hospitalitystyle.com

(September 2008) posted on Tue Sep 09, 2008 EDT

Authenticity is the new buzzword for resorts designed for exotic locales.

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By Tom Zeit

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When you design a resort far off the beaten path, you don't use a template. An African coastal village, a stretch of Indian farmland, a quiet Middle Eastern bay-each has its own special charms and limitations. That's what makes these destinations appealing to been there/done that travelers, and highly challenging for designers. Here's how three firms have channeled the essence of exotic settings into five-star escapes.

 

Azura Mozambique

The design and construction of Azura Mozambique, a luxury resort of only 14 units on an island off the coast of southeastern Africa, make sense-of- place and social responsibility the genesis of both operations and aesthetics. To create a truly African experience that also benefits the local community, Azura was built almost exclusively by the local islanders.

GDF Designs of Cape Town, South Africa, took inspiration from the local building styles and tailored its concept to work within those parameters. Local women harvested the jekka plants for the thatched roofs. Windows, doors and many of the furnishings-carved chamfuta-wood beds, for example-were all made locally. Some supporting columns of cimbiri wood came from trees that had been knocked down in a cyclone.

"Sometimes things were not quite finished to international expectations-the windows are askew here and there-but most of our guests find this part of the charm," says Stella Bettany, Azura's sales and marketing director. "The look of hut-like cottages, lantern light and dhows [traditional sailing vessels] drifting by integrates the resort with the villages of the surrounding island."

When the island couldn't provide what they needed, designers sought materials nearby to maintain an authentic aesthetic. Much of the artwork and artifacts came from elsewhere in Mozambique, while lampshades, lighting installations and shower curtains (made from recycled beads) were sourced in neighboring South Africa. Island life is reflected in such features as outdoor showers and a restaurant color scheme that mirrors the ocean. While some soft furnishings were also on the import list, most of the big-ticket items sourced off-island are elements that don't "touch" the guest: generators and a state-of-the-art water treatment plant.

"Building on a remote island is an expensive process no matter who builds it," says Bettany. While the resort's commitment to employing the local community, both during construction and in ongoing operations, added some time and expense, it's also made Azura a real part of that community in a way that travelers are hungry for.

 

Westin Sohna-GurgaOn