Jumeirah Private Island Phuket, one of Asia Pacific’s most exclusive developments is scheduled for completion in Q4 2010 and set to offer levels of luxury, privacy and security as yet unseen in Asia Pacific.

It will also be home to an elite mega yacht Marina and the invitation-only Jumeirah Private Island Yacht Club.
Designed to top international specifications, the fully-inclusive Marina is being built in a protected lagoon on the East coast of the island and will offer a range of facilities including 104 larger than standard berths (from 10-100 metres) capable of accommodating super yachts of up to 100m with 24-hour security, electronic surveillance and fully lit walkways.

 
24 hour deep water access is available with a 5.5-metre depth at the Marina entrance to accommodate larger berths (3.5 metre depth for rest of basin), power pedestals, wireless internet, electric vehicle pick up and complete yacht maintenance and repair services.

 
The phase I of the Marina program is now completed, with the basin preparation and the rock revetment in place.  Phase II is now under way which will see the installation of pilings and pontoons in the North area of the bay, phase II will be completed by November 2008.  Phase III which is the South side of the natural bay will be completed late in 2009.

 
The invitation-only Jumeirah Private Island Phuket Yacht Club will feature a state-of the-art clubhouse with luxury accommodation, spa, gym and restaurants and will be host to regular regattas and exclusive Black Tie functions.

 
There is no tax on luxury yachts in Phuket and fuel, crew and dockage costs are up to 80 percent lower than those in Europe.

 
All property owners on Jumeirah Private Island Resort will enjoy full access to both the Marina and yacht club.

TGR Group Asia, the visionary developer behind Jumeirah Private Island Phuket has unveiled exclusive bespoke customization plans that allow buyers to design their home around their lifestyle.

 
Jumeirah Private Island Phuket will provide the ultimate lifestyle in sumptuous surroundings, housing 49 residential villas, 105 Jumeirah Hotel Pool Villas set amongst tropical gardens and a 101 berth deep water marina. All villas command open views of scattered islands.

The resort is scheduled for completion in late 2009/2010 and set to offer levels of luxury, privacy and security as yet unseen in Asia Pacific.

The residential villas and their private surrounding can be personalized according to the taste of the individual buyer. They are targeted at families that plan to make the island their tropical residence. These villas start at US$ 3 million. The plots of land have either beach or water frontage of between 42 to 217 metres and up to 25% of the land can be used for building on.

 
Buyers can specify for example the size of their pool, the number and size of the rooms and the layout; some buyers want a large games room whilst other prefer large guest bedrooms. All designs will be approved by the TGR architectural review committee, so as to maintain the privacy of its residents and natural feel of the Island.

 
All properties enjoy full access to a number of luxurious Jumeirah managed facilities including a super yacht marina capable of accommodating yachts of up to 70m with 24-hour access. Facilities will include four restaurants and bars as well as extensive leisure and fitness facilities including a large free form swimming pool, tennis court and Jumeirah’s signature Talise Wellness Spa.

In addition, the Island will offer a private yacht club, boutiques, a business centre and a library with dedicated reading room TGR Group Asia, the visionary developer behind Jumeirah Private Island Phuket has unveiled exclusive bespoke customization plans that allow buyers to design their home around their lifestyle.

Jumeirah Private Island Phuket will provide the ultimate lifestyle in sumptuous surroundings, housing 49 residential villas, 105 Jumeirah Hotel Pool Villas set amongst tropical gardens and a 101 berth deep water marina. All villas command open views of scattered islands.

The resort is scheduled for completion in late 2009/2010 and set to offer levels of luxury, privacy and security as yet unseen in Asia Pacific.

The residential villas and their private surrounding can be personalized according to the taste of the individual buyer. They are targeted at families that plan to make the island their tropical residence. These villas start at US$ 3 million. The plots of land have either beach or water frontage of between 42 to 217 metres and up to 25% of the land can be used for building on.

 
Buyers can specify for example the size of their pool, the number and size of the rooms and the layout; some buyers want a large games room whilst other prefer large guest bedrooms. All designs will be approved by the TGR architectural review committee, so as to maintain the privacy of its residents and natural feel of the Island.

 
All properties enjoy full access to a number of luxurious Jumeirah managed facilities including a superyacht marina capable of accommodating yachts of up to 70m with 24-hour access. Facilities will include four restaurants and bars as well as extensive leisure and fitness facilities including a large free form swimming pool, tennis court and Jumeirah’s signature Talise Wellness Spa. In addition, the Island will offer a private yacht club, boutiques, a business centre and a library with dedicated reading room

TGR will provide a minimum guaranteed yield of 5% for the first 3 years once the Resort opens. In addition and unusually for property developments, prior to the completion of the Resort a 5% return is also guaranteed during construction, once 60% of full payment has been made. The minimum yield is 5% although projections are in excess of 7% for those on the optional variable return basis. Buyers have sixty days personal usage at any time of the year.

Jumeirah Private Island Phuket is scheduled for completion in late 2009/2010 and is set to offer levels of luxury, privacy and security as yet unseen in Asia Pacific. The island will be managed by Dubai based luxury international hospitality management group Jumeirah and is located less than 500 metres off Phuket in the Southern Gateway of Phang Nga Bay. Jumeirah Private Island Phuket will encompass 49 residential villas, 105 Jumeirah Hotel Pool Villas set amongst tropical gardens and a 101 berth deep water superyacht marina, yacht club and resort.

Anthony Franklin, Director of Marketing for TGR Group Asia commented: “Buyers are coming from across the globe. The rise in developments in the luxury sector has extended the island’s appeal to the international market. In particular, homeowners are drawn to Phuket’s yachting and marina facilities. The launch of Jumeirah Private Island Phuket’s superyacht marina will position the island as the yachting capital of Asia.” He further added; “we anticipate that sales will be similar over the Easter break and a number of viewing trips have already been arranged.”

The strong sales on Jumeirah Private Island Phuket were reflected across Phuket. David Simister, Chairman, CB Richard Ellis Thailand commented: “The recent high season is undoubtedly one of the busiest Phuket has seen. Post election, reports of viewings and bookings of resort properties at CBRE show a clear uplift in transactions.”

“This uplift is also supported by land price in Thailand’s coastal areas which have continued to grow unabated and indicates the strength of the market and long term prospects. The Treasury Department’s recent appraisal of land value shows that land prices in Phuket have increased on average a 160% in the past four years.”

“The general election held on December 23rd 2007 marks the return to democracy and puts the country back on the path to economic and political progress. We now expect a clear and positive policy towards foreign investment from the government.

This should play a significant role in further enhancing confidence in the market,”Simister added.

TGR Group Asia, the visionary developer behind Jumeirah Private Island Phuket, has today announced that Jumeirah Beach Villas have been released for sale, just in time for lovers seeking the ultimate Valentine’s Day gift! 

Jumeirah Private Island Phuket is an 80 acre exclusive island resort of 105 pool villas.  All villas command open views of scattered islands. 

The resort is scheduled for completion in late 2009/2010 and set to offer levels of luxury, privacy and security as yet unseen in Asia Pacific. 

13 of the pool villas offer direct beach access and are now for sale.  Jumeirah Beach Villas are an investment based purchase with a compulsory lease back to the Jumeirah Group. TGR will provide a minimum guaranteed yield of 5% for the first 3 years which, unusually for property developments, commences once 60% of full payment has been made. The minimum yield is 5% although projections are in-excess of 7%. Buyers have sixty days personal usage at any time of the year. 

Each Jumeirah Hotel Beach Villa has direct beach frontage, 220sq metre indoor living space, 350sq metre external living space and a total plot size of 650 sq metres.

If you would prefer to take up permanent residency on the island, there are just a few remaining properties of the 49 residential villas being constructed, starting at US$3 million.  So far homeowners from 14 different countries have committed to making Jumeirah Private Island Phuket their tropical residence

Two new exclusive island getaways will soon be providing luxurious lifestyles for those who wish to escape from it all, writes Reggie Ho Going to a resort is nice enough, how about living next to one and enjoying the luxuries that accompany such an arrangement?

That is what ‘on the table with Soneva Kiri & Six Senses Spa on Koh Kood, a remote island in the east of Thailand.

Like any islands in Thailand, Koh Kood has pristine waterfalls, crystal clear waters and unspoiled village life. It’s rather inaccessible, taking four hours by car from Bangkok plus two hour ferry ride to get to. But all that will change next year-for a small group of affluent people.

“Guests will fly there in a private plane, which is a Cessna Grand Caravan with a beautiful interior-leather seats and all the handling. You land at an airport a kilometre from the island.

I don’t know any other resort or residential development in Asia where you fly in with a plane,” Sonu Shivdasani, chairman and chief executive of Six Senses Resort & Spas, said. “I think it’s quite exotic”

The flight from Bangkok International Airport to Soneva Kiri Airport takes 60 minutes.

There are 20 private villas for sale, with prices ranging from US$4.5 million to US$7 million. Fourteen has all ready been sold at the time of going to press.

For US$3,000 a month, the villa will be maintained to optimal conditions and always be ready for the owner to live in.

There is also the option of putting the property into the rental pool, where it would be leased out for US$6,000 to US$10,000 per night. The money generated from the rental would be more than enough to cover the maintenance charges.

“So instead of writing us a cheque, we will be writing you a cheque,” Mr Shivdasani said.

Sharing the same site is the Soneva resort comprising 42 pool villas along the beachfront and on the hillside, overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. Other than providing accommodation space for visiting guests, it also caters to residential villas.

“It’s intelligent luxury, anticipating what customers want. People want choices. They want the finest beef; the wan Mouton Rohschild’66, or a special bottle from a small, unnamed vineyard in Australia,” Mr Shivdasani said.

“Every Soneva resort has a wine cellar and a sommelier, and he can come to your house
to serve your guests and help you put together a wine list. And we have winemakers coming in to have dinner with guests.”

Three restaurants are planned, and they will provide every thing from fine dining and a romantic dinner on the beach to casual home cooking or even popcorn and hotdogs to go your favourite DVDs. Each owner of a Soneva Kiri residential villa is entitled to up to eight complementary round-trip rides on the private plane between the resort and Bangkok International Airport.

“It’s the whole flight for up to eight guests, all free, and if they leave in a week we take them back free.”

For additional guess or trips, an other plane can be hired for US$350 return.

As with other Six Senses developments, Soneva Kiri is being developed with a host of ecologically sustainable designs.

“We’ve created a rustic experience in a tropical forest without using any timber from the forest. For the boardwalk we use pine that’s been preserved, and they are very thick planks and last a very long time. Then we sand-blast them so that they look like driftwood,” Mr Shivdasani said, Another exclusive residential development is Jumeirah Private Island Phuket, by TGR Group Asia.

The exclusive 33-hectare island resort, which looks out across Phang Nga Bay to the north and Ao Po Bay to the west, is scheduled for completion late next year and also aims to offer extremely high levels of luxury, privacy and security.

Reachable by a seven-minute helicopter wide or 15 minute drive from Phuket, followed by four minutes ride on a private motor yacht, Jumeirah Private Island Phuket is home to 48 residential villas and 105 suite and pool villas set among tropical gardens and a 101 berth deep-water marina.

The starting price of the private villas is US$2.8 million and 60 per cent of the development had been purchased at the time of going to press.

“[The buyers] have largely been professional families in their mid 40s seeking home or a base in Asia,” said Anthony Franklin, partner and marketing director of TGR Group Asia.

We are not seeking investment buyers, although Jumeirah Private Island Phuket is a solid investment. But we believe that between now and completion prices will rise in excess of 100 per cent.”

A number of the villas can be customised o buyers’ specifications, and the island will offer a private yacht club, boutiques, business centre and library.

Environmentally friendliness has also been incorporated in the design. Construction will be restricted to a quarter of the island and an integrated rainwater collection scheme will be in place, in additional to thermal insulation in all roof structures to reduce the need for air conditioning.

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Offshore asset Sometimes, even the fanciest upmarket hotel with the most unobtrusive service just doesn’t cut it. That’s when you realise you have to spend your holidays on a private island. Or even live on one.

Dodging the hoi polloi will be fasable about 18 months from now with the completion of Jumeirah Private Island Phuket. An exclusive enclave aimed at the well heeled, the island sits about 500 metres off Phuket in Phang Nga Bay, a short speedboat trip from James Bond Island. As a hotel, residential villa, super-yacht marina and yacht-club focal point, the 32-hectare island will provide the ultimate lifestyle in maximum privacy.

It can be reached by boat or helicopter (the trip from Phuket International Airport takes seven minutes) and, when fully functional, transport on the isle will be by electric car only. I addition to the hotel will be numerous single-storey properties of various sizes, including 20 estates, 28 residences, 12 pool villas and the mega yacht marina.

Although the developers have guaranteed only 18 per cent of the palm-tree covered island will be required for building purposes, it will still offer the usual upmarket facilities, including four restaurants, four bars, a spa, a gym, a 50-metre swimming pool, a 24-hour on-demand ferry service to Phuket, a tennis court, shops, a business centre and a library with a dedicated reading room. It will also offer, fittingly, two 450-metre-long white sand beaches. See www.tgr-asia.com for more details.

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The island, set to be managed by Dubai based luxury international hospitality group Jumeirah, is located less than 500 metres off Phuket in the Southern Gateway of Phang Nga Bay and will encompass exclusive residential villas, resort, super yacht marina and yacht club.

Jumeirah Private Island Phuket will provide the ultimate lifestyle in sumptuous surroundings, housing 48 residential villas and 105 suite and pool villas set amongst tropical gardens and a 101 berth deep water marina.

Starting at US$2.8 million, 60% of the development has already been purchased by individuals looking to take up residence on the island.

A number of the villas and their private surroundings can be customised according to the taste of the individual buyer. Buyers can specify a 40m infinity swimming pool, 200sqm master suite, cinema room, spa and sauna facilities, games room, wine and cigar room, study and library as well as many other benefits.

The hotel pool villas and hotel rooms face straight onto the beach or have views of scattered islands and the ocean and allow for direct beach access. All properties enjoy full access to a number of luxurious Jumeirah managed facilities including a super yacht marina capable of accommodating yachts of up to 70m with 24-hour access.

Facilities will include four restaurants and bars as well as extensive leisure and fitness facilities including a large free form swimming pool, tennis court and Jumeirah’s signature Talise Wellness Spa. In addition, the Island will offer a private yacht club, boutiques, a business centre and a library with dedicated reading room.

Partner and Managing Director for TGR Group – Asia, Mr. Dilokpol Sundaravej, commented:  The ground breaking is a major milestone in our development plan and we look forward to bringing the project to fruition in late 2009.”

Serge Zaloof, Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific, Jumeirah also commented: 
“This development is not just breaking ground, it is groundbreaking. Jumeirah is extremely proud to be managing the most exclusive private island in Asia Pacific”.

Jumeirah Private Island Phuket will offer spectacular views of the limestone karsts of Phang Nga Bay to the north, views of the beaches of Ao Po Bay to the west and two 450 metre white sand beaches with views of both Naka Yai and Naka Noi. 

The greatest care has been taken to protect the ecology of the island. Only 25% of the island will be built on, an integrated rainwater collection scheme will be in operation, thermal insulation in all roof structures will reduce air conditioning energy consumption, double block cavity wall and double glazed windows and patio doors will encourage thermal efficiency.

The resort can be reached by a seven minute helicopter rise or by a 15 minute car journey to Phuket followed by a four minute private motor yacht ride. Transport on the island itself will be by electric car only.

Accessible and crowded or isolated and unspoilt? Finding your ideal island home involves trade-offs, writes Nicola Venning.

In Phuket, an established second-home destination with an international airport, two-bedroom apartments now start at £165,000 and some estate agents are beginning to worry about overdevelopment. “Patong beach has become a Mecca of hotels, high rises, bars and all that goes with that,” says David Forbes of Chesterfield.

Less busy beaches can be found on the island’s northwest coast but prices remain steep. Cluttons is selling 18 luxury homes set in a tropical rainforest with ocean views for €2.1m. Luxurious “residential estates” can be picked up on nearby Barama Bay Private Island Resort through Aylesford International from $3m.

With year-round balmy weather, an established tourist trade and hospitable people, Thailand has been a popular holiday destination for close to two decades.

Even the cataclysmic tsunami of 2004 has not dented the allure of this beautiful country, which has made a real effort to encourage tourism and overseas property investment back to its shores.

That drive has been successful and tourism figures are very near their pre-tsunami level, according to Channel 4’s A Place in the Sun.

Many just cannot resist the allure of luxurious island life, a slice of which can still be bought — but at a price. For investors with a little extra to spend, Barama Bay Private Island is an exclusive resort and residential development located just 500m off the northeast coast of Phuket. This untouched tropical island has been greanted planning permission for just 31 residential plots ranging from 4,000sqm to 11,200sqm with landscaped tropical gardens. Every plot has breathtaking sea views and 26 of the 31 homes will have direct waterfront access to beaches.

The private homes are designed according to the owners’ wishes following an Asian theme set out by the architect, Bishop International. Inside space will range from 800sqm to 2,500sqm and will be designed to fit in with the landscape. The residential area is closed to all except homeowners and their guests and privacy is guaranteed with state-of-the-art security across the island.

The Jumeirah Barama Bay Private Island Resort, due for completion in 2009, will house 79 villas each with private pool, a spa and wellness facilities and is set on 450 metres of white, sandy beachfront.

Entry level at Barama Bay is around the US$3 million mark for land and house, while single bed hotel villas will go on the market for about US$1.4 million as part of the hotel rental pool, but these are strictly guide prices only. When buying into the island, owners will receive a 10-year prepaid marina berth lease, Founder Private Members’ Yacht Club membership, family lifetime membership to Blue Canyon Golf & Country Club and an electric vehicle for use in the resort, among other perks.

Phuket International Airport is just 15 minutes away, including a short four-minute boat ride. Alternatively, guests can choose to arrive by helicopter directly from the airport. But investors will have to get in quick or else risk losing out. The project was officially released in September and, within weeks, 16 of the 31 estates were sold.

If living on your own secluded island does not appeal and you want to be closer to the action, Peregrina Bay in Laem Set, Maret, on the island of Koh Samui, could be the answer. This luxury low-rise residential development located in a secluded beach position on the southeast side of the stunning island, has been designed by Woods Bagot (Thailand) and is expected for completion in mid 2008.

Homes will be designed to the owner’s needs, but as a guide the show house has five bedrooms with 800sqm of total area, including decking and pond features. In addition, the house has five Jacuzzis and two external pools. A twin-car garage is also installed together with a maid’s quarters.

The low-rise condominium building will have a total of six units, each with twin level duplex layouts, three bedrooms and its own swimming pool with ocean views. Football fans might be interested to know that former England coach Sven Goran Eriksson has bought one of the condos as Peregrina Bay, with reportedly other interests from the football world raised.

But don’t bee too surprised if you never see Eriksson or any other homeowner for that matter, as always with this kind of luxury development, you are paying a premium for privacy.

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Jumeirah Group, the Dubai-based luxury international hospitality group has been appointed by TGR Group Asia to manage the five-star private island currently under development in Ao Po Bay, Phuket, Thailand.

Scheduled for completion in late 2008, the Jumeirah Phuket Private Island Resort will feature 65 lavishly appointed deluxe pool villas each with private infinity pool and Jacuzzi, 12 three-bedroom luxury residential villas, four restaurants and bars, as well as extensive leisure, spa and fitness facilities, including a large free-form swimming pool and a 100m private, white sandy beach.

Jumeirah Phuket Private Island Resort will be situated on the shores of Koh Raet, an untouched tropical island located just 500m offshore from Ao Po Bay, northeast of Phuket Island in Thailand, providing easy access for guests to the main tourist areas of Phuket Island.

This news follows Jumeirah’s recent announcement of its intention to accelerate its portfolio growth and closely follows the group’s entry into the Southeast Asian market with the planned opening of Hantang Jumeirah Shanghai in July 2008.

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