Monthly Archives: May 2018

This Four Seasons Real Estate Project is Surging

 

By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

It’s the hottest real estate project in the wider region right now: the residences at the Four Seasons Punta Mita.

DINE, the Mexican real estate developer and owner of Punta Mita has sold out of all 54 of its Four Seasons Private Villas and ten Four Seasons Private Residences, the company said this week.

This milestone marks more than $171 million in sales.

“The success at Four Seasons Punta Mita Private Villas & Residences is bittersweet, as it marks the completion of DINE’s flagship residential project in Punta Mita,” said Andrés Rossetto, Managing Director of Punta Mita Development. “It does reaffirm, however, our belief and commitment to offering spectacular luxury resort real estate products with the finest amenities, in intimate settings of unmatched beauty.”

Four Seasons ownership allows exclusive access to the services and amenities of Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, including pools and beach areas, Apuane Spa, Four Seasons signature Kids For All Seasons program, and four restaurants.

“Four Seasons has the finest collection of luxury residential real estate in the world – and in many ways, Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita has been the pioneer, setting the standard for residential product design, quality, amenities and service,” said Paul White, President, Residential, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “We would like to congratulate our longtime partner DINE and the on-site residential services and resort management team for this exciting achievement and milestone.”

Four Seasons Resort Punta Mita, along with The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort, is a partner in the Punta Mita master-planned community, a luxury resort destination which now includes 15 exclusive and unique luxury residential developments including home sites, villas condominiums and townhouses; three beach clubs with full service and food; two Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Courses; recreational trails, surfing, sailing, fishing and aquatic adventures and a brand new full-service hospital.

— CJ

The post This Four Seasons Real Estate Project is Surging appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Mango Madness in Saint Lucia

 

By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

Love mangos? It’s time to head to Saint Lucia — right now.

Mango Madness is returning to the island’s Anse Chastanet hotel from June 13-17.

The popular event celebrates the tropical fruit and treats guests to mango-themed activities designed to entertain and educate.

“We have mango trees in abundance across our organic Emerald Farm and will continue our annual celebration of this fascinating tropical fruit while we educate our guests and enhance their food and beverage experience at the resort,” said Karolin Troubetzkoy, Executive Director of Anse Chastanet.

Anse Chastanet.

One highlight amongst the five days of festivities includes a live, interactive cooking class that uses the fruit as the core ingredient.

Participants will learn to cook with mangos in the Chef de Cuisine’s special cooking class.

“There we will reveal the secrets of preserving the exotic flavor of mango while creating traditional chutney,” Troubetzkoy said.

As always, Junge Grill on Anse Mamin Beach will be available to delight visitors.

In keeping with the theme of the week, the grill will deliver an infusion of mango flavors in salads, fresh fish and homemade burgers.

Guests will also be invited to feast on a mango breakfast of exotic fruit, artisan cheeses and freshly brewed St. Lucian coffee and cocoa tea.

The evening will feature a five-course mango dinner, including a pairing matched to each dish.

In addition to cooking classes, experienced bartenders will teach the secrets behind mango mixology, featuring the Caribbean’s signature spirit– rum.

“Throughout mango season guests can experience our mango tasting menu, special mango cocktail list, fresh ripe and fresh green mango juices for breakfast and mango-infused spa treatments,” said Allen Susser, the resort’s James Beard Award-winning consulting chef.

Mangos will also be featured in various jams, jellies and chutneys that will be available in the restaurants and for sale in the boutiques.

During their stay at Anse Chastanet, travelers can stroll back in time with a tour of the historic Anse Mamin plantation, which began as a sugarcane plantation in the 18th century.

The area has now become home to cocoa plants and other produce, including mangos.

Festival attendees will also have the chance to learn more about the resort’s farm-to-table conceptual dining with a tour of the organic farm, which includes a variety of mango trees along with other locally-grown produce.

“For those who love mangos, this festival is a must,” Troubetzkoy said.

The post Mango Madness in Saint Lucia appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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$120 Million Hotel Project Breaks Ground in Nassau

 

By Alexander Britell

Another significant hotel project has broken ground in one of the Caribbean’s fastest-growing centers of hotel investment: Nassau.

The $120 million “GoldWynn” project, set on the eastern end of Goodman’s Bay Beach, will be a five-story, boutique beachfront hotel development.

The project is the brainchild of Paul Wynn of the Wynn Group of Companies investment and development firm.

It will be managed by Small Luxury Hotels, according to the company.

The groundbreaking ceremony in Nassau.

Construction is slated to begin in July 2018, and is scheduled for completion in December 2020.

The project includes a mix of private residences and a condo-hotel, with amenities like a beachfront infinity pool, seaside dining, a theater, a spa, a tennis club, a “social house and gallery” and a rooftop terrace and pool.

It will feature a total of 90 rooms, 25 of which will be condominium units, along with a planned total of 64 residences.

“I note that the developers are committed to a beautification plan for Goodman’s Bay, a favorite beach, recreation and exercise park for Bahamians and residents,” said Bahamas Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis, who was on hand for the groundbreaking this week.

Minnis said the project would “help to further transform Cable Beach.”

The project is the latest in a wave that includes the recently-announced Margaritaville at The Pointe in downtown Nassau and the recently-completed Baha Mar project, which debuted its Rosewood component this week.

The planned Margaritaville in Nassau.

Another $250 million project was recently announced for the Hurricane Hole marina site on nearby Paradise Island.

A release suggested that the GoldWynn would be branded as a Kimpton; a Kimpton spokeperson, however, told Caribbean Journal that while the company had been “exploring a deal [in Nassau], we do not have anything confirmed at this point.”

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Rum Journal: How to Bottle Your Own Rum in Nevis

 

One of the most best (and most creative) rum shops in the Caribbean has just launched a terrific new experience: the chance to bottle your own rum.

The L&L Rumshop on the island of Nevis, which is also home to the Nevis-made Clifton Estate Rum, is now giving guests the opportunity to bottle their own personalized editions of the rum.

Guests can wait their turn to bottle their own rum and then get their name and the date engraved on the bottle.

Guests fill their bottle, they cork it and then they seal it with wax.

If Theron, the owner of Clifton Estate, is in the shop, he’ll sign the bottle as well. (Clifton Estate, a spiced rum from Nevis, took home the Double Gold in the Spiced Rum category this year’s Caribbean Rum Awards in Saint Lucia.

“It’s just a little something to create a special experience for anyone coming to the shop,” L&L proprietor and regional rum expert Mark Theron told Rum Journal. “A trip to L&L Rumshop should always be a fun and memorable experience.”

The new experience has already proven to be a big hit in Nevis, both for locals, travelers and cruise passengers a like.

It’s not hard to see why.

— CJ

The post Rum Journal: How to Bottle Your Own Rum in Nevis appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Princess Cruises Is Expanding Its Panama Canal Cruises

 

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The leading cruise line in the Panama Canal is expanding its presence.

Princess Cruises has announced plans to offer its largest deployment ever to the Panama Canal for the 2019-2020 season, highlighted by the maiden season of the Emerald Princess ship sailing through the canal’s new locks.

Princess, which was the first cruise line to sail through the Panama Canal locks in 1967, carries more passengers through the canal than any other company.

The Caribbean Princess ship.

Emerald Princess will be Princess Cruises’ second Neo-Panamax ship (after its Caribbean Princess ship), which will cross the canal’s new locks on both the Caribbean and Pacific sides, the company said in a statement.

Both sets of locks opened in June 2016 as part of the canal’s $5.4 billion Neo-Panamax expansion project.

There are three ways to sail Princess through the Canal; roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles or by sailing a full transit that includes the ocean between Fort Lauderdale and LA or San Francisco and Vancouver.

“Traversing the Panama Canal should be on every destination lovers’ bucket list,” said Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises. “I remember my first experience in the Panama Canal … I was in awe at the precise maneuvering our Captain had to execute to sail through the locks and was amazed by the world’s greatest shortcut that forever changed international trade.”

Overall, Princess Cruises will be featuring five ships offering six itineraries and a total of 36 departures through the Canal.

— CJ

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