President Leonel Fernandez was on hand for the Santo Domingo official launching of the Atlantica residential and touristic project at Luperon on the North Coast. Luperon is a beach and natural harbor area located 15 kilometers west of the city of Puerto Plata. Elena Viyella de Paliza, as the executive director of the project, made the announcement last week. Pierre Schenebelen, who collaborated on the initial development of Cap Cana on the East Coast, is the president of Puerto Luperon Corporation, the development company.
“Creating a resort community on the scale of ATLANTICA is any developer’s ultimate dream, but until now we never found a setting that could live up to it. With Luperon Bay in the beautiful Dominican Republic, that dream will be realized, and we intend to preserve the natural wonders of this site,” said Schnebelen, whose team has been recognized for creating first-class Alpine ski resorts, beach enclaves and golf destinations.
The Atlantica golf courses will have none other than golfers Arnold Palmer and Jim Fazio working on their design. The first course is planned to open for play in May of 2006. The courses will reportedly lead golfers through tropical canyons and have strategic holes built into the sides of cliffs.
Atlantica centers around one of the country’s finest natural marinas. Developers have said that guests at the resort will not likely face hurricanes. Luperon is reputed to be one of only two “hurricane holes” in the Caribbean zone, and has been attracting yachts and fishing boats in search of shelter and a safe harbor for centuries.
As part of the billion-dollar project to be developed in three stages over ten years, the resort will boast a private airstrip and the country’s largest marina, plus 3,000 deluxe vacation-home properties and at least 20 hotels that are planned for construction. The first phase is set to begin in December 2004 and calls for an initial US$150-million investment. The first 99 Founder’s Plan Harbor Town Homes and the Bay Beach Club are scheduled to be available by December 2005, followed by the completion of 68 Harbor Town Homes and the Fishermen’s Village Bed & Breakfast in June of 2006.
In December 2006, the Ambar Hotel is slated to open its doors, by which time an additional 60 Harbor Town Homes and 30 Marina Estates should have been sold. The Puerto Luperon Corporation press release indicates that, all in all, the project will create some 25,000 tourist beds. The harbor encompasses 450 marina slips, as well as various shipyards and dry dock facilities with 260 covered super-yacht hangars for up to 280 yachts. A cruise ship terminal is also being contemplated.