September 4, 2007

Latin America | Mexico | Zihuatanejo

Mexican Tidal Wave

By Nicole Cotroneo

Your beach butler awaits your every need.

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Andy Dufresne harbored one dream in The Shawshank Redemption — to open a little beachfront hotel in Zihuatanejo. Turns out the Kor Hotel Group, owners of The Tides South Beach, shared the same desire — just on a grander scale. Having re-branded Ikal del Mar as The Tides Riviera Maya, Kor has just unveiled its second Mexican makeover, with Hotel Villa del Sol now open as The Tides Zihuatanejo. Some 150 miles north of Acapulco, the 19-year-old casita-style resort is flaunting its new oceanside image: “beach butlers” now serve sun-worshippers free drinks and pre-loaded iPods; at night, the shore morphs into a “bonfire lounge.” In addition, the resort brought in a hotshot Miami chef to consult on the Tides’ new “signature” restaurant, La Marea. The original La Marea recently debuted at the South Beach flagship, and is the first part of the hotel to emerge from a $12 million renovation that’s due for completion next month. But that won’t mark the end of Kor’s “tidal wave.” Two new resorts are in the works — another Riviera Maya property, in Playa del Carmen, and a Caribbean compound on Anguilla.