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Villas
at Victoria House
Ambergris Caye, Belize
Houston,
TX (February 26, 2007)Lancaster Group, Inc...Nestled on Ambergris Caye
just two miles south of the small town of San Pedro, Victoria House is
the island’s premiere luxury resort, offering the most diverse luxury
accommodations in Belize. The
ambiance is plantation style and tropical surrounded by acres of
flowering gardens, unspoiled beaches and tall swaying palm trees.
Although
full service it remains small, elegant and exclusive offering forty-five
accommodations with two guest pools and two private villa pools.
Dining is a romantic experience at Victoria House and award
winning Restaurant Palmilla complements this with Caribbean cuisine
infused with Asian flavorings
of Executive Chef Nori. The
restaurant and Admiral Nelsons Beach Bar, another perfect spot for a
casual “fresh catch of the day, lunch or candlelight dinner is open
for all meals
Located
on the hotel pier is the hub of daytime activity, Fantasea Dive Shop,
offering all aspects of water sports including world class Scuba diving
with PADI certified Dive Masters, salt-water fly fishing guides, and
inland jungle or Mayan ruin excursions.
Resort
accommodations include Plantation Rooms and spacious suites, unique
Palapa Casitas, and individual villas with private pools. The new luxury, Villas at Victoria House, comprises of
three/two bedroom villas and four one and two bedroom suites, all
located on the edge of a 60 foot infinity pool and marble waterfall.
In keeping with the relaxed ambience of the resort there are no
radios or telephones or even Jet Ski’s to disturb the peaceful
atmosphere, however, upon guest request the new villas offer flat screen
cable televisions. Villas
at Victoria House all boast beautiful sea views, signature bath
amenities; granite tiled bathrooms with indoor/outdoor shower gardens,
state of the art appliances and beautifully crafted mahogany wood
ceilings and four-poster beds. All accommodations at Victoria House are climate controlled
San
Pedro, a small and quaint village offers an abundance of souvenir
shopping, local crafts, art galleries and a variety of oceanfront
restaurants and barefoot beach bars.
Golf carts are the preferred mode of island transportation and
can be rented from the hotel.
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CASA ENCANTADA IN ANTIGUA, GUATEMALA
OPENS
Houston, TX,
(June 7, 2004) Lancaster Group, Inc. . . .Casa Encantada, a luxurious
hotel in the 16th century Spanish Colonial City of Antigua,
Guatemala has opened after extensive renovations of the prior Hotel Casa
Mayor. The Lancaster Group of Houston, Texas will manage Casa Encantada
(“the Enchanted House”).
J. William Sharman,
Jr., the owner of Casa Encantada, stated, "Antigua is a very special
place and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Casa Encantada is the
embodiment of an intimate hotel with a historic sense of place,
wonderful furnishings and art and a caring staff giving personalized
service that will provide an ideal home for exploring and savoring the
unique attractions of Antigua."
Casa Encantada
(
www.casaencantada-antigua.com)
has only ten individually decorated rooms and suites, a roof top terrace
with bar and breakfast dining overlooking the city and surrounding
mountains, a private courtyard and garden with a lounging area and pool,
a reception and salon and a graceful arcade leading from the traditional
timber and iron door. A collection of antique huipils, the colorful
Mayan ceremonial dress, representing twenty distinct tribal regions
grace the walls. Amenities such as telephones, televisions,
refrigerators, signature bathrobes, feather and down bedding with fine
Italian linens and custom made four-poster iron beds complement each
room.
Ms. Janet
Woollam, Managing Director in Central America, indicated, "Antigua has
such charm and such an amazing variety of art galleries, antique shops,
museums, colonial architecture, restaurants and culture that is waiting
to be discovered by the traveling public. It is surrounded by mountains
and wonderful coffee and flower plantations with a constant stream of
cool evenings and warm days."
Casa Encantada
will be managed by Ms. Julia Sole and will join the popular Victoria
House on Ambergris Caye in Belize as Lancaster Group managed properties
in Central America. Ms. Frances Broussard, Managing Director of The
Lancaster Group, reported that this is an ideal fit for the group, which
specializes in the development, renovation and operation of small,
unique and luxurious hotels and resorts, it’s U.S. properties include
The Lancaster in Houston and The Fairmount Hotel in San Antonio with
previous development including the Maison de Ville in New Orleans, the
Jefferson Hotel in Washington, D.C. and the Argyle on Sunset Boulevard
in Los Angeles. www.casaencantada-antigua.com
Click
here to read article>>>
Click here to download as pdf.
VICTORIA HOUSE, AMBERGRIS
CAYE, BELIZE
Hotel Of The Year 2003
Best Chef 2003 and 2005
Bartenders of the Year 2005
Five years after assuming the
management and operations of Victoria House resort in Belize by The
Lancaster Group, Victoria House is now established as one of the premier
luxury resorts in Central America; voted "Hotel Of The Year 2003" by the
Belize Tourism Board and Best Chef 2003 and 2005 in Taste Of Belize
competition.
In late 1999 J. William Sharman,
Jr., President and CEO of The Lancaster Group saw the potential for a
luxury yet casual resort on Ambergris Caye in Belize. He subsequently
initiated an aggressive upgrade of the resort and it’s tropical
gardens. By spring of 2002 all renovations were complete and Victoria
House is now recognized as one of the top luxury resorts in Central
America. The extensive refurbishment included upgrades to all guest
rooms and air-conditioning of all accommodations including the Casitas
and the restaurant. The most significant addition was a fabulous
beachfront pool, developed by renowned designers Thompson and Hanson
from Houston, Texas. The pool design incorporates the natural beauty of
the area and allows for several chaise lounges to be set in a shallow
shelf of water at the edge of the pool overlooking the Caribbean Sea and
the barrier reef. Surrounded by 6000 sq. feet of limestone tile the
pool and patio blends seamlessly with the white sand beach and tall
swaying palms. A revitalization of the restaurant was also integral to
the success of the new Victoria House, an indigenous wood to Belize
Cabbage Bark plank floor was installed along with wrap around mahogany
French doors bringing the spectacular views of the barrier reef into the
dining room. Newly named Executive Chef Amy Knox has received rave
reviews for her creative dishes such as Shrimp Salpicon with Chipotle
and Lobster Tostadas. Rather than a fusion cuisine Amy has created a
mélange of indigenous ingredients and spices from the Caribbean and
Central America. The latest addition to Victoria House, which completes
the project, is a Balinese inspired verandah entry and pagoda along with
extensive landscaping and new entrance leading up to the resort, this
now gives the guest an immediate sense of arrival as well as a hint of
the beauty that lies beyond the main colonial plantation style
building.
With only thirty-five accommodations
which now includes a new five bedroom villa, Victoria House has remained
small and exclusive while retaining the casual ambiance that is truly
Belize. As Sharman embarked upon this project he stated "We are
excited not only about the unique beach setting setting, the natural
beauty and facilities of Victoria House, but also what we see as the
tremendous growth potential for luxury travel to Belize. It offers an
unparalleled range of fascinating activities that are arguably the best
in the entire Caribbean Basin." This vision has proved to be true, as
occupancy and guest satisfaction has reached record levels since
completion of the project and continues to grow.
Thatched-roof Casitas, Plantation
rooms and Plantation Suites are designed with tropical inspired
interiors, custom mosquito canopies and rich locally crafted mahogany
furnishings offering king or queen-sized accommodation, a comfortable
sitting area and, most rooms boast their own private verandah with
spectacular views of the barrier reef. The private villas and
Rainforest Suite, located beachfront, are nestled among tall gracious
palms. One of the villas has two bedrooms with a curved verandah and
steps leading to the beach; the other is a two-story Plantation style
house with the master suite on the lower level, two upstairs bedrooms
and an oversized wooden deck while the third Villa boasts its own
private swimming pool and five bedrooms. The Rainforest Suite, a.k.a.
the Honeymoon Suite, is romantic and charming. This independent
building is private and located only a few feet from the Caribbean with
French doors opening to the beach. Just two miles north of the hotel is
the town of San Pedro offering visitors’ additional activities and an
array of shopping, art galleries, restaurants and barefoot beach bars.
The country of Belize offers some of
the most superb scuba diving locations in the world, Victoria House
boasts it’s own FantaSea Dive Shop and PADI certified Dive Masters. The
barrier reef runs from North to South and goes the entire length of the
country, starting at the Yucatan Peninsula through Central America.
Reef dives range from beginner to expert levels with depths from 35 feet
to 130 feet. For the more adventurous diver, the Blue Hole is easily
accessible with its magnificent stalactites and stalagmites measuring
over 40 feet in diameter, at a depth of 135 feet this dive is for
experienced divers only. The pristine waters are abundant with thousands
of brightly colored tropical fish, parrot fish, sea turtles, spotted
eagle rays and live coral, all undisturbed and protected. Full dive
certification and resort dive courses are conducted on a private,
personalized basis and within one day you can enjoy a resort dive up to
35 feet inside the reef at Hol Chan Marine Preserve, or, a week for full
PADI certification.
The fishing off Ambergris Caye is
excellent and considered "world class"; saltwater fly-fishing for
bonefish, tarpon and permit (all three are known as a "Grand Slam") is
enjoyed on the flats. Orvis a select fly-fishing organization endorses
Victoria House and its fishing guides as one of their preferred
locations. Deep-sea fishing for barracuda, mahi-mahi and sailfish
outside the reef is unparalleled as well as reef fishing for smaller
varieties of snapper and grouper. Boat charters along with our
exclusive fishing guides and all excursions can be arranged through the
hotel activities desk located at FantaSea Dive Shop, on the pier.
Belize
mainland day tours by boat from the island, offers some of the best
Mayan ruin sites in Central America. On these exciting inland trips one
can experience soft adventure and explore jungle riverboat trips, exotic
bird watching, see the rare howler monkeys, experience cave exploring
and jungle hiking. Victoria House activity Director, Javier Williams
can assist with all day trip, fishing and diving arrangements.
Belize City is only a 2-hour direct
service flight from Houston, Dallas and Miami, additional direct service
is offered from Charlotte and Newark. Belize City International Airport
(BZE) offers connections every forty-five minutes to San Pedro,
Ambergris Caye, only a 15-minute island hop on Tropic Air or Maya Island
Air; most flights are on the 16 pax. Cessna Caravans. The cost of the
return island transfer is approximately US$98.00 p.p. The main carriers
into Belize are Continental Airlines, American Airlines, US Air and
Grupo TACA.
Lancaster Hotels & Resorts
specializes in the development, renovation, repositioning and management
of a diverse portfolio of small luxury boutique properties. Additional
services offered by Lancaster Hotels & Resorts include Small Hotel
Reservations Inc, a full service reservations and marketing operation
for independent hotels.
Guestroom reservations,
international air and all transfers are easily arranged through the
Victoria House U.S. Reservations Office: Toll Free 800-247-5159 or
713.344.2340,
www.victoria-house.com, email
info@victoria-house. For more
information, slides or digital images please contact Frances Broussard
(941)371-4572
THE VILLAS AT VICTORIA HOUSE
Now
being constructed, the new Villas at Victoria House will provide a
fabulous addition to Victoria House and a unique investment opportunity
for a select few who appreciate the unmatched service, amenities, food
and lush seaside environment of Victoria House on Ambergris Caye,
Belize.
Comprised of three two
bedroom thatched roof villas and four 1 and 2-bedroom two story infinity
suites facing a sumptuous pool with a sixty foot infinity edge waterfall
into a lower pool. The Villas at Victoria House overlook the resort
grounds and the Caribbean with the Belize Reef only three hundred yards
offshore. To obtain a clear understanding of the location of the Villas
relative to the Resort grounds, view Ariel View on the website
www.villasatvictoriahouse.com.
Each Villa and Plantation
Unit is fully air conditioned, furnished with Belizean and Mayan style
furnishings and art with the highest quality appliances and fixtures.
Each has a large “Great Room” for entertaining and lounging and spacious
travertine floored bathrooms, indoor/outdoor showers and extensive
verandas and porches for relaxing and viewing the pool and sea. See
RENDERINGS and FLOOR PLANS for a further appreciation of the Villas at
Victoria House. |
