Porto Hussong Plans Unveiled
 John Freeman - thelog.com
| | More Than Fish Tacos - A new resort and marina is coming to Ensenada. Porto Hussong's marina will be designed to accommodate mega-yachs up to 200 feet long. Up to 250 spaces are planned for the end-tie-style docks. Construction is scheduled to begin in November, with an estimated completion date of early 2009. |
The Baja resort, scheduled for completion in 2009, will include a 250-slip mega-yacht marina.
Ensenada - When Doug Bowers was in college, going to Baja meant camping, surfing, scarfing down fish tacos and downing more than a few beers at Hussong's raucous cantina in Ensenada.
Times have changed.
"Now that I'm older, my tastes have become more refined and expensive," said Bowers, director of marketing for Merida Development Group, developer of Porto Hussong, a $350 million planned resort and marina just north of Ensenada along the toll road. "These days, I can't imagine a better Baja experience than what this resort is going to be - a world-class, five-star luxury destination, on par with some of the world's best resorts."
The grandiose plans for Porto Hussong were recently unveiled by the developer. They include 200 oceanfront condominiums, a five-star boutique-style hotel, six high-end private villas, a collection of upscale shops and spa services, several cafes and restaurants and a first-class, 250-slip marina (end-tie-style docks) and yacht club designed to accommodate yachts up to 200 feet in length.
Land for the project has been cleared, with construction expe-cted to start in November. Completion is scheduled for early 2009. The chief architect is Arthur Valdes, whose past projects include the Palmilla Resort in Cabo San Lucas and Las Hadas Resort in Manzanillo, as well as resorts in Puerto Vallarta and along the Italian Riviera in Portofino. He's also aligned with current design projects at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.
For now, the official name for the project's marina and yacht club is undecided, but Bowers said its target is clear: Southern California boaters and sailors.
"This is fast becoming a baby-boomer's paradise," he said. "Ensenada is the next phase for those of us who have enjoyed the Baja experience and now have the means and desire to live the good life."
Porto Hussong will be located next to Hotel Coral and Marina, which has become a prominent Ensenada stop for boaters heading both north and south. Until just recently, the site was occupied by Hotel Quintas Papagayo, owned and operated by the Hussong family.
"The demand for large-yacht slips has been so great that we've just increased the number from 10 to 20 and maybe more," Bowers said. "With the yacht club, we intend to form guest alliances with all the finest yacht clubs up and down the West Coast."
The developers are banking on the cachet of the Hussong name, the Baja-based family that founded Hussong's Cantina in downtown Ensenada, the legendary, peanut-shells-on-the-floor bar that dates back to 1892.
"They have a highly favorable multiple-generation recognition for anyone who's ever gone to Baja," Bowers said. "The family has been waiting for the right time and the right opportunity for years. They felt this was the first concept worthy of going into a deal." |
Vallarta Weddings
Puerto Vallarta Real Estate | August 2006 
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