A retreat in Puerto Rico

Not many people know that the island of Puerto Rico, discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1493, may soon become the 51st state of the USA. At the present time it is still an unincorporated territory of the United States, but its capital San Juan is already considered the 40th largest US city with a population of around 900,000.
San Juan-based real estate company Caribbean Property Group (CPG) has recently completed numerous development projects in the hospitality, residential and commercial sectors. The largest real estate company in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, it has invested USD 2.5 billion in the region since 1998.
Paseo Caribe, the largest new tourist development project in San Juan, is an entire controlled-access neighbourhood built from scratch on a peninsula jutting into the Atlantic Ocean. Marinas, hotels, private apartments, shared indoor and outdoor leisure areas, restaurants and integrated businesses all help to create a luxury urban landscape that stands out for its exclusivity, privileged relationships and entertainment.
Residents and guests have access to shops, cafes, beaches and the long seafront promenade overlooking the historic Fort San Geronimo, the Condado lagoon and the ocean – all without having to take their cars out of the large garage.
Paseo Caribe offers three types of residence, the most recent being those in the Bahia Plaza building designed by the practice of Aaron Stewart, who has also opened two flagship stores in the city to showcase his personal lifestyle vision.
Inspired by his trips to the world’s major trendsetting and interior design cities including Barcelona, Miami, New York and Rome, Aaron Stewart has combined the spirit of the island with his own personal experience of living in such diverse locations.
This eclectic, passionate taste is displayed throughout the building and is reflected in the abundant use of pure materials such as wood, metal, glass and textiles alongside hi-tech natural elements such as Natural Stone ceramic tiles from Italgraniti. Chosen in the same colour as the sand of the beaches onto which Bahia Plaza faces, these tiles have been used on the floors and in the bathrooms.
The residential building consists of five units, in turn divided into one-, two- and three-bedroom homes arranged on a single floor or two-level loft apartments, all with terraces or verandas overlooking the sea. The luxury condo has a large reception lobby, a warm lounge space with library and billiard room, a gym with premium fitness facilities designed specially for residents in partnership with Technogym, and a private swimming pool with solarium and outdoor kitchen.
The building functions like a large residence but with all the services typically provided by a hotel, including reception, cleaning, food to order.
It is the perfect retreat for the many affluent North Americans who, accustomed to the model that has been successfully followed for decades in Florida, find the same way of life in Puerto Rico along with a more intense and exotic marine landscape.