BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – St. Kitts has several tourism developments across the island:
This past October, St. Kitts welcomed the Christophe Harbour development on the island’s Southeast Peninsula, created in conjunction with some of the most recognized brands in the luxury travel industry. Under the leadership of Kiawah Development Partners, Christophe Harbour is set on 2,400 acres of St. Kitts’ Southeast Peninsula and is comprised of developments by Auberge Resorts and Mandarin Oriental among others in association with local enterprises. Sandy Bank Bay, a 75-suite Auberge Resort, will commence the first phase of its development this year.
The Royal St. Kitts Hotel & Casino, a family-run business formerly known as Jack Tar Village for more than 20 years, reopened it’s doors on December 1, 2007 with a new look, feel and focus on Kittitian culture. Set on 18 acres in the popular Frigate Bay area of the island, the property offers well-appointed guestrooms each with its own private balcony spread across 30 two-story buildings. The property’s extensive amenities include the Royal St. Kitts Casino featuring more than 100 slot machines along with traditional and contemporary gaming favorites, the Cane Club, a private lake, two swimming pools, four tennis courts, nightly entertainment, a buffet-style restaurant, an a-la-carte restaurant, six bars including two poolside snack bars and the soon-to-open oceanfront Lime Beach Bar & Grill.
Just to the North in South Friar’s Bay, the Carambola Beach Club is under construction and scheduled to open in the second half of 2008. Set on the golden sand beach, the exquisite Carambola Restaurant will feature gourmet dining and an extensive wine cellar with a collection of more than 4,000 carefully selected bottles from 175 labels. Watersports and loungechair waitservice will be available to guests.
On December 14, the first condominium in the Ocean’s Edge resort development in the Frigate Bay area of St. Kitts was topped out, marking a significant milestone in the construction process. Ocean’s Edge is a unique resort development overlooking Cable Bay that covers 40 acres and is comprised of 185 units including one-and two-bedroom beachfront apartments, two-bedroom hillside apartments with individual plunge pools, two-bedroom semi-detached garden cottages and a choice of three- to four-bedroom villas.
Recently opened on picturesque Cockleshell Beach is the Reggae Beach Bar & Grill. This establishment was created by the former owners of Turtle Beach Bar & Grill and serves eclectic Caribbean fare in a casual restaurant set right on the beach. It is complete with known-and-loved icon Wilbur the Pig, a dedicated gift shop, lounge chairs in the sand, a long pier extending out into the turquoise water and a familiar open-air style.
Tucked under swaying palms on the white sand of St. Kitts’ Turtle Beach, the Beach House restaurant is the newest project from luxury hotel developer and operator Auberge Resorts, creators of award-winning luxury resorts in North America. The restaurant, formerly Turtle Beach Bar & Grill, has undergone a makeover by Auberge Resorts and is scheduled to open in April 2008. It will feature a private rooftop lounge and an eclectic menu of Caribbean cuisine created by one of the Caribbean’s top chefs as well as an array of enticing cocktails.
Soon to begin construction in the Northern part of St. Kitts is Kittitian Hill, a contemporary Caribbean community founded on the principles of holistic, sustainable development. Set on a stunning 400-acre hillside site, it consists of a village with a centre for the creative arts, villas, apartments, a cottage hotel with the look and feel of traditional Kittitian cottages, a destination spa featuring treatments indigenous to the island and the region, and a championship golf course.
“It is extremely gratifying to see continual progress being made in the development of St. Kitts’ tourism product,” said Richard “Ricky” Skerritt, Minister of State in the Ministry of Tourism, Sports & Culture. “In the meantime, we have acted pro-actively to support these projects with the addition of new airlift services from the island’s key feeder markets
In addition, new non-stop service to St. Kitts from JFK on American Airlines began November 18, 2007 and Delta Air Lines began non-stop Saturday flights to the island from Atlanta on February 16, 2008. These flights compliment existing non-stop service from Miami on American and from Charlotte on US Airways as well as connecting service via San Juan on American Eagle.
