By Alexander Britell

In what is one of the biggest Caribbean resort transactions of 2019, one of the region’s leading hotels has been sold.

Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort in Saint Lucia has been sold, Caribbean Journal has learned.

The 96-room resort is set right at the base of the Pitons in southwestern Saint Lucia, one of the more iconic settings in the Caribbean.

The buyer was Misland Capital, held by the Greene family from Bermuda, which owns that island’s renowned Hamilton Princess resort.

It’s located on 100 acres, most of which are rainforest, on a former sugar plantation that dates back to the 18th century.

Amenities range from plunge pools in every room to Natura Bisse toiletries to 24-hour room service, among others.

The Rainforest Spa.

That’s along with six dining concepts including the Great Room restaurant and Cane Bar, a top rum bar.

And then there’s the Rainforest Spa, one of the most stunning wellness centers in the region.

The beach at Viceroy Sugar Beach.

Sugar Beach was sold by a partnership led by Roger Myers, the British entrepreneur who developed the property more than a decade ago on the Jalousie Plantation and founded the United Kingdom’s popular Cafe Rouge chain of restaurants.

The luxury resort’s sale was handled by global real estate firm CBRE, whose Miami-based office has reportedly sold more than $1 billion of Caribbean hotels and resorts in the last 18 months.

CBRE Hotels’ Christian Charre and Paul Weimer handled the transaction.

Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

It’s not yet clear if the Viceroy brand will be retained.

Viceroy currently has three hotels in the wider Caribbean-Mexico region, along with another planned in Panama.

— CJ

The post Saint Lucia’s Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort Sold appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

The US Virgin Islands is looking to boost its airlift network in a big way.

USVI Governor Albert Bryan, Jr says a strong “aerial highway” was critically important to the territory’s future.

Bryan met this week with Delta Air Lines’ leadership team in Atlanta, joined by Tourism Commissioner Nominee Joseph Boschulte.

“We have been meeting and talking with airline officials since we took office, and this session here in Atlanta was no different – getting important feedback on the performance of routes into St. Croix and St. Thomas and giving our partners at Delta an update on our tourism rebound and recovery,” Bryan said.

He also pointed to the importance of growing airlift to St Croix.

“The St. Croix airport has been underutilized for years, so we are looking forward to exploring new ways to put people into seats to St. Croix,” he said.

St Croix has seen a strong uptick in air traffic so far this year, according to the Governor.

Of course, adding seats means ensuring the hotel room capacity to fill those seats, and Bryan said legislation would soon be introduced to attract investors to “new hotel and resort projects across the territory.”

— CJ

The post USVI Looking to Boost Airlift to St Croix, St Thomas appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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… stalemate over emergency assistance to Puerto Rico that continues to bottle up … feud between President Trump and Puerto Rican leaders. Thirty-four Republicans, many … million in nutrition assistance for Puerto Rico but also several hundred million …

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By Alexander Britell

When it opened its doors in 1949, it was the first Hilton outside of the continental United States.

And for decades, the Caribe Hilton was one of the Caribbean’s signature places to stay, how Conrad Hilton first sent San Juan into the jet-set era and defined Puerto Rico’s glamorous side.

And now the iconic Caribe Hilton is making history again, ready to unveil a dramatic $100 million transformation project when it reopens this week.

The hotel first opened in 1949.

The sprawling resort, set on 17 acres on a peninsula on the northeastern coast of San Juan, has been undergoing a comprehensive, “top-to-bottom” transformation, one that included renovated guest rooms and suites, new-look event space, a new spa and upgraded food and beverage concepts.

P3 Design Collective led the makeover of what is the largest hotel in San Juan.

It’s a stunning waterfront location next to San Juan’s historic San Geronimo fortress.

All 652 rooms and suites have gotten a more colorful, crisper look, all including Wi-Fi, coffee markers, HDTVs and mini-fridges, from the basic rooms to the ocean-view suites. (There are a total of 917 guest rooms including the rooms, suites and Condado Lagoon Villas.)

Dining options include nine restaurants and lounges, from a Morton’s Steakhouse to a Starbucks, along with a lobby bar, Caribar, that is one of two purported birthplaces of the Piña Colada cocktail. (The other is San Juan’s legendary Barrachina, but you need to try both just to be thorough in your research).

The hotel, which is owned by Park Hotels and Resorts, is also launching a brand-new fitness center.

It all adds up to as complete a resort as you’ll find in Puerto Rico’s historic capital, with myriad pools, a private beach, tennis courts, tropical gardens, the Zen Spa Oceano and a swim-up bar, among others.

For more, visit the Caribe Hilton.

— CJ

The post The Caribe Hilton, a Caribbean Legend, Is Back appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By the Caribbean Journal staff

The island of Saint Lucia is set for a boost next winter with the launch of another new route from American Airlines, Caribbean Journal has learned.

American, the world’s largest airline, will launch a new Saturday-only flight between Chicago O’Hare and Saint Lucia.

The new seasonal service will begin on Dec. 21.

The route comes as Saint Lucia will soon see the addition of a second daily nonstop flight from Miami to Saint Lucia, set to begin June 6.

— CJ

The post A New Way to Fly to Saint Lucia appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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