuary, incredible stained glass windows, oriental rugs, central air conditioning, a fabulous swimming pool and outdoor garden area, a beach area to perfect your tan and multiple balconies and terraces, all with total privacy within a walled estate. Location: Akumal, Quintana Roo, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico Villa Miramar has four guest suites each decorated in a different style and with it's own private bathroom, balcony and ocean view. Three bedrooms and baths are located upstairs: the Master Suite is 600 square feet and called the "Plantation Room" with a carved wood custom made Honduran mahogany king-size bed, sitting area with chaise lounges, antique English desk and chair, oriental rugs and a treadmill and television in case you choose to keep up your exercise regime while on vacation. It has a huge master bathroom with custom made tiles and Ticul marble. The "Oriental Room" is decorated in gorgeous greens, reds and golds with antique furnishings from Nepal, Buddhas from China, an antique oriental rug, views of both the ocean and the swimming pool and a custom made Honduran mahogany king-size bed. The bathroom is to die for ~ floor to ceiling yellow ticul marble with inlaid black Italian marble and a whole wall of mirrors. The "Polynesian" room overlooks the ocean and is extremely elegant. It's done with gorgeous yellow fabrics featuring monkeys and banana trees and has two rattan and wicker custom made queen-size canopied beds, an antique carved Mexican chest, a bronze monkey lamp and an outrageous needlepoint rug. The bathroom is done in Talaverra antique white tile with inlaid greens and yellows and an original "mermaid" carved mirror. Downstairs, on the oceanside of the villa, is the "Indian Room" which is decorated with Spanish, Mexican and Mayan antiques, original artwork and two queen-size carved wood beds. It's a "yummy" room with burnt orange walls, a fabulous oriental rug and a bathroom done in Talaverra hand painted tiles in gorgeous oranges, greens and yellows. Also downstairs is the "Jungle Room". It's a "delicious" green with incredible original works of art including a shadowbox with a REAL voodoo doll from the mountains of Chiapas. This room has a view of both the ocean and the swimming pool and opens to the pool patio area. It serves as the surround sound "TV room" with fabulous built-in mahogany floor to ceiling cabinets which house the television and stereo systems and a very comfortable (believe it or not) queen-size sofa-bed in case another bedroom is needed. It also has a full bathroom done in Tallaverra hand painted tiles. Now for the best part of Miramar: we have the most incredible staff you'll ever have the pleasure of serving you. Hugo is our chef and his wife, Nicolasa, assists him by serving the meals. They're absolutely adorable - you'll want to take them home with you, but please promise us you won't! They will be serving you breakfast each morning, lunch three days a week and dinner three days a week. We invite you to enjoy a level of vacation excellence that is not lost and gone forever, but increasingly hard to find. There is only one Villa Miramar, and only a few will be able to enjoy this incomparable vacation experience. Miramar will be rented a maximum of twenty weeks per year. AMENITIES: Miramar is very private with multiple balconies to enjoy the scenic views. The ocean is on the east side of the villa, jungle on the west side, a small park on the north side and a villa purchased recently by the owners relatives on the south side. Many of Miramar's guests are well know and are concerned with security and privacy, so our guards patrol the perimeter of the property from 5 PM to 7 AM every day to make sure no one disturbs you. During the day our gardeners will see to it that no one enters the estate. ACTIVITIES: AKUMAL ("Place of the Turtle" in Mayan) was part of a sprawling coconut plantation until 1925. A "New York Times" sponsored expedition along the then-unknown Yucatan coast stumbled upon this beautiful bay. But it was another 33 years before outsiders intruded on its pristine beauty. In 1958, the nucleus of what is now C.E.D.A.M., a renowned dive club, introduced AKUMAL to world class divers. Soon the word was out, and the first visitors began making their way to the unknown wilderness. At that time, the only way to AKUMAL was by boat from Cozumel. A road was built in the early 1960's. Since then, AKUMAL has grown in fame and size. Although there are more visitors now, it remains uncluttered and tranquil. Yet it offers many conveniences, such as snack bars, boutiques, general stores, bicycle rentals, ice cream stand, excellent restaurants and bars. Akumal has a romantic and secluded lagoon called "Yalku". This magnificent natural aquarium is spring fed and blends with the Caribbean Sea creating a wonderfully private paradise for snorkeling and swimming with hundreds of varieties of brightly colored tropical fish. Nature is at it's best in AKUMAL with a multitude of flora and fauna to enjoy such as iguanas, hermit crabs, banana trees, air orchids, unusual birds, wild parrots, jungle bromeliads and "cenotes" (natural wells caused by underground rivers and lakes). DINING/RESTARUANTS: Type: Villa Beach Location: Beach Front (Directly on Beach/Water Front) http://www.caribbeanmag.com/search/hotels/Akumal_Mexico/villamiramar/hotel/238/11/ Fri, 27 Nov 2009 14:59:00 EST