Bonnie Carroll's Life Bites

Rockwell Group-designed resort welcomes first guests and celebrates brand’s entrance
into Cancun’s Hotel Zone

Resort brings unique offerings to the destination with signature wine and locally inspired design

On August 19, AMResorts Regional Director of Operations Robert Noe and Secrets The Vine General Manager Jean-Pierre Sorin
join Mr. and Mrs. Stearns in celebrating the resort’s official opening.

AMResorts, provider of sales, marketing and brand management services for Zoëtry Wellness & Spa Resorts, and Secrets, Dreams, Now and Sunscape Resorts & Spas, celebrated the official opening of the adults-only Secrets The Vine Cancun on August 19, 2012. The introduction of wine-inspired Secrets The Vine Cancun, AMResorts’ 21^st property in Mexico, represents the Secrets brand’s entry into Cancun’s Hotel Zone.

Secrets The Vine Cancun’s General Manager Jean-Pierre Sorin and his staff welcomed the resort’s first guests Tom and Maria Stearns with a mariachi band, a ribbon cutting ceremony and champagne toast. To commemorate the occasion, the couple received a five-night return stay certificate to the Unlimited-Luxury® resort.

Designed by the award-winning Rockwell Group, Secrets The Vine Cancun features 495 chic guest rooms designed as a personal retreat with signature design elements including: Private balcony overlooking the Caribbean Sea and Laguna Nichupte, Italian porcelain floors polished to mimic wood, custom covered headboards and teak wood furnishings, luxury linens and Rockwell Group-designed APF mirrors and white glass wrapped bathrooms.

Upon entering the sparkling, elegant and bold Secrets The Vine, guests will instantly take note of the Mayan culture and Yucatan Peninsula design influences. For example, the concierge area, envisioned as a smoking room, mixes traditional hacienda and contemporary style furniture.

The Secrets The Vine’s signature design also celebrates fine wine, starting with its lobby which houses The Vine Bar, a designated wine tasting area for guests, featuring a wine wall with nearly 3,000 varieties. There, guests can enjoy sommelier-led tastings hosted at the locally handcrafted wood table with seating for up to 14 guests. A Vine Bazaar completes the wine-centric experience. This area of the resort offers a variety of relaxing spaces including The Vine Café, The Vine Bar & The Lounge, Terrace, and The Library, which was designed to recall the ancient Mexican tradition of storytelling.

Local cenote formations influenced the design, treatment selection and hydrotherapy circuit at the 12,580 square-feet Secrets Spa by Pevonia. The spa’s main lounge or Cenote Room, recreates the effect of natural cenotes with a three feet deep plunge pool forming the floor with backlit nooks throughout to emulate the beams of sunlight peeking through rock formations. The spa also features a Jacuzzi, steam room, glass pool, and fitness center with ocean views.

Secrets The Vine provides the perfect romantic setting for couples with many special amenities and wedding, honeymoon and anniversary packages. The variety of meeting areas, including 17,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space overlooking the Nichupté lagoon, is ideal for group meetings and incentive travelers.

All resort guests will enjoy the benefits of Secrets Resorts & Spas’ signature Unlimited-Luxury® vacation concept which offers 24-hour room and concierge services, daily refreshed mini-bars, limitless access to gourmet dining and premium beverage brands across the resort’s seven distinctive restaurants and seven bar and lounge areas and countless daytime and nighttime activities and entertainment.

Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain is now offering 10 perfect hours to celebrate 10 happy years in business. The acclaimed boutique resort and spa has devised the ultimate all-day experience for travelers and locals, with a 10 percent discount in honor of its decennial. Showcasing a myriad of Sanctuary’s best amenities, the “10 Best Hours of Your Life” offer is $390 per person with tax and gratuity, available through Dec. 30, 2012, and includes:

· Hour 1: Kick-start the day with a fitness class, such as Sunrise Yoga, Water Fitness, Zumba or Cardio Boot Camp.

· Hour 2: Soothe muscles and decompress in the Sanctuary Spa’s stunning 12,000 square-foot facility, including a steam room and whirlpool.

· Hours 3-4: After a snack and tea in the peaceful Sanctuary Spa Lounge, rejuvenate with a 90-minute treatment, such as Watsu, Hot Stone Massage, or a Rosemary Citron Scrub (among a host of other choices).

· Hours 5-7: Lounge by Arizona’s most magnificent infinity-edge pool while enjoying a Bento box lunch, courtesy of elements restaurant. Soak in the sun and sweeping views of Paradise Valley and Camelback Mountain.

· Hour 8: Prep for the evening with a pampering shampoo and styling in the Sanctuary Salon.

· Hours 9-10: Indulge in a three-course dinner at elements, the brainchild of Food Network Star, Executive Chef Beau MacMillan.

To book the “10 Best Hours of Your Life” at Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain, call (480) 948-2100. Hotel information and reservations can be made on www.sanctuaryaz.com.

About Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain: One of the country’s most lauded luxury resorts, Sanctuary is a striking boutique property on Camelback Mountain in Paradise Valley, Arizona, just minutes from downtown Scottsdale. Under the direction of Westroc Hospitality, Sanctuary enjoys international acclaim for its contemporary design, and award-winning elements restaurant and Sanctuary Spa. A member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Sanctuary was recognized in 2006 as the “top resort” in the United States by the readers of Condé Nast Traveler. Sanctuary has been a Condé Nast Traveler “Gold List” and “Reader’s Choice” winner since opening in 2001, and in 2012 was named #1 Resort in Arizona in Travel + Leisure’s 500 Best Hotels in the World. Connect with Sanctuary on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.