12/11/2008

St. Regis Breaks Ground on Luxury Resort in Puerto Rico
St. Regis Hotels & Resorts recently celebrated the groundbreaking of The St. Regis Resort and Residences Bahia Beach, Puerto Rico by planting a pink tabebuia tree on the site of the new luxury development. Scheduled to open in fall 2010, the $172 million resort will feature 139 luxurious guest rooms and suites with ocean views, 25 residences, the St. Regis Butler Service, a Remèdesm Spa, oceanfront swimming pools, 120-seat restaurant by Chef Jean-Georges and a recently opened 18-hole golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., marking the island’s foray into the five-star-luxury market with its inauguration. Presiding over the groundbreaking ceremony were Graeme Davis, vice president of operations for South Florida and Caribbean for Starwood Hotels & Resorts; Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, governor of Puerto Rico; and Federico J. Sánchez-Ortiz, president of Interlink Group LLC, the development managers of Bahía Beach.

Radisson St. Martin Sets Winter Warm-Up Sale
Radisson’s newest Caribbean resort, which opens on the French side of St. Martin Dec. 16, 2008, announced a Winter Warm-Up Sale as part of its inaugural 2009 season. Guests at the Radisson St Martin Resort, Marina & Spa save up to 36 percent for bookings made by Feb. 28, 2009. The Winter Warm-Up Sale prices start from 247 euros; suites begin at 338 euros per night. As an added value, complimentary breakfast is included daily at Le Marchè. The sale is valid for stays from Jan. 4 to April 18, 2009. For more information, call Richcreek Vacation Center 717-540-7686

Windjammer Landing Named St. Lucia’s Top Resort
Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort & Spa won the award as St. Lucia’s Leading Hotel at the London based World Travel Awards. The 65-acre luxury resort, which celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2009, features 247 suites and villas, all with Caribbean Sea views. The resort is a popular with celebrities, bridal couples and families alike and offers a selection of restaurants, the Serenity Spa, kid’s club and a nearby golf club. Graham Cooke, chairman and founder of the World Travel Awards, said, “Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort & Spa is a very deserving winner. The winning criteria examines every aspect of the resort from the accommodation and activities on offer to the level of service and cuisine and found them to be of the highest standard.” Windjammer Landing launched a new Sun Dollars savings of 50 percent that provides resort credit for spa treatments; room upgrades (pending space); fine wine, food and beverage, plus adventure activities for example like zip-lining through the rainforest, horseback riding and scuba diving.

05/29/2008

New Luxury Resort to Open in Jamaica This Fall

Solis The Palmyra Resort and Spa, a luxury property in the Rose Hall section of Montego Bay, Jamaica, is slated to open its doors this fall.

The property will feature 299 rooms, including 82 guestrooms, 200 one-, two- and three-bedroom suites, six penthouses and 11 luxury villas along with two swimming pools that overlook the Caribbean Sea. The best rooms are the luxury villas, which are three-level, free-standing buildings that come with three bedrooms and balcony.

Paradise Island Founder Dies at 97

The New York Times reports that Huntington Hartford, credited with originating Paradise Island, the Bahamas, died at his home in Lyford Cay, the Bahamas, last week at the age of 97.

After buying the majority of Hog Island (as it was called then) in 1959, Huntington renamed it Paradise Island and immediately followed the purchase by assisting in the development of arguably the destination’s most prominent resort, the One&Only Ocean Club. He also designed the resort's famous Versailles Gardens.

05/04/2008

Caribbean: Now's the time for great deals

BY DAVID SWANSON / Special to the Miami Herald

In the Caribbean, summer is always a steal. But this year, it may be even more appealing that usual.

You know the drill: When New York temperatures rise, Caribbean hotel rates melt. Airline seats are cheaper, crowds thin out, and those same resorts that block out winter rooms for A-list Hollywood crowds are suddenly wooing mere mortals with serious discounts.

Thanks to this year's economic blues and increased air service to the Caribbean overall, you might be able to snag an even better bargain than in years past. Look for rates 30, 40, even 50 percent cheaper than in high season.  Contact: Richcreek Vacation Center for Summer Savings 

Antigua and Barbuda will burst onto the entertainment scene with its inaugural Romantic Rhythms Music Festival from 12-15 June this year.

Two concerts are planned, one at the iconic Sir Vivian Richards Stadium and the other at Fort James, a renowned scenic spot overlooking the ocean.

A variety of special events and packages will be launched to coincide with the musical extravaganza. Performers will include international artistes as well as those from the Caribbean and South America, forming an impressive line-up of vocal and instrumental talent that reflects the Island’s eclectic cuisine, heritage and culture.

04/02/2008

Sir Paul McCartney has been seen enjoying a romantic beach stroll in the Caribbean. The Beatles legend is relaxing at the exclusive Jumby Bay resort, two miles off Antigua.  Paul, 65, is staying in a £6,000-a-night villa which has a plunge pool, four-poster bed, outside shower and complimentary champagne.

04/01/2008

Delta Air Lines continues its expansion in the Caribbean with new daily nonstop service from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to Santiago, Dominican Republic, starting on December 20.   The new Atlanta-Santiago service complements Delta’s existing nonstop service between Atlanta and Santo Domingo, Puerto Plata and Punta Cana. The flights will leave Atlanta at 10:25 a.m. and arrive in Santiago at 2:33 p.m. Departing flights leave at 3:35 p.m. and arrive in Atlanta at 6:18 p.m.

Donald Trump /Dominican Republic - During a special visit to Cap Cana, a new luxury resort and real estate community in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, famous business mogul Donald J. Trump held a press conference to highlight the many recent developments in his Trump at Cap Cana project, announcing new details concerning two of the five world-class golf courses onsite.

Accompanied by Dr. Ricardo Hazoury, president of Cap Cana’s Board of Directors, and Fernando Hazoury, vice president of the Board, Trump expressed his belief that “Cap Cana is one of the most wonderful places in the world, known worldwide for its highest level of luxury and exclusivity—with beautiful natural surroundings as well as a solid plan for its development.” Trump also announced that Hanse Golf Course Design Inc., one of the leading international golf course design companies, will be designing the first two of Trump at Cap Cana’s new golf courses, Farallón and Dolinas, both of which will be perched well above sea level on the property’s bluff. The 7,215-yard Farallón is set amongst natural flora and a landscape dominated by the sand and sea and will have three holes bordering the face of the cliff. Dolinas, which is 7,290 yards, will have a clean and clear native landscape, bordered by an abundance of trees, flowers and dolinas. With a master plan investment projected at $1.5 billion, the first stage of the project will be developed over a span of 12-15 years and focus on an area of 35 million square meters. In its initial phase, the project will have more than four five-star hotels, five golf courses (three of them Jack Nicklaus Signature Courses), a marina and a total of 5,000 residential units and 500 hotel rooms.

The ritz-carlton hotel company has spent more than the last decade cementing itself as a Caribbean powerhouse. With a new property in Turks and Caicos slated for December as well as three more resorts in the region scheduled to open by 2010.