Naples, FL (PRWEB) May 19, 2014

Fiddlers Creek announces that construction is starting on the Emerson luxury home at Chiasso, a village of 59 single-family residences located within the luxury, master-planned community.

Offered by D.R. Horton, Chiasso is a sanctuary of peace and the pinnacle of luxury living. Intertwined with waterways, the village features five individual floor plans, ranging from 2,583 air-conditioned square feet to 3,522 air-conditioned square feet, most with stunning lake views.

The Emerson is a two-story floor plan, encompassing 3,522 air-conditioned square feet and 4,666 total square feet. The home has three bedrooms, three full baths and one half bath, plus a second floor loft with morning bar that could be utilized for a home entertainment theater.

The Emerson is designed with a split floor plan around a centrally located living room and dining room located just steps off the main foyer and entry. The home also features a spacious kitchen just off the family room with adjoining caf area and walk-in pantry. The master suite features his-and-her walk-in closets and a master bath with a drop-in Garden Tub along with a full height vanity.

Interior design features of the Emerson include crown molding in the living areas and master suite, dramatic volume/coffered ceilings, and ceramic tile in the entry foyer, kitchen and laundry room. The gourmet kitchen features GE stainless steel appliances, an upgraded French door refrigerator, natural gas cooktop, and granite countertops with stainless steel undermount sink.

The Emerson also offers a spacious outdoor living area that is ideal for entertaining family and friends. The outdoor living area offers stunning lake views and includes a pool bath, with room available for the optional pool/spa package. The two-car garage is standard with the Emerson, with an optional three-car garage available. The Emerson is currently priced at $621,990.

Each home in the village of Chiasso is built of structurally engineered reinforced concrete block exterior wall construction with high profile concrete roof tiles. Each home also features brick paver driveways and walkways. Interior design features include a luxury kitchen with granite countertops and 42 cabinets with decorative finishes; exquisite baths with designer bath fixtures and granite countertops; ceramic tile flooring; and energy saving features throughout.

Located just off Collier Boulevard between Naples and Marco Island, Fiddlers Creek is an award-winning community that has been selected by the readers of the Naples Daily News and Bonita Daily News as Best Community in the Southwest Florida Readers Choice Awards. The community also received the 2013 CBIA Sand Dollar Award for Community of the Year.

Amenities include the 54,000-square-foot Club & Spa, Fitness Center, Tropical Lagoon-Style Swimming Complex, Tennis Courts, Tot Lot, and Casual and Elegant Dining Restaurants. The Club & Spa at Fiddlers Creek offers a luxurious resort lifestyle and is the location of numerous community-wide parties and special events throughout the year for residents of all ages.

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Fiddlers Creek Announces that Construction Begins on the Emerson

You want a trail made for fitness? Its certain the builders of what we call Monks Mound in Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site werent thinking of a fitness station 1,700 or so years ago when work started on the hump, but thats how it has evolved.

Where Collinsville. On Collinsville Road, about halfway between Illinois 111 and Interstate 255, exit 24.

How long From the parking lot to the top of Monks Mound, one way about a half mile. The mound is 100 feet tall from the base to the top; 154 steps to the top terrace.

Difficulty Its actually easy; the walk up the steps is testimony to your fitness.

Surface Wooden steps, concrete approach from the parking lot.

Can be used for Foot traffic.

Hikers journal While Cahokia Mounds is known for its historic value, not many have discovered that Monks Mound, the tallest structure there, is an excellent place to blow out the pipes for outdoor conditioning. People walk the trail to the top once for the spectacular view of the area, including an unobstructed view of the St. Louis downtown and the Gateway Arch. But increasingly, walkers are getting to the top, heading back to the bottom, then back to the top, two, three or more times. The steps reach two terraces, and some folks walk to the first terrace, then return rather than brace the top. Officials say stay off the grass and only climb using the steps. Cahokia Mounds has about 10 miles of trails throughout the historic area, so long walks are available.

Parking A parking lot is directly across from the main entrance to the Interpretive Center entrance, close enough to stop in and check the exhibits.

Disabled access Except for the steps, the area is flat and paved, but the walkways are narrow.

Dogs On a short leash.

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Trail of the week Monks Mound, Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site

The drive down Fairfield Beach Road is familiar enough to those local residents who love the water -- until one turns into the driveway at No. 487. It's like taking a shortcut to Italy's Mediterranean coast.

Okay, so Long Island Sound doesn't have crystal-blue waters. But it does have a beauty all its own, which can be viewed from many rooms and balconies of this Mediterranean-style house called Villa Re.

The 6,759-square-foot house sits on a 0.53-acre gated property, with 83 feet of waterfront, and offers a refined beach lifestyle with proximity to shops, trains, restaurants and schools.

The side closest to the road features stone walled garden beds around the circular driveway, and the water side has stone walkways to the beach, a pebbled sitting area, and a large veranda, which allows for private relaxing and entertaining despite its proximity to the water and beach. Although the public can walk by, the house sits above the main beach, with a sea wall protecting its privacy. It also has its own private section of beach.

The house was built in 2007 to Federal Emergency Management Agency standards and it withstood a major test in October 2012 when Superstorm Sandy devastated the eastern seaboard. Construction features include Andersen coastal impact resistant windows and doors, Low "E" insulated windows -- 150 mph wind and debris proof -- and a foundation with 48 wood piles and reinforced concrete and steel beam to support 15-to-16-foot raised first floor.

And there is a lot worth protecting inside: A 6,000-bottle temperature-controlled wine cellar and cork room with a barrel ceiling and four arched wine chambers on either side, spacious chef's kitchen with a logically organized cook line and wrap-around granite counter, radiant heated porcelain tile floors throughout most of the first floor, and a butler's pantry that doubles as a coffee room. It has a built-in Miele espresso/cappuccino coffee center with warming drawers, Italian porcelain tile flooring, cherry cabinetry, granite counters, wet bar, and a dumb waiter that goes from the ground level to the third floor nautical observatory.

The observatory has lacquered oak flooring and ceiling, and an arched doorway that opens to a rooftop terrace with terra-cotta tile decking.

The stately front entrance features a glass-paned, classical arched mahogany door into the gallery entrance hall. The first-floor great room and colonnaded formal dining room both have a 10-foot mahogany coffered ceiling. The great and formal sunken living rooms share a two-sided "see-through" stucco and Travertine fireplace.

Kitchen features include tumbled marble backsplash, pot filler and granite-topped center island. Appliances include a paneled Sub-Zero refrigerator and two freezer drawers, Viking six-burner gas range with griddle, and Bosch dishwasher.

The large covered veranda has porcelain tile decking, classical balustrades, mahogany ceiling and steps down to the summer terrace, and stone walkways to the lawn and beach. The veranda is accessed from the great room and sunroom.

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On the market: Villa well suited to spectacular waterfront setting

SINGAPORE: Thirty-one projects, mostly residential buildings, are awarded the Universal Design Mark this year - up from 26 in 2013.

The Universal Design Mark is a voluntary certification that recognises developers and architects who have gone the extra mile in designing for people of all ages and abilities including the young, the old and persons with disabilities.

The certification is awarded by the Building and Construction Authority (BCA).

This year, the highest honour went to Gardens by the Bay and The Interlace condominium, which received the Platinum ratings.

It looks like an ordinary table with seats.

But after shifting the seats, the table is transformed into a wheelchair-friendly version.

It is one of the universal design features at The Interlace condominium.

Some 10 per cent of the units have been equipped with "ageing-in-place" provisions.

For instance, the entrance to a bathroom in these units is not separated by a step. It is levelled and a metal drain is used keep water out.

The developers, CapitaLand, say they believe the condominium is one of the first such private residential developments in Singapore that offers some units designed to facilitate ageing-in-place.

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Gardens by the Bay, Interlace top Universal Design Mark Award

Screengrab from http://www.megaworldcorp.com

MANILA, Philippines Megaworld Corp. is placing a bigger bet on Cebus tourism industry with P8 billion in fresh investments to build five new luxury hotels on Mactan Island.

This capital outlay will increase Megaworlds hotel portfolio by 2,000 rooms and will form part of the expansion of its 28.8-hectare mixed-use project, The Mactan Newtown, in Lapu Lapu City.

In a press statement on Thursday, Megaworld said the first two high-rise hotels Mactan Belmont Luxury Hotel and the Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown would rise on the townships Newtown Boulevard within five years.

Soon to rise will be two beachfront hotels in the area which was formerly Portofino Beach Resort. The company said this area offered relaxing views of the Hilutungan Channel and Olango Island, known for its bird sanctuaries and mangrove forests. Another luxury hotel of international brand is also expected to rise in the township.

With the influx of more tourists to Mactan Island year after year, we hope to be able to offer more exciting facilities that will help further boost tourism in the region. Aside from local tourists, we hope to cater to foreign guests and visitors to The Mactan Newtown as well, said Carmen Fernando, managing director of Prestige Hotels and Resorts Inc., which is the operator of Mactan Belmont Luxury Hotel and Savoy Hotel Mactan Newtown.

Megaworld is also constructing a three-level lifestyle mall, Plaza Magellan, which is envisioned to become a major landmark of The Mactan Newtown. The mall will have an iconic entrance plaza facing the Lapu Lapu Shrine, the site where the historic Battle of Mactan between Lapu Lapu and Ferdinand Magellan took place April 27, 1521.

The plazas main feature will be a life-sized replica of the Spanish galleon Victoria, the first vessel to circumnavigate the globe, and the Spanish Steps, which will lead visitors to the malls main entrance. The Victoria was the only one of Magelans five ships that survived the expedition and managed to return to spain, thus sailing around the globe.

Plaza Magellan will also feature a museum which will be dedicated to the life and expeditions of Magellan.

The malls design will be inspired by the hilltop towns of Portugal and Spain. The architecture will feature courtyards and arcaded walkways, ornately framed doors and windows as well as cupolas and towers.

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Megaworld building 5 luxury hotels on Mactan Island

Rose Societys annual tour highlights Old World charm

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By Andrea Papagianis

Maria del Carmen Calvo steps into her canvas.

Nestled along the Capistrano Beach bluffs, Calvos rich garden rooms provide an escape from the outside world, where the inside meets the out, creating a space straight from one of the artists oil paintings.

Walking the grounds Calvo stops to smell the roses. Its my sanctuary, Calvo says in the heavy Spanish accent she carries even after 50 years in California.

She moves through the garden, passing through a line of olive treesa simple, gravel path shrouded by tall, neatly trimmed topiaries. Its one of the many ways her European heritage, and artistic style, shines through the rose-lined pathways and tall hedges.

Calvo and her husband, Walter Henry, have been building their home for 30 years. They started with a clean slate. All but one tree was removed when they moved into their Camino Capistrano-located home. Since, Calvo has cultivated an outdoor living space where tranquility reigns.

One of nine fountains at Maria del Carmen Clavos Capistrano Beach home provides tranquil sounds amidst a garden of roses and olive topiaries. Photo: Andrea Papagianis

Roses billow from their branches, heavy and wide, encompassing cement walkways Calvo lay with intricate glass and tile designs. Fountains echo the gentle trickling of water. Around each corner, Calvos artistic sleight of hand peeks through with personal touches straight from an artists eye.

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Tour Steps Into Artists European Influenced Gardens

Video simulation of the proposed Pacific Fair shopping centre refurbishment in Broadbeach.

MAJOR shopping centres in southeast Queensland are undergoing a billion-dollar makeover as owners strive to keep the tills ticking over.

Some of Queenslands largest centres Westfields Carindale and Garden City shopping centres, Indooroopilly Shopping Centre, Toowong Village and Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast have undertaken or are in theprocess of multimillion-dollar makeovers.

Next-generation David Jones opens

Brand bonanza as centres made over

Sardine parking introduced

As well as hundreds of newstores, most of the centres are adding non-retail space, including childrens playgrounds, libraries and other outdoor entertainment options.

The Indooroopilly Shopping Centre redevelopment will be completed soon.

With the increasing popularity of online shopping, regional director for property research group Urbis Peter Hyland said shopping centres were trying to create an experience for shoppers in line with customer expectations.

The good centres want to be known and be distinctive for something. Its about providing environments that reflect local elements and character, he said.

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Its shopping, but not as you know it

Picture perfect: A reflection of the Basilica bounces off the water in St Mark's Square. Photo: Brian Johnston

Only surly travellers could complain about the infamous high tides of Venice. Brian Johnston discovers beauty even in a swamped city.

Before we even arrive in Venice, the naysayers are moaning. A combination of full moon, high tides and rain-sodden winds are threatening another acqua alta, those tourist-annoying high tides that regularly submerge Venice. Yet though I'm bootless and umbrella-free, I'm secretly pleased that our arrival coincides with the city's most infamous event. There's nowhere else can you see a city submerged, secure in the knowledge that it isn't a natural disaster but a predictable event that locals take in their stride.

Next morning, as I leave my hotel, city workers are setting up passerelle, elevated wooden walkways on metal legs. Shop owners slot metal barriers across the thresholds of their doors. At 9.50am an alarm sounds: a dull beep like a reversing truck that barely penetrates over clanging church bells. The more frequent the tone, the higher the tide expected. The beeping sounds urgent. Water is slopping over the landing steps of the Grand Canal and bubbling up through grates in the flagstones of St Mark's Square.

Tackling the tide in plastic shoe covers. Photo: AFP

Fifteen minutes later, water is sopping between cafe chairs by the Rialto Bridge. Stall owners set out lurid yellow or purple plastic boot-coverings, outrageously priced at 18 ($27). Water rises and I have to find an alternative alley to the Rialto markets. Soon I'm a little lost. I go from squares packed like battery-hen farms with tourists into empty back alleys where water slaps against apartment blocks. Cracks appear in the clouds and the sun throws pale light on to gargoyles and gateways.

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By 10.45am I'm down on the waterfront, where deformed pigeons hobble on pink legs. Water laps the Doge's Palace and is now ankle-deep along the shopfronts that line the northern side of St Mark's Square. The cafes opposite are as yet unaffected. In one, a pianist determinedly plays, like a musician aboard the Titanic. I finish my coffee as seawater laps at my toes, but am still able to hop across dry patches and on to a passarelle that brings me to St Mark's Basilica. Water has covered mosaic floors under the gold-leaf porticos, providing the feel of wanton Roman baths.

Venice's acqua alta is caused when high tides in the northern Adriatic coincide with a warm sirocco from North Africa, usually between September and April. Low-pressure systems and heavy rain combine to worsen the effect. Media reports of particularly bad acqua alta - such as those that hit at the end of 2012 - show pictures of miserable tourists trudging through floods with their suitcases. Yet so far, I've kept my socks dry. Tides can rise 85 centimetres and not be too bothersome, flooding only the area around St Mark's Square, the city's lowest point.

Apart from unforeseen plunges between pavement and canal, there are few dangers in this flooding. Because they've happened for centuries, they do little damage to foundations; Venetians worry more about cruise-ship wash and vibrations. Acqua alta conditions are predicable and the city well prepared. High tides are announced on a website, in newspapers and on noticeboards around town. As a tourist, you'll be well warned by the clang of arriving passarelle. There are maps of walkway routes if you don't want to get your feet wet.

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Spires in galoshes

Rose Societys garden tour steps into artists European influenced gardens

For 11 years, Bill and Sandra Jensen have welcomed guests to their San Clemente bed and breakfast, Garden Cottage at the Green, to take respite among their well-kept, European-inspired gardens.

Photos and story by Andrea Papagianis

Maria del Carmen Calvo steps into her canvas. Nestled along the Capistrano Beach bluffs, Calvos rich garden rooms provide an escape from the outside world, where the inside meets the out, creating a space straight from one of the artists oil paintings.

Walking the grounds Calvo stops to smell the roses. Its my sanctuary, Calvo says in the heavy Spanish accent she carries even after 50 years in California. She moves through the garden, passing through a line of olive treesa simple, gravel path shrouded by tall, neatly trimmed topiaries. Its one of the many ways her European heritage, and artistic style, shines through the rose-lined pathways and tall hedges.

Calvo and her husband, Walter Henry, have been building their home for 30 years. They started with a clean slate. All but one tree was removed when they moved into their Camino Capistrano-located home. Since, Calvo has cultivated an outdoor living space where tranquility reigns.

Roses billow from their branches, heavy and wide, encompassing cement walkways Calvo lay with intricate glass and tile designs. Fountains echo the gentle trickling of water. Around each corner, Calvos artistic sleight of hand peeks through with personal touches straight from an artists eye.

Situated just above her bathroom sink is a broken Lalique vase that Calvo united with the homes edifice. Now the crystal provides a surprise among the stucco and a simple backdrop to Calvos water liliesone of her much loved garden features to paint.

Its a happy place, Calvo said. It is a place for everyone to enjoy.

On Saturday, May 10, Calvo and Henry will open their home for all as the Rose Society of Saddleback Mountain hosts its annual south Orange County garden tour. Attendees of this years event, coined the Elegant and Enchanting Garden Tour, will have the chance to tour five home gardens highlighting floral displays, environmentally sound garden practices and garden architecture.

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Old World Charm

Each year, catastrophic wildfires threaten many Washington homes, businesses and open lands, but residents can take steps to protect themselves and their communities.

This year, the governors of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and California have joined together to proclaim May as Wildfire Awareness Month. The Washington State Department of Natural Resources urges all Washington residents to consider actions they can take to prevent wildfires and help their communities become better prepared when wildfires do occur.

As more and more people live in and around forests, grasslands, shrub lands, and other natural areas places referred to the wildland-urban interface the fire-related challenges of managing wildlands are on the increase. This year, the department is asking the question, Is your community prepared for wildfire?

If designing or updating a homes landscape, think of ways to incorporate firebreaks (things that dont burn) into the landscape design. Defensible space doesnt have to be an eyesore. Some examples of firebreaks are: concrete, brick or gravel walkways, concrete flower box borders or planters, and water features, such as a pond. Even the backyard swimming pool can serve as a firebreak.

We all have a role to play in protecting ourselves and each other from the risk of wildfire. To save lives and property from wildfire, the Firewise Communities Program (www.firewise.org) teaches people how to adapt to living with wildfire and encourages neighbors to take action now to prevent losses.

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Wildfire Awareness Month starts May 1