The St Regis Hotel and Residences Los Cabos resort has topped $130 million in sales in 18 months, Caribbean Journal Invest has learned.
The residential resort claimed $35 million in new sales this past week, with individual buyers from Mexico and the United States purchasing three oceanfront villas and another two ocean-view condominiums.
Of 10 direct oceanfront villas, 5 have already been purchased, with 20 of 25 condos already sold, according to Waypoint, which is handling sales and marketing for the project (Waypoint is also handling sales for the St Regis Cap Cana project in the Dominican Republic).
The direct oceanfront villas range from 13,616 square feet to 18,245 square feet.
Prices on those villas range from $10.3 million to $12 million.
The ocean-view condos range from 4,548 to 4,869 square feet, with prices between $3.75 million and $4.35 million.
It’s the most exciting new opening in the Caribbean in 2022: the beachfront Aire de O:live, the third hotel from Puerto Rico’s renowned O:live brand.
The brainchild of owners and hoteliers Loisse Herger and Fernando Davila, Aire de O:live is a transformation of the former San Juan Water and Beach Club in Isla Verde, the hotel has already debuted a number of floors as its renovation continues.
For now, it’s an ultra-exclusive, ultra-cool hotel-within-a-hotel, with the complete revamp set to conclude soon.
And the Kumo rooftop is already one of the most sought-after hotspots in all of San Juan, with an all-day menu and endless energy overlooking the Atlantic.
The team calls Aire de O:live “an earthy habitat for the modern sun seeker,” with the O:live brand’s signature high-design aesthetic and endless thoughtful details across the property.
The Kumo rooftop.
The look is all about the earthy and the handmade with textured natural materials: wood, rattan, cotton and stone.
Herger calls it a style “firmly set in modern organic minimalism.”
It’s also, uniquely for an urban hotel, focused on sustainability, with low-energy lightbulbs, ceramic water bottles in the rooms (refilled every day) and even vegan toiletries.
As for Kumo, it’s from the culinary force behind Puerto Rico’s celebrated Yoko restaurant in Old San Juan by Chef Jose Miguel Melendez.
When it’s complete, it will include a total of 80 rooms.
The new hotel joins Herger and Davila’s now-renowned O:live Boutique Hotel and OLV Fifty Five, both of which are set on the Lagoon in Condado.
The Eastern Caribbean island of Saint Lucia has officially removed all of travel restrictions, Caribbean Journal has learned.
Saint Lucia has removed all of its pre-testing and vaccination requirements — meaning traveling to the island is largely as it was before the pandemic.
There’s just one requirement remaining: travelers still have to download, print and complete a health screening form prior to arrival (you can find the form here).
“The Covid-19 pre-testing and vaccination requirement for entry into Saint Lucia has been removed,” the destination said in a statement.
The use of face masks on the island is now optional but “remains highly recommended.”
Saint Lucia joins a growing roster of Caribbean destinations that have removed testing and vaccination requirements.
That now includes destinations like Antigua and Barbuda, the United States Virgin Islands, Martinique, Jamaica, Guadeloupe, St Kitts and Nevis, the Cayman Islands, Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, among others.
The Caribbean has been seeing a strong tourism recovery in 2022, with many destinations near or exceeding their arrival numbers from before the pandemic.
Just after Labor Day, the fantasy returns: travelers begin plotting their Caribbean winter escapes, dreaming of that next unforgettable island vacation.
And for most frequent Caribbean travelers, particularly families, it’s hard to beat a villa vacation, with the combination of space, comfort, privacy and amenities in some of the region’s most sought-after vacations.
And just in time, leading Caribbean villa provider WIMCO has released its annual list of the top 10 best new villas in the Caribbean, from luxury destinations like St Barth to private-island sanctuaries like Moskito Island.
“This year’s top 10 list includes a stunning modern villa in St Barts within walking distance of some of the best restaurants in the Caribbean, as well as two villas directly on the beach that’s regularly named the best in the Caribbean” says Stiles Bennet, WIMCO’s president. “We also feature an extraordinary new villa on a private island in the BVI, where the local staff will take care of your every need”.
Here are WIMCO’s favorite new villas for the upcoming winter season.
Villa Embrace, St Barth This villa “hovering” over Gustavia harbor is just steps from celebrated eateries like L’atelier de Joel Robuchon and Bonito. WIMCO says it just might be the most stunning villa in the Caribbean. It’s part of the company’s new Special Reserve Collection, which includes perks like private chef service.
Villa Estate at Moskito Island, British Virgin Islands While you may be familiar with Necker Island, Moskito is the newest addition to Richard Branson’s ultra-luxe Caribbean portfolio, an exceptionally private, 125-acre destination in the heart of the British Virgin Islands. The Moskito portfolio actually includes three villas, the Branson Estate, the Point East and the Oasis Estate, all of which can be rented separately. In short, it’s one of the most exclusive private islands in all of the Caribbean.
Villa Alta Mundi, St MartinIn-the-know travelers have been flocking to St Martin’s exceptional villa product for years. And in many ways, St Martin is one of the region’s best villa options, with superb properties and some of the best markets and food stores in the Caribbean (not to mention an almost impossible to match array of fine-dining restaurants). This four-bedroom villa is in close proximity to the beach clubs and bars of always-bustling Orient Bay.
Villa Alkera, Anguilla This five-bedroom villa is set on Anguilla’s stunning Shoal Bay East Beach. It’s part of the Special Reserve Collection, meaning private chef service is included in the price.
Villa Case Thalie, St Barth Not every villa vacation has to involve a massive property. Indeed, in places like St Barth, an intimate one-bedroom villa can prove a deliciously luxurious alternative to a hotel room. Enter Villa Thalie, a one-bedroom property in the island’s beach hotspot of St Jean that’s “a dreamy romantic retreat for couples.”
Villa Grace Too, Turks and Caicos This seven bedroom villa (with six bedrooms in the main house and a separate one-bedroom guest house with its own pool) is directly on the sands of Grace Bay. The company calls it the “quintessential extended-family vacation villa.”
Villa RockSea, St Martin This is a hip beach house for “rock aficionados,” the company says, with a rather marvelous amenity: it straddles two beaches, Plum Bay and Baie Longue. This ultra-modern villa has a pool, a rooftop terrace and even its own pizza oven.
Villa Beach Escape, Anguilla It’s one of the most breathtaking views in the Caribbean: the vista of St Martin’s green hills from the coast of Anguilla. And that’s precisely your view at Villa Beach Escape, a five-bedroom waterfront villa in Anguilla.
Villa Calypso, St John It’s been one of the biggest success stories of the pandemic: St John, the US Virgin Islands’s tiny jewel that’s been among the hottest hotspots in the region in the last two years. That includes serious demand for its villa product, which includes this five-bedroom retreat overlooking Klein Bay.
Villa Aqua Verde, Turks and Caicos This three-bedroom villa is just steps from Providenciales’ world-famous Grace Bay Beach, modern and inviting, with a spectacular pool deck.
The Caribbean’s newest Waldorf-Astoria resort is set to welcome guests for the first time this November, Caribbean Journal has learned.
The resort is currently accepting reservations for Nov. 1, 2022 and beyond, the property confirmed.
The new Waldorf-Astoria is set just north of the so-called Riviera Cancun, about 15 minutes south of Cancun International Airport.
The beachfront resort will feature 173 guest rooms and suites; every room will have ocean views, along with a unique amenity: a private balcony with its own outdoor plunge-pool-style soaking tub.
A rendering of one of the plunge-pool style patio tubs.
There are five dining concepts: the seafood-focused Malpeque; Mexican and international eatery Chaya; the poolside Ja’o; the Peacock Alley bar and lounge; and a pool bar.
Inside a room.
The property’s spa will have eight indoor and 13 outdoor treatment rooms, along with a steam room, a sauna, a salon, a spa-only pool and an “ice fountain.”
The wellness focus is on “Mexican healing traditions,” according to parent company Hilton.
The spa.
It’s part of a broad expansion push in the Mexican Caribbean for Hilton and its portfolio of brands, which in the past year has already opened an EP Conrad and an all-inclusive Hilton-branded resort in Tulum, along with the new Hilton Cancun (also an all-inclusive).
While much of Hilton’s expansion has focused on all-inclusive, the Waldorf-Astoria will not be an all-inclusive resort.
The Library Lounge.
It’s not a surprise, given both the surging tourism numbers in greater Cancun and the Mexican Caribbean and what has been a dazzling hotel pipeline in the area.
The new resort will also be the only Waldorf-Astoria in the wider Caribbean region; the brand had been at the El Conquistador resort in Puerto Rico but that property left the portfolio before the pandemic.
