It’s the biggest new resort project in the Caribbean, and St. Lucia’s government has unveiled a series of new details on the new “Pearl of the Caribbean” project on the island’s southern end.

The Vieux Fort-area project (near the country’s international airport) is the brainchild of developer Desert Star Holdings Limited, based in Hong Kong and with an expertise in the horse racing industry.

The proposed project will include a marina, race course, resort, shopping mall complex, casino, free trade zone, entertainment and leisure facilities and a residential component including villas and apartments.

The government is currently in the process of developing the master plan for the area, with the race track comprising the first phase of the project.

The Pearl of the Caribbean is seeking a large portion of its funding from the island’s Citizenship by Investment program.

That track will be located on approximately 200 acres of land in Beausejour, with plans already submitted to St. Lucia’s Development Control Authority and approved in principle pending an environmental impact assessment.

The government is proposing to lease lands to DSH at $1 USD an acre, which represents one of the government’s contributions to the project. The purchase price per acre of land will be between $60,000 and $90,000, according to the government, with lands only transferred to the developer according to the phasing schedule.

St. Lucia has also announced plans to launch an Education Training Fund in partnership with DSH aimed at training islanders in the equine industry.

The government also said that it had the option to purchase lands back from DSH at the initial sale price if the developer did not raise the required development capital.

Public consultations will begin on the first phase of the project this month.

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The Bahamas and the United States have reached a “landmark and historic agreement” which will exempt Bahamian aircraft operators from payment of overflight flees to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie announced.

“Under international laws and conventions, countries require airlines and other aircraft to pay a fee for the right to overfly their airspace,” Christie said. The administration of these rights has been performed by the United States Government via the Federal Aviation agency.”

The prime minister said Minister of Transport and Aviation, Hanna Martin, instituted discussions with “our friend and neighbor, the Government of the United States of America,” toward securing meaningful internationally accepted arrangements for the management and control of the Bahamas airspace.

“It is of interest to note that Bahamasair in the last three years alone has paid overflight fees in excess of $1 million,” Christie said.

He added that the exemption, which is expected to take effect in the very near future, will translate into significant savings for local aircraft operators, including Bahamasair.

“The effect of the exemption will also generally enhance the local aviation sector in The Bahamas,” he said.

Prime Minister Christie said that the achievement was an outcome of a series of negotiations between the U.S. Government, represented by the FAA, and representatives of the Bahamian government, relating to the management and control of the upper levels of the Bahamas’ airspace.

Those discussions, he stated, began in earnest with the first round of talks held in Nassau in 2014, followed by several rounds in the United States, with the latest meeting taking place in Miami from December 15th to 16th of 2016.

“Considerable progress is now being made on proposed new arrangements for the management of our airspace, including plans to approach the International Civil Aviation Organization for formal recognition of an expanded Bahamian FIR, which would have economic benefit to The Bahamas and will be in the mutual interests of both countries, with respect to aviation safety and security,” Christie said.

He noted that although the Bahamas gained sovereignty over its geographical airspace when it gained independence in 1973, the FAA has continued to manage and control this airspace as part of its Flight Information Region, under arrangements which predate with the nation’s independence.

“It is expected that a final agreement will be soon reached to govern the terms and conditions of the FAA’s management of Bahamian airspace, initially for a period of 10 years,” Prime Minister Christie said.  “It is expected the agreement will provide for the first time for the collection of overflight fees by The Bahamas, from aircraft transiting Bahamian airspace.

The FAA will be paid for providing air traffic management services during this period, he stated.

“The overflight fees will be set by the Bahamas Government and collected from transiting aircraft in accordance with the economic guidelines issued by International Civil Aviation Organization,” Christie added.  “It is also anticipated that the agreement will include technical assistance and training for The Bahamas, as it seeks to further develop its air traffic management capacity and enhance the aviation sector in general.”

Christie also highlighted the fact that the FAA has indicated an intention to work together with the Bahamas toward attaining formal recognition by ICAO and neighboring states of an expanded FIR corresponding to the Bahamas maritime borders.

— Dana Niland, CJ Contributor

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I’m sitting in a chair, looking through a picture window to the turquoise sea.

There’s a four poster bed behind me, a telescope at my right. There are no sounds, no speakers, just waves and birds and wind.

This might be the prettiest window in the world, my wife tells me. And she isn’t wrong.

The years fall away to the point that it could just as easily be 1957 as 2017.

When you’re in a perfect hotel room, a timeless hotel room, years don’t matter.

It’s no surprise then that this room was designed by Ralph Lauren.

This is Round Hill, the iconic resort property near Montego Bay (in the town of Hopewell in Hanover, to be exact) of which Lauren is a part owner (with a pair of villas on the property) and where Lauren designed all of the guest rooms in a renovation a few years back.

This is Lauren’s love letter to an island that has long been a second home for him and his family, an homage to the golden age of Jamaican hospitality.

Walking the grounds , you see that they don’t make hotels like this anymore, with black and white tile floors and a tuxedoed concierge and shelves of mailboxes at the front desk.

It’s the sort of place where a passing hotel employee will greet you by name, where the cocktails are simple and powerful, where you can write a novel sitting by the spa.

All the elements of great luxury are fulfilled, from superb, truly local food to happily and conscientiously delivered service. (Along with a truly incredible infinity pool designed for Jamaican sunsets).

But everything comes back to these beautiful rooms, designed to make you feel grand in the way few hotels try anymore.

Isn’t that what Lauren has always been about? Trying to honor virtues like elegance, grace and noble comportment?

Round Hill is not of this era, and that’s precisely why it transcends it.

That’s the thing with timeless hotels – they’ll outlast us all. And that’s what makes them unforgettable.

— Alexander Britell

To book a stay at Round Hill, click here.

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Cayman-based Cayman Airways will be launching new nonstop flights to the island of Roatan in Honduras.

The new flights, which will debut March 16, will operate twice weekly on Boeing 737 aircraft.

Cayman Airways already operates year-round flights from Grand Cayman to La Ceiba, Honduras, twice weekly.

“It will definitely be a positive step for both countries so we’re looking forward to starting this service in March,” said Phillip Rankin, chairman of the airline’s board of directors. “The new Roatan twice-weekly service will further enhance direct and connecting travel opportunities for both business and leisure travelers.”

The new flights will operate on Thursdays and Saturdays, with the return legs from Roatan on Fridays and Sundays.

“The Cayman Islands have had a long history with Honduras and particularly the Bay Islands. New service between Grand Cayman and Roatan reconnects that link and will provide convenient travel options for Caymanians and inbound visitors. In addition to the direct service between our two countries, we also see opportunities to explore dual destination Travel in the future.”

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We’ve long hailed the wonders of the Caribbean’s gastronomic scene, and in many ways it’s never been better, with culinary capitals in places like St. Martin, Puerto Rico and Anguilla, to name a few. But there are so many more great spots to indulge in the Caribbean that you may not have heard of, places with rich food cultures, happening restaurants and world-class chefs. These are five “secret” foodie hotspots in the Caribbean that need to be on your radar. Now.

Marigot, St. Martin

While Grand Case deservedly gets high praise as the Caribbean’s culinary capital, French St. Martin’s tiny waterfront capital has a robust culinary scene, with great eateries both in the heart of town (like La Vie en Rose) and, more importantly, the terrific collection of restaurants inside Marigot’s Marina Royale like Tropicana, Le Galion and the seafood Mecca La Petite Auberge Des Iles. (Make sure you lunch at the creole stalls near the ferry terminal like Sandy’s.)

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