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What if you could offer buyers a
top-drawer property in a
spectacular location, an opportunity
to satisfy a basic desire, and a
vacation option that all but
guarantees owners a revenue
stream, year after year? Sounds like
a winning proposition — and one
that Century Acqua Lifestyle
Corporation (CALC) has fulfilled with
its Acqua Private Residence Club.
Recently affiliated with
Interval International is AQA at N ovotel Suites Manila,the newest
and final phase of a six-tower complex in the
capital of the Philippines. Sales are brisk, says
Tim Hallett, CALC chief
operating officer. “We
already feel quite confident
that we will be sold out by
the second quarter of 2016,
and we are a sales-driven
organization,” he said last
September.
The gleaming 41-story
building incorporates a
sixth-floor lounge with
restaurant, bar, and infin-
ity swimming pool that
extends off the side of the
building and seemingly blends with an adjacent
aquarium. Art-filled public spaces are strikingly
dramatic and sized to impress. Influenced by
designer Philippe Starck and the fashion com-
pany Missoni, unit interiors are modern and
minimalist, appearing sleek and elegant rather
than spare.
Water Works
Water is a prominent design theme throughout
the development; the towers are bright white
with extensive use of dark blue on the exteriors.
Rooflines seem to slope toward the river. A cen-
tral amenity center, The Pebble, is meant to
resemble a smooth river stone; three rushing
waterfalls on the façade appear to descend into
the river below. The Pebble is wrapped by a
riverwalk studded with restaurants and shops.
The island is situated at the meeting point of
Mandaluyong, a shopping mecca, and Makati
City, the Philippines’ cultural and financial epi-
center. Both are about 10 minutes away via
either the new Estrella-Pantaleon Bridge or
Makati-Mandaluyong Bridge. “We are actually
in the middle of three or four hubs,” Hallett says,
adding that a wealth of dining, shopping, and
cultural attractions is readily accessible.
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RESORTDEVELOPER.COM
vacation industry review
JANUARY – MARCH 2016
NOVOTEL
SUITES MANILA
By Catherine Lackner
Returning Home
to the Philippines