Category: Island Life

‘Today is Hamilton’: Lin-Manuel Miranda takes the stage in Puerto Rico

… , Puerto Rico — Almost 16 months after Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico, … summers with his family.
Puerto Rican fans like Vanessa Viera and … one of the many Puerto Ricans who were able to … tickets were given out to Puerto Rican residents for $10 as …

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A New Way to Live in Belize

 

By the Caribbean Journal staff

It might just be the hottest destination in the Caribbean – with surging arrivals, an array of new hotels and the kind of “it” factor vibe that comes from a special combination of exclusivity and adventure.

But Belize is also hot in another way: as a real estate destination.

There’s a reason more and more projects are coming to the country on the Caribbean coast of Central America, with more and more expats arriving and vacation buyers flocking to plant their flags, too.

One of the newest real estate destinations on the scene is the Royal Kahal, the first new-build real estate project in the ultra-popular enclave of San Pedro Town on Ambergris Caye.

To learn more, Caribbean Journal caught up with the project’s developer, Mike Fairbairn, who has more than three decades of experience in luxury projects across Canada, the United States and Central America, to learn more about Royal Kahal and why so many people are looking for a piece of Belize.

Why live or buy a home in San Pedro Town?

San Pedro Town offers the best of Caribbean living, combining an almost complete lack of western franchise operations, with dozens of painters, sculptors, and other artists owning their own galleries and living along one of San Pedro’s three main streets. While golf cart rentals are readily available (cars are not allowed), parking can be an issue, making our complimentary bicycle rentals an attractive option to walking.   Miles of beachfront allow for runners and joggers to enjoy the stunning sunrises and sunsets when the weather is cooler and the gentle sea breezes are blowing.

belize way live

Ambergris Caye.

Why buy a home at Royal Kahal?

First quality construction provides buyers with a worry free condominium, particularly when combined with full time management, freeing owners to oversee their investment to the degree they would like.  Since all units are eligible for participation in the rental pool, the management company’s primary goal is to manage expenses to maximize the owner’s profit on owning their unit.

In the fine home market, Royal Kahal offers the most attractive financing.

belize way live

A rendering of a unit at Royal Kahal.

Belize is getting hotter as a real estate haven. What makes Royal Kahal unique?

Location.  It is the first project under construction in or near San Pedro in more than 10 years, offering walking and biking distance to the downtown core, and more than 30 restaurants, from pizza places to fine dining.  In addition, dozens of beach bars are within easy walking distance. 

belize way live

A kitchen at a Royal Kahal unit.

And then there are the specifications.  The project incorporates a host (five page list) of areas where we have invested in order to reduce operating costs (VRF computer controlled A/C, building wide, Heat Pump dryers, Fully connected to gas, allowing on demand gas hot water in each demand area, a highly energy efficient approach that utilizes the least expensive energy source on the island  — in addition to providing gourmet gas appliance options in the kitchens.

Belize is one of the least expensive Caribbean destinations”

Talk about the resilience of the project, in a region where climate resilience is paramount.

The building is unique in not only meeting all safety oriented codes, but exceeding virtually all of them. Hurricane protection is normally handled by plywood window covers screwed in place in advance of a storm.  RKR has opted for full, Miami-Dade County-standard windows, which will meet the 100 year standards without damage.  In addition, the island’s water supply is inadequate for fire fighting, and although we have employed fireproof materials where possible, we have also built our own internal high capacity pumping system which draws water from the pool and pressurizes the building’s built in standpipe system, with hose cabinets located to cover all floor areas of the building. 

belize way live

State of the art smoke, heat, and fire detectors report back to a fire monitoring station in the lobby to direct emergency workers to the source of the alarm immediately upon arrival.  Finally, our staff conducts regular fire drills to ensure that they are an effective firefighting team in the event the need arises.  Finally, the building floor level is just under five feet above sea level, and the building itself provides a further two feet of protection from water ingress.  Finally, the building lot is elevated behind a 4’ seawall, providing a total of 9.5’ protection above sea level in an area where the highest storm surge was less than six feet above sea level.

belize way live

The striking design at Royal Kahal.

What do you find most special about living in Belize? 

Belize is one of the last remaining areas of untouched Caribbean culture.  With no franchise operations, buildings are painted in a crazy patchwork quilt of bright Caribbean colors, and there is a seemingly endless array of art and handcrafts available in many galleries, along with several outdoor markets.  Belize is one of the least expensive Caribbean destinations, and offers all the outdoor entertainment imaginable from fishing and diving charters, to sailing day trips with catered lunches on deserted islands, to parasailing, ziplining, cave tours, and many tours visiting remarkably preserved Mayan temples — Belize was the center of the Mayan population at its height.

For more, visit Royal Kahal in Belize.

The post A New Way to Live in Belize appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Grenada Breaking Records Amid Tourism Boom

 

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Grenada is breaking records amid a full-fledged tourism boom.

The tri-island destination (which also includes the islands of Petite Martinique and Carriacou), welcomed a total of 528,077 visitors across the cruise, stayover and yachting sectors — a new record for Grenada.

grenada tourism boom

Grand Anse.

That mark represented a 12.9 percent increase over 2017, led by a nearly 10 percent surge in stayover arrivals to 160,970 from 146,375, including a 17 percent jump over the Christmas holiday.

“Grenada ticks all the boxes when it comes to your perfect vacation, from the tropical nature to the tasty cuisine to the wonderful people, so we know these visitors will share their experiences and help us spread the word about Pure Grenada, the Spice of the Caribbean,” said Patricia Maher, CEO of the Grenada Tourism Authority.

The Canadian source market showed the highest stayover growth, with a 19 percent increase in visitors to 17,364, while the all-important United States market saw 12.4 percent growth to 75,577 stayover visitors for the year.

grenada tourism boom

BBC Beach.

The yachting sector also saw big gains, with 10.82 percent growth in arrivals and 428 more yacht calls overall.

“Achieving 500,000 arrivals has been a landmark goal for the destination of Grenada, Carriacou and Petite Martinique. It is a testament to the growing island’s influence in the marketplace and industry growth. But we will not stop there as we want to grow the pie so that everyone gets a bigger slice. To do that, we must continue to keep our islands pure, share our warmth and hospitality with visitors, as well as deliver high quality professional service.”

grenada tourism boom

The Silversands.

The news comes as Grenada just welcomed a new flagship hotel for the island: the ultra-luxe Silversands boutique on Grand Anse Beach.

Another important hotel is slated to debut soon, with the highly anticipated Kimpton Kawana Bay in the pipeline as well.

It’s the latest surge for Grenada, which posted 8 percent growth in 2017 as well, among the highest continued growth rates in the Caribbean.

— CJ

The post Grenada Breaking Records Amid Tourism Boom appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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A New Addition at St Barth’s Les Ilets de la Plage

 

By Dana Niland
CJ Contributor

Le Studio, the newest addition to the villa collection at St Barth’s Les Islets de la Plage, is now open for guests.

The popular Les Ilets de la Plage has a portfolio of 12 private villas and bungalows with direct access to the white sand beach in the St Jean neighborhood of St Barth.

st barth les ilets

Le Studio is a 592 square-foot, open-plan studio with its own balcony and sea views, designed in the resort’s signature colorful Creole architectural style. 

st barth les ilets

The one-bedroom, one-bathroom studio features a fully equipped kitchen, teak armchairs with footrests in the living area, teak table and chairs in the dining area, large flat screen smart TV, ocean view terrace with comfortable seating, king-size or twin beds, air conditioning throughout and more.

Guests staying in Le Studio have access to all of the facilities and services including private beach, pool, concierge services, maid service, bakery delivery, grocery shopping service and more. 

For more, visit Les Ilets.

— CJ

The post A New Addition at St Barth’s Les Ilets de la Plage appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Summit Trampoline Park Group Anuncia un Nuevo Parque en Mayagüez, Puerto Rico

… Mayagüez Mall en PR

MAYAGüEZ, PUERTO RICO, PUERTO RICO, January 9, 2019 /⁨EINPresswire … Summit Trampoline Park en Mayagüez, Puerto Rico. La compañía espera tener a …

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