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Verana is luxury in the jungle
Verana on Mexico’s Southeast Coast is as unusual as it is remote.
The 8-room hotel has been cut out of a swath of hillside jungle above the Bay of Banderas in the mountains.
Visitors arrive by a short hike through the mountains.
All the eight guesthouses are unique and unusual. A room called “Palapa” has a traditional thatched roof and uneven floor with no walls so that it is exposed to the jungle. Each house has its own terrace with jungle and Pacific Ocean views. There’s a spa and yoga room.
Verana was conceived, designed and is solely owned by Heinz Legler and Veronique Lievre, a former movie set builder and set decorator respectively.
“I wanted to create an environment that was harmonious with the natural setting, yet also functional and comfortable,’ said Veronique Lievre.
There’s an unapologetic absence of traditional luxury hotel amenities such as high thread count bed linen, oversized flat plasma TVs, radios or 24-hour room service. Instead a mule plays bellboy and guests are as likely to see a flotilla of yellow butterflies fly over the pool as be wakened to the sound of parrots or a braying donkey or fall asleep to the accompaniment of courting frogs and cicadas.
For two people (including three daily meals, taxes and boat transportation) rates range from $380-$610 per night. There is a five-night minimum stay, unless availability permits otherwise.
Report by David Wilkening
David
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