As floors of the hotel quickly go up, ground is broken and second floors are poured for many of the residences, five of the spectacular Nick Faldo golf course holes have also been approved and are in the process of being grassed   Visitors, purchasers and Roco Ki owners alike are already enjoying practice shots to tee off from their favorite hole while enjoying spectacular cliffside view and play. 
  
Points of Distinction

Upon completion, Roco Ki will be among the largest resort community developments in the Caribbean, with 2,700 acres looking northward on one of the most untouched beaches in the Caribbean.  The unique nature of the site has earned designation as one of the world's finest by UNESCO (United Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). 

The Westin Roco Ki Beach & Golf Resort features a combined total of up to 364 lodging accommodations including 146 Westin-branded condominium residences in one, two and three-bedroom designs, an impressive conference center accommodating up to 500 for banquets, seven restaurants, a variety of bars, gourmet market, 24-hour room service and an 18,000-square-foot full-service spa with 15 treatment rooms. 
 
The exclusive residences being sold at Roco Ki are another key point of distinction.  The residential community at Roco Ki will have new and different luxury enclaves, easy air access and a unique cultural experience, making it become the newest "place to be" in the Caribbean.  Life lushly imagined at Roco Ki will consist of a luxury lifestyle combined with ecological and cultural sensitivity. 
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• 30 Beachfront Residences.  Three and four-bedrooms, dominated by soaring hand-tied palm roofs. 
• 32 Westin Jungle Luxe(R) Bungalows.  One and two-bedroom jungle bungalows with views of the sea and forest. 
• 25 Westin Cliffside Villas.  Stunning 3,400-square-foot villas offering front-row seats to the magnificent Caribbean views. 
• 28 EcoDream(R) Villas.  Impressive 6,200-square-foot residences with sweeping Caribbean vistas, a gourmet kitchen, plus living and dining rooms and featuring wrap-around terraces on the second and third floors, with spa on private roof deck. 
• 146 Westin Cacique Terrace Condos and Villas.  Enclave of studio, one and two-bedroom condominium residences between the cliff-frontage fairways of the golf course and The Westin Roco Ki Beach & Golf Resort. 
• 20 Beachfront Home Sites.  Expansive lots for custom-built homes. 

The name of the luxury resort and residential community, Roco Ki, has an approximate translation of "honoring the land" in Taino, the language of the indigenous population who originally inhabited the areas where Roco Ki is situated.  From its symbolic logo to architectural features and design treatments, Roco Ki will reflect many of the unique and colorful characteristics of the area's history, culture and the Taino people. 

Evidence of the Taino culture has been discovered throughout the Roco Ki site during excavations and construction, with artifacts and relics unearthed and carefully preserved in cooperation with the Dominican Republic Ministry of Culture.   Plans are now in progress to open in the near future an interpretive museum at Roco Ki showcasing ancient artifacts and relics representative of the Taino Indians who once inhabited the grounds. 

Nick Faldo's Latest and Greatest Creation

The 18-hole, par-72 Nick Faldo-designed signature championship golf course is integrated into natural features of the Caribbean's most spectacular landscape.  Precise shot making, combined with an imaginative short game will be key to playing this exceptional Nick Faldo design, already being referred to as the "Pebble Beach of the Dominican Republic."
  
With two carries over water and where ocean breezes will challenge one's drive and iron shot, the "Los Dos Rezos" (or "The Two Prayers") 18th hole requires precision for a satisfying finish.  This spectacular course will be renowned as a "green course" that has been masterfully planned to be completely ecologically-friendly and one the surrounding nature of oversized mangroves, breathtaking cliffs and beaches. 

Becoming Part of the Community

Sarasota, Florida-based Michael Saunders & Company is the exclusive real estate broker for Roco Ki, a specialist in accommodating discriminating buyers.  The brokerage is a member of Christie's Great Estates and Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, two of the world's largest real estate networks. 

The Roco Ki Discovery Center is open daily and situated in the heart of the first phase of development at the destination resort, on the beachfront.  The facility includes detailed large-scale model layouts depicting Roco Ki's first phase, as well as the specific location of individual home sites, villas and residential units.  Prices range from $400,000 to $10 million.  Site tours and orientations can be arranged by appointment. 

And There's More... 

After Phase I opens in Spring 2008, there will be approximately 10 more years of future additions.  Those who become a member of the Roco Ki family will see more upscale facilities and services such as:

• A full-service, world-class marina, sheltered and secured from offshore winds, nestled among village-styled residential, shopping and recreational areas. 
• Additional luxury, world-class hotels
• Up to three more championship golf courses, each possessing a different character and design to capitalize upon Roco Ki's natural surroundings
• Retail shopping areas accented by features that bring the culture, hospitality and color of the Dominican Republic to life

Richard Knorr, Founder and Principal of Chicago-based Richard Knorr International, is Roco Ki�s visionary and developer.  Knorr�s work is already recognized in the Dominican Republic for the design and construction of the Acropolis office and retail center in Santo Domingo.

�I fell in love with the beautiful surroundings of the beaches, mangroves and cliffs in the Macao Beach area near Punta Cana, where we are building Roco Ki, � said Knorr.  �It�s something I never saw anywhere else in the Caribbean.  I started to learn about the Taino Indians and the artifacts they left behind in the area.�

Knorr found the scenery and the rich Taino heritage to create a perfect combination for the concept of the Roco Ki resort community.  In fact, Roco Ki�s approximate translation means �honoring the land� in Taino.

�Honoring the land and honoring the Dominican Republic is what we are doing every step of the way with Roco Ki,� Knorr summarized.
 

www.rocoki.com