design et al are delighted to announce further shortlist success for global architecture firm HKS in the International Hotel & Property Awards 2014. The Mukul Resort & Spa has been shortlisted for the Hotel under 50 Rooms Award.
Borrowing its name from the Mayan word for “secret,” Mukul Resort is the first luxury beach property in Nicaragua. The discrete and environmentally intelligent architecture blends harmoniously within the lush and extensive natural beauty of the site. There is an architectural tradition within the early wood and stone buildings that rim the Pacific Coast. These structures use indigenous materials throughout and offer minimal vertical expression. To take advantage of the incredible views and pleasant climate, these buildings have fewer walls, which make each structure feel completely open to the outdoors.
The resort features 39 spacious, beautifully appointed accommodations including 12 one and two bedroom Beach Villas and 23 cliff side Bohios, each with an ocean view, pool, and private staff. The Beach Villas, approximately 1,003 square feet in size with vaulted ceilings and walls of glass, face the gently rolling surf of Playa Manzanilla. Mukul’s 23 Bohios are built of sustainable native teak and pine. Each of the 621 square foot cliff houses feature high ceilings and a wall of glass that opens onto a sweeping wooden deck with a private plunge pool.
Sustainable design principles are at the heart of the architectural approach, ensuring that Mukul is not only energy efficient, but also employs sound environmental strategies to help regenerate the landscape. Structures are designed for optimal natural ventilation and use methods to collect rainwater for treatment and re-use. Solar power is harnessed, and electric vehicles are used for transport around the site.
With invigorating offshore breezes, idyllic tropical weather and spectacular mountain and ocean views, this new seductive resort environment blurs the distinction between inside and outside. Each bohio and villa experience is unique and authentic, and each designed with its particular surrounding in mind – in harmony with the topography of its specific perch on the beautiful hillside or beach-front, overlooking acres of natural beauty, unspoiled beaches, and turquoise waters.