Palmy Future for a Balmy Resort

Palmas del Mar opened last week and will keep on unfolding for 10 years. Situated on the southeast coast of Puerto Rico, the resort is planned as a harmonious refuge from the turmoil and ticky-tacky of the 20th century. Indeed, harmony is the byword: its villas and condominiums, 40 tennis courts, three golf courses and 800-slip deep-water marina will blend deftly into the terrain. According to its architect, there is something at Palmas to suit every fancy. For swimsuits plain and fancy, this season's combine the glitter and glamour of the '40s with the spareness of the '70s, as may be appreciated on the following pages.

Sitting pretty in six inches of ocean, Cheryl Tiegs gets maximum exposure in a minimal bikini made up of bands and triangles. It is designed by Betsey Johnson for Alley Cat ($20).

Libby Otis (left) bellies fetchingly up to the poolside bar in a latticed swing chair. Her ribbon-banded bikini is made of stretch nylon ($24). Carol Latimer gets out of the swim of things in a pyramid-striped bikini ($26). Both suits are by Gottex of Israel.

The pool and deck at the Sun Fun Hut enclave, which includes a pizzeria and dance floor, are decorated with fanciful tiles. The mosaics are the work of Florin Pirvulescu and Olga Porumbaru.

Ann Simonton's see-almost-through tank suit (left) by Giorgio di Sant' Angelo ($90) features the new high-styled leg and weighs 2.5 ounces. (On the cover, Ann glitters at Candelero in a Mylar-threaded knit bikini by Monika for Elon-$22.)

Cheryl wears Sant' Angelo's swimsuit ($129) to shine in by day and to dance in by night—with a matching skirt. Inland, riders follow a trail through an old coconut plantation; offshore, a thatched hut on an islet is reached by wading through the shallows.

In the swing in a string hammock, Cheryl cools off in Betsey Johnson's pared-down tank suit ($16). "My version leaves more room for a tan," says Betsey, "and it's as swimmable as the old-fashioned kind." Made of a cotton blend for quick drying, it comes with a cap ($4) in which to tuck away wet hair. The Palmas reception center (right) is a blend of new and old world motifs.

ELEVEN PHOTOS

JAY MAISEL