Baha Mar, the luxury resort on Nassau’s fabled Cable Beach, was billions of dollars and almost a decade in the making — but well worth the wait. Interconnected hotels share amenities like the largest casino in the Caribbean, a huge convention center, an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Royal Blue Golf Course, the Caribbean’s first and only flagship ESPA spa, extensive Bahamian arts programming and exhibits, and more than 30 luxury retail outlets.

A new, $200-million water park, sure
to enhance Baha Mar’s appeal to families, is now under construction with a
projected opening in 2021. The water rides are still under wraps, but the Baha
Bay Beach Club is already taking shape with a pair of infinity pools, lounge
areas, hammocks, daybeds, cabanas, and coastal California inspired food from
the 25°N restaurant.

Three resorts are officially promoted under the Baha Mar banner — the Rosewood, SLS, and Grand Hyatt hotels. The neighboring, all-inclusive Melia Nassau Beach is expected to be integrated into the resort as well once ongoing renovations and upgrades are completed.

Grand Hyatt Baha Mar Baha Mar’s largest hotel is so big that it has two lobbies — one for guests checking into its East Tower (closer to the convention center) and another for West Tower guests. With 1,800 contemporary rooms, the Grand Hyatt offers the most direct access to the 100,000-square-foot casino floor, and a selection of suites makes it a good choice for groups traveling together as well as romantic couples. The Reserve, an upscale hotel-within-a-hotel, offers private check-in and butler service.

Hotel guests can lounge alongside their choice of six pools, grab a casual meal at one of the vintage food trucks scattered around the grounds, or dine in style at Shuang Ba for upscale Chinese cuisine, followed by dessert at Cafe Madeleine and perhaps a puff over brandy at the T2 Cigar Lounge (see if you can figure out who the two Ts are.)

The Rosewood at Baha Mar Seclusion, privacy, and sophistication are the calling cards at this 237-room hotel — the atmosphere changes noticeably more sedate when you enter the hotel’s lobby from the casino floor.

Every room, suite, and villa at the hotel has butler service, and the sense of serenity extends outdoors, where private living areas and pools for the exclusive use Rosewood guests are set amid manicured gardens. Cabanas are arrayed around the stepped main pool, the resort has its own Sense spa and fitness center, and dining options include the new Malam, which serves tandoori-style Indian cuisine, and Costa for Mexican-style seafood.

SLS Baha Mar For luxury with a youthful vibe, check out — and check into — the SLS Baha Mar, a five-star, 299-room hotel that includes 107 suites and residences. The Baha Mar property is SLS’s first hotel in the Caribbean (and fourth overall, after Beverly Hills and South Beach and Brickell in Miami, offering some insight into the resort’s demographics and atmosphere).

Hot spots include the only rooftop
lounge in Nassau, Skybar, the high-energy Bond nightclub, and the playful
Monkey Bar in the hotel lobby. The resort’s chef-centric dining choices include
the excellent Carna steakhouse by famed butcher Dario Cecchini and master
sushi Chef Katsuya Uechi
epynomous Katsuya by Starck. Chef Danny Elmaleh brings his celebrated New York
Mediterranean restaurant to the Caribbean at Cleo Mediterráneo.

The post Staying at the Baha Mar in The Bahamas, Explained appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Turks and Caicos Is Getting Its First Dream Hotel

New York-based Dream Hotel Group is planning a big expansion in the Caribbean, and that will now include a hotel in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. 

The company will be opening The Bight by Dream Hotel Group in Provo, with plans to debut in 2022. 

The “by Dream Hotel Group” moniker is a new brand for the company, which has a collection of marques from Time to Unsripted to Chatwal, among others. 

The Bight will actually be one of two new “By Dream Hotel Group” projects in the region, along with a recently-announced hotel in the pipeline in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. (Indeed, Dream Hotel Group is planning an even broader expansion in the Caribbean across several of its brands, including Unscripted Hotels.)

The residential resort will be set in West Grace Bay, the brainchild of Turks and Caicos’ EA Group. 

“EA Group’s roots are based in the Turks and Caicos. They have an intimate knowledge of the culture, as well as extensive expertise and understanding of the market. They are innovators with a vision to bring something new, fresh and authentic to the region,” said Dream Hotel Group CEO Jay Stein. 

The residential resort will have 66 units across six levels, with custom interiors and elevated views over Turks and Caicos’ most iconic beach. 

It will be a hip, fresh alternative in Provo, with everything from a vegetable garden to a gym to an event space called “The Barn.” 

Ryan Jones, director of EA Group, said the hotel was designed to be an “authentic, experiential” project. 

“For our key feeder markets, especially New York City, this is a powerful push not just in terms of the hospitality factor but also the desirability of the real estate product,” said Joe Zahm, president of Turks and Caicos Sotheby’s International Realty, which is handling the real estate component of the property. 

Caribbean Journal first reported the launch of The Bight last year.

“As one of the most sought after and naturally beautiful destinations in the world, the Turks and Caicos Islands have proven year over year to be the market leaders for hotel tourism and real estate sales in the Caribbean,” added Jeff Donnelly, Vice President of Development, Dream Hotel Group. “The Bight by Dream Hotel Group is an exciting collaboration between some of the best minds in hospitality, and I’m thrilled to bring this partnership forward.”

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United Airlines has made its long-awaited return to Curaçao.

The carrier is once again operating flights to the Dutch Caribbean island after a hiatus of almost a decade. 

The flights are running weekly from Newark Liberty International Airport to Curaçao International Airport, with serve every Saturday. 

United is operating the service on Boeing 737 aircraft with 126 seats. 

The flights leave Newark at 8:33 AM, arriving in Curaçao at 2:30 PM. The return flights from Curaçao leave at 3:30 PM, arriving in Newark at 7:35 PM. 

“This new service by United Airlines makes it possible for more visitors to come and feel for themselves the unique product Curaçao has to offer,” the Curaçao Hotel and Tourism Association said in a statement. 

— CJ

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