Barbados TravelAdvisor

REDjet On Life Support

2012-01-14T02:21:00.001-04:00

"Regional low-fares airline REDjet has cancelled more than 50 flights amid reports of financial troubles.

But the airline says it is on budget and on track to deliver new routes and services.

REDjet chairman and chief executive Ian Burns, who is currently in Trinidad and Tobago for the opening of two new offices, spoke to the Express yesterday via telephone, saying the current flights in operation put REDjet on budget. "Many of our routes, even though they've only been operational for a short time, are making positive contributions and we've launched service to Antigua, St Lucia and Jamaica," said Burns.

Concern about the company's financial stability arose when an internal memo from the carrier's customer service manager, Roy Norville, was leaked to regional media, stating that 56 flights would be cancelled "for commercial reasons".

The affected flights included stops to Trinidad, Guyana, Jamaica and Barbados.
But Burns said the reasons for the cancellations were to accommodate three new routes, to be launched later this year, and also to improve flight times for consumers.
"Flights are being cancelled but most are being put to a new flight time. Our market research shows that it was inconvenient for people to make it to the airport during high traffic times, especially in Trinidad and Jamaica," Burns said.

He added that the changes will take place from March 1 and will have increased capacity, better flight times and frequency.
Concerns were raised last November about the airline needing a cash injection of Bds$8 million.

Ralph 'Bizzy' Williams, the company's largest Barbados investor, had accused the Barbados government of sabotaging the airline's progress through excessive delays and Bds$8 million which was invested for operating expenses in the initial months of the business had to be used elsewhere.
"Our shareholder was very clear that the (Barbados) government did not keep their commitment to regularising the airline, so why should any REDjet investors invest in the country when the country wasn't holding its end of the bargain. We are satisfied that they will and we continue to roll out our services, but it is imperative that the investment climate that was promised by the government of Barbados is delivered so we can keep investments on course," said Burns."

Source: Trinidad Express

Where in the world is Matt Lauer?

2011-11-11T22:13:00.000-04:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Barbados Road Safety Awareness Badge

2011-11-01T14:35:00.002-04:00

Click here to get your badge for Facebook or Twitter.

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Merricks Finally Matriculates

2011-10-14T11:41:00.000-04:00

"Harlequin Hotels & Resorts and Harlequin Developments have commenced construction of the initial phase of The Merricks Resort — the $900 million luxury resort in St. Philip that will cover 70.4 acres.Speaking during his visit to the island this week, Chairman Mr. Dave Ames said: “We are very excited to have started work on this initial phase of The Merricks Resort Show Village, the $10 million precursor to our multi-million dollar resort investment in St. Philip.“This first stage of the project will provide a great boost to the country’s economy, creating work and employment for many local businesses and hundreds of people in St. Philip and Barbados.”Construction of The Merricks Resort Show Village was originally planned for completion at the beginning of January 2012, but has now been pushed back because the developers are still awaiting approval from the Government for investment concessions.Harlequin also recently acquired the former Allamanda Hotel on the South Coast. That property will be re-opened in 2012 as the “H Barbados”, the first in Harlequin’s newly created luxury boutique hotel collection.The company has moved quickly and has already completed the initial strip out of the existing building. The construction and refurbishment is now ready to commence on what will transform the former 47-room hotel into a 77-room property.Earlier reports had indicated this was a smaller project but with the benefit of existing planning permission, the Harlequin group is committed to increasing their investment in this project to an estimated $36 million, almost doubling the size of the original property.Speaking from Harlequin’s office at Hythe House in Maxwell, Christ Church, Garrett Ronan, Vice President of Hotel and Resort Development, stated: “Since receiving final planning permission in May for The Merricks Resort Show Village we have progressed things very quickly.“However, we are currently waiting for approval of concessions for both The Merricks Resort Show Village and separately under the TDA for our new boutique hotel, H Barbados.“The Government has worked very closely with us for the past few months and had promised to ensure an efficient approval process. We have provided all requested information to date but, unfortunately, the planned completion dates for both projects have already started to slip due to continued delays with the approvals.”He added: “This is proving to be very disappointing for our investors and the many local contractors and businesses that are now in a holding pattern awaiting these official approvals. Following a meeting last week with senior Government officials we are hopeful that approvals can be granted this week. This will allow us to continue quickly with construction at both locations.”The Merricks Resort Show Village will comprise a landscaped formal entrance leading to a two bedroom and a four bedroom Harlequin signature villa, spectacular cliff top boardwalk with public access designed by Kevin Talma of Talma Mills Studio, a showcase gazebo, a lagoon pool and a services building with car parking.All villas are designed with an expansive outdoor deck providing amazing panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and will feature a private plunge pool and spacious en suite bedrooms centred on an 800 square foot open plan “Caribbean style” living room.Development Director for Harlequin Developments, David Campion, described the villa designs as “a contemporary interpretation of local Barbados architectural style that takes an environmentally responsible approach in delivering an upscale luxury experience”.“To achieve this we are using the latest in environmental and construction technology with a strong focus on energy and water conservation,” he added."

Source: http://m.barbadostoday.bb/bbt/db_258712/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=65gpm1E8&storycount=49&detailindex=0&pn=1&ps=10&full=true#display

REDjet rising - Globe-trotting - The Boston Globe

2011-08-18T20:43:00.000-04:00

"First it was $9.99 for a one-way ticket from Barbados to Guyana; then Barbados to Trinidad. Now the Caribbean's first low-cost carrier REDJet is reportedly breaking open a Latin American route that will take St. Lucians or Bajans cheaply and directly to Panama CIty to go shopping.

What might that mean for America? For one, with Panama City's fabled bargains a cheap flight away, Caribbean residents would no longer look to Miami for those weekend shopping sprees. For another, the Caribbean and lower Americas could become viable for the kind of multiple destination jaunts that former inter-island air passes promised but didn't deliver. (For example, a Caribbean Airlines flight from Barbados to Kingston, Jamaica can cost as much as $420.)

The REDjet promise is that "Your final payment amount depends entirely on you." Plan ahead, choose off-peak days, and book at their airport ticket desk, and the airline guarantees a one-way flight will cost $9.99 plus taxes.

Will Caribbean islanders finally be freed from over-pricing? Stay tuned.

Now, if only I could get to Barbados this Christmas for under $650 ..."

Source: REDjet rising - Globe-trotting - The Boston Globe

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REDjet to capture Crop Over market

2011-07-20T10:07:00.002-04:00

"Last minute T&T travellers can now catch the last week of Barbados Crop Over Festival, as REDjet the Barbados-based, low cost carrier’s inaugural flight out of T&T is set for July 28. The popular Barbados festival, which began on May 14, will culminate with Barbadian R&B star Rihanna’s LOUD concert on August 5. REDjet will be offering passengers 3,700 seats at $65 one way fares, exclusive of government taxes and optional charges. This was officially announced yesterday by the management team of REDjet at the Carlton Savannah Hotel, St Ann’s. After several months of delay over its certification approval, REDjet was finally given the green light to operate out of T&T on July 17 by the new Transport Minister Devant Maharaj. REDjet had planned to start flying from T&T and Jamaica since May 8..."

Read more: REDjet to capture Crop Over market | The Trinidad Guardian

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UK Air Passenger Duty Hits Travel From North America and to Caribbean

2011-07-08T10:26:00.001-04:00

"Cheapflights Media Ltd, the international media network providing consumers with different ways to find low cost travel since 1996, has been a consistent critic of the UK's regressive Air Passenger Duty (APD) -- now the highest such aviation travel tax in the world.

Cheapflights has just analysed traffic search patterns for the first six months (H1) of 2009, 2010 and 2011 for searches for Barbados, Jamaica and Mexico and other long-haul destinations. It also analysed its North American traffic searching for London flights for the same periods to indicate how APD may have affected inbound tourism. The figures have to be viewed in the context of the post-recession recovery in global passenger numbers over the period, especially in 2010 when a post-recession "bounce" occurred and passenger traffic increased by an above trend of 8.2% (IATA).

H1	2010 over 2009	2011 over 2009
Australia	15.3%*	-4.7%
Barbados	-47.1%	-51.3%
India	5.1%*	-1.5%
Jamaica	-26.8%	-25.0%
Mauritius	-12.9%	-0.4%
Mexico	-21.9%	-17.5%
New Zealand	7.5%*	-2.0%
Inbound Searches for the UK
CFUSA to UK	4.9%	-9.4%
CFCA to UK	4.6%	-34.3%
* Host nations to major sporting events in H1 2010

The Government has just completed a consultation period in response to representations by Caribbean governments, the Caribbean Tourist Organisation and also by UK aviation and travel companies about the negative effects the high level of taxation is having.

Introduced in 1994 and raised in 2007 it remained at a sustainable level until November 2009; APD was then changed to a much higher four mileage-band based tax for economy seats and an even higher four-band tax for premium seat passengers including premium economy. It was raised even higher in November 2010, costing a family of four travelling economy to the Caribbean APD of £300.

Following the 2010 increase, APD had risen a massive 275% above pre-2007 rates for all cabin classes to the Caribbean. Apart from affecting tourism-dependent economies, such as the Caribbean in general, the mileage bands also created unfair anomalies; for example APD is more expensive when flying to Jamaica than to Hawaii.

John Barrington-Carver, Head of Cheapflights Corporate Communications, commented: "Clearly, with a respective 51.3% and 25% drop in traffic since the higher rate four band APD was brought in, Barbados and Jamaica have good reason to expect the UK Government to remove the current anomalies in APD.

"A significant concern for the UK economy is the evident drop in searches for the UK from North America and elsewhere over the period. With the strong Australian and Canadian dollars one could have expected an increase in searches for the UK. Instead we have a 5% drop from Australia and a very significant 34% drop seen in Canadian searches for London.

"Domestically, the UK's airport operators are claiming that, according to Civil Aviation Authority statistics, passenger numbers at Britain's smaller airports have fallen by up to 70% in the past four years.

"Cheapflights' analysis appears to bear out the reasons why five other European Governments have dropped APD as revenue raising exercises. Having tried the duty they discovered that such taxes cost the economy more than they raised in revenue.

"High jet fuel prices have clearly increased fares but have not prevented the 2010 post-recession global bounce in air passengers.

"It's therefore difficult to avoid the conclusion that APD is deterring UK consumers from seeking fares to the Caribbean and other long haul destinations. Importantly for the UK economy the opposite is also evident, especially from North America.""

Source: http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/uk-air-passenger-duty-hits-travel-from-north-america-and-to-caribbean-1534881.htm

Barbados' East Coast Rocks

2011-05-25T20:55:00.000-04:00

Kerrazy Times - Carribean from SURFING Magazine on Vimeo.

What Recession? Miami-Dade Tourism Soars

2011-05-20T13:36:00.000-04:00

Pierhead Project Turns Into Expensive Little Marina

2011-04-13T05:36:00.001-04:00

"Construction of marina in bridgetown to begin in about nine months

Years of delay and controversy are about to culminate with the construction of an upscale $202 million marina in Bridgetown, work on which is expected to start early next year. But by the time Barbados has finished paying for the super yacht facility in 25 years, the tax payers would have spent $505 million in a Build Operate Lease and Transfer deal with a St. Lucia company.

However, Minister of Minister of Finance Chris Sinckler asserted today that the benefits would be significant, including $132 million from the reclamation of lands and sale of 80 berths alone. Sinckler announced plans for the project, to be located in the area of the Pierhead/Bay Street/Carlisle Bay section of the City, via a ministerial statement delivered in the House of Assembly this morning on the resumption of sittings. He said following completion of a tendering process, Government agency the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. had signed a memorandum of understanding with St. Lucia's SMI Infrastructure Solutions Inc. for the venture to take place.

"The project, which has been under consideration for several administrations, and for many years, will see the construction of a super yacht marina consisting of approximately 80 berths...," he said. "The memorandum of understanding was signed with SMI Infrastructure Solutions Inc. for a Build, Own, Lease and Transfer financing arrangement. "With the marina expected to cost $202 million, Sinckler said Government would have to make annual payments of $20.2 million at an interest rate of 8.8 per cent and that "lease payments will reduce overtime in accordance with the quantum and timing of cost recovery".

Barbados' overall payments between next year and 2037 will be $505 million, including interest of $303 million, but the St. Michael North West MP suggested the benefits would outweigh the costs.

"Cost recovery is estimated at US $66 million for the reclamation of lands and the sale of berths. This transformational tourism infrastructural project will assist in repositioning the Barbados tourism product offering, while being the catalyst for the regeneration of the Bridgetown area," he said. "The tourism product offering will also move towards the upper end of the tourism market by attracting more high net worth individuals, who can be expected to own berths at the super yacht marina. They will also purchase condominiums on the 10 acres of prime real estate that will be created through the reclaimed lands, which are the by-product of the building of the marina." Additionally, the minister said development of the marina "will result in enhancement of the beach in the immediate vicinity of Carlisle Bay, which will be targeted by the coastal tourism master plan for future development".

"Other economic benefits include the injection of foreign exchange into Barbados, the creation of hundreds of jobs during the construction and permanent jobs after construction, repositioning of Barbados' tourism product and the marina acting as a catalyst for major new investment along the Bay Street corridor," he noted.
"Construction is expected to commence in about nine months and prior to the commencement of construction stakeholder meetings will be held."

Construction of a marina in Bridgetown has been in the offing for well over a decade, with a previous administration originally seeking to partner with local conglomerate Barbados Shipping & Trading, a major landowner in the area. In recent times the current administration's handling of the venture has been criticised repeatedly by Opposition Leader Owen Arthur, who claimed the projected cost had risen to more than $626 million and it was facing legal difficulties."

Source: Barbados Today

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Whale Watching Off Barbados

2011-04-08T11:37:00.000-04:00

Click here to follow story on our forum.

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Nightmare 12-Hour Flight From BGI To JFK

2011-03-10T22:38:00.000-04:00

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/09/caitlin-gorry-american-airlines_n_833349.html

Urbanisation vs. The Countryside: Barbados Becomes a City State

2011-02-25T12:11:00.000-04:00

"An SOS has gone out to Government to withstand pressure from developers and save the Scotland District from the rapid urban sprawl sweeping across Barbados.

However, president of the Barbados National Trust and historian Dr. Karl Watson believes that the urbanisation of Barbados as it moves towards becoming a city state is “unstoppable”.

“The Scotland District is the last frontier that the real estate barons of this island are going to target, and not only are they going to target it, but they are going to actively develop it,” he warned.

He has reservations about Government’s ability to prevent this kind of development.

“I think that even with the best will in the world and with the imposition of controls and with the full authority that Town and Country Planning has, I think that the economic aspect of development and the economic drivers of development are so gargantuan, so all-consuming, overpowering, that they are going to break down any hurdle that we put in their way to act as a brake on this runaway development.”

The noted historian and archaeologist was delivering a lecture entitled Urbanisation vs. The Countryside: Barbados Becomes a City State at the LB Harcourt Lewis Training Room, Barbados

Public Workers Credit Union Headquarters, on Monday night. It was part of the 13th anniversary celebrations of the Urban Development Commission.

Watson said the National Trust eagerly awaited the day when the formal Cabinet decision to legally establish the National Park of Barbados would become reality.

“... We need some guarantee that at some point in time in the next 15 or 20 years there will be some green spaces left in this island that we can go out and enjoy. It has to be done,” he said.

With the assistance of maps and photographs spanning three centuries, he illustrated how “urbanisation from the east and urbanisation from the west are meeting”.
The decline in acreage for sugar production from nearly 52 000 acres in 1966 to 17 000 in 2005 was cited as an indication of how agriculture had progressively given way
to housing development.

“From North Point to South Point we are busy cementing over every available square inch that we can,” Watson observed. “We have to say enough is enough. Let us slow this process.”

“Ultimately it moves out of the hands of Government and has to come back to us the people,” he added.

“We have to decide as a people, do we collectively reduce our expectations so that we don’t continue to ruin the environment of this island [or] do we restrain our zeal for consumption?”"

Source: NationNews.com

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Video: New Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental unveiled

2011-02-14T18:41:00.000-04:00

Video: New Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental unveiled

The World Is In A Coma: More lessons for those who would Dubaify Barbados

2011-01-21T21:51:00.000-04:00

Proposed island to be located north of Bridgetown Port

"The islands were intended as the ultimate luxury possession, even for Dubai. But the World, the ambitiously-constructed archipelago of islands shaped like the countries of the globe, is sinking back into the sea, according to evidence cited before a property tribunal.

The islands were intended to be developed with tailor-made hotel complexes and luxury villas, and sold to millionaires. They are off the coast of Dubai and accessible by yacht or motor boat.

Now their sands are eroding and the navigational channels between them are silting up, the British lawyer for a company bringing a case against the state-run developer, Nakheel, has told judges.

"The islands are gradually falling back into the sea," Richard Wilmot-Smith QC, for Penguin Marine, said. The evidence showed "erosion and deterioration of The World islands", he added.

With all but one of the islands still uninhabited – Greenland – and that one a showpiece owned by the ruler of Dubai, most of the development plans have been brought to a crashing halt by the financial crisis..."

Click here to read entire Telegraph article.

Abramovich, Eclipse & Barbados: Three of a kind

2011-01-08T14:43:00.000-04:00

Source: Barbados TravelAdvisor Forum

REDjet ready to fly

2010-12-16T16:34:00.000-04:00

"THE Caribbean’s newest airline hit the ground for the first time on Thursday.

But it’s not up and running just yet.

REDjet, expected to bring low-fare seats to the rest of the Caribbean, touched down at the Grantley Adams International Airport for the first time Thursday afternoon.

The airline will be operate out of Barbados.

A number of Barbadians were interviewed for jobs with the company earlier in September.

The first MD82 aircraft received a warm welcome as two tenders of the Barbados Fire Service’s Airport Division also came on the tarmac and gave it a showery blessing just after touchdown via a water-cannon salute, as is customary when airlines come to Barbados for the first time.

On arrival, the company’s two top executives, chief executive officer Ian Burns and his son Robbie, held a special function with photographers aboard the aircraft taking pictures of the maiden flight into Grantley Adams.

The two then posed in the cockpit with a Barbados flag to commemorate their first arrival.

No REDjet agents are in place at Grantley Adams just yet, but the airline is expected to start taking on passengers from as early as January next year.

Cost

REDjet was founded in 2006 when CEO Burns, working in the region at the time, was amazed by the cost of flights within the region and on routes to the United States and Latin America.

There was a huge disparity in the market, as Caribbean carriers were losing substantial sums year after year while the American carriers flying into the region were reporting the Caribbean to be their most profitable market.

Working with his son Robbie, who is the company’s business development manager, the father and son team built REDjet in conjunction with investors to develop the first Caribbean Low Fares Airline and bring the substantial economic and social benefits of low-cost travel.

REDjet is a privately owned airline with a mixture of international and local backers who share a common vision of lower fares to make travel affordable for everyone in the Caribbean.

Over the past two months, the 42 members of the all-Barbadian cabin crew have completed intense operational, medical emergency, ground school and aircraft safety training on the MD-82 aircraft, just like the one which arrived Thursday.

The preparations were conducted locally and at the world-renowned PanAm International Flight Academy in Florida, United States. The final phase of training will take place once the company’s first aircraft arrives in Barbados.

“We took a holistic approach to our MD-82 training and included a member of the Barbados Civil Aviation Department who trained alongside our crew, thus ensuring there was a local expert on the aircraft in Barbados,” Burns noted upon the plane’s arrival.

“To date we have invested over BDS$1 million in the flight training so our team will be ready to welcome passengers once we have received final permissions from the regulators to commence operations.”"

Source: NationNews.com

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Lessons In Sustainability For The Barbados Brand

2010-11-05T14:17:00.000-04:00

The Government Of Barbados Distances Itself From The Merricks

2010-10-07T07:43:00.002-04:00

If you blinked last week you probably missed it - "it" being the ground-breaking exercises for the "destination that is different” in Merricks, St. Philip, Barbados. Both leading papers carried front page articles covering the event, but curiously neither of them mentioned any members of the current government of Barbados in attendance. Ok, I suppose the Prime Minister gets a pass because he is ailing and we all have him our prayers, but where was his deputy, or the Minister of Tourism, or even the Parliamentary Representative for the constituency? This is certainly a "different" ground-breaking for Barbados for a project that's supposedly worth nearly a billion dollars in construction.

A few months ago they hauled the Prime Minister off his sickbed to turn the sod at Pickerings, St. Lucy on a project where we later learned that the principals probably have no money let alone own the land upon which it is to be built. Perhaps it's the flak off Pickerings that has made Government gun-shy on Merricks. Whatever it is or was, it speaks reams about the level of trust and confidence the Government of Barbados has in the project at Merricks when reportedly the highest public official in attendance at its ground-breaking was the Minister of Tourism - not of Barbados - but of St. Vincent And The Grenadines.

This blogger who has followed the vicissitudes of The Merricks over the years became so concerned about this obvious "different" turn of events that I raised it as a question with two senior civil servants, one with over 40 years experience who boasted that it was the civil servants who build Barbados - not the politicians. To my surprise both of them pleaded ignorance of The Merricks - they didn't know what it was or anything about its existence. To be fair, neither of them were in tourism, but I find it inexcusable that a Permanent Secretary in the Government of Barbados would have no knowledge of the saga of The Merricks and Harlequin Properties in Barbados or the rest of the Caribbean regardless of his/her portfolio. This Permanent Secretary also went on to boast of (as a general rule) not reading either of the two main daily papers, so that should tell us all something about him, if not about the state of governance in this country.

Lack of government trust and confidence notwithstanding, Harlequin did "finally" break ground on The Merricks Resort last week and is already proudly proclaiming it to the rest of the world on its website. They even include links to the articles in the Advocate and the Nation even though the latter made the absence of the Government of Barbados pretty obvious. We know also that they (Harlequin) recently had a "soft opening" (re: unfinished and trouble-ridden) on their St. Vincent property, Buccament Bay Resort, and are widely promoting (re: collecting deposits on) other unstarted/unfinished resorts in St. Lucia, the Dominican Republic, Brazil and probably other locations. Many people (apparently now including the Government of Barbados) have been looking for what many have termed a house of cards to come tumbling down, but so far it has defied the odds.

Lesson for those who would Dubaify Barbados

2010-09-20T14:31:00.001-04:00

"Dubai's central belief, summed up frequently as 'build it and they will come', has served it well in the past, however the policy crashed badly in the financial crisis leaving a landscape of half-finished skyscrapers...

A glut of vacant office space is continuing to spiral, despite the economic crisis, thanks to the forests of new tower blocks started by developers as the boom reached it peak in 2007, researchers said.

With some "holes in the ground" awaiting further development already being filled in, further radical solutions to the problem are needed, said the authors, researching for the property firm Jones Lang LaSalle.

"The best prospect for reducing vacancies lies with initiatives to limit future supply and encourage the withdrawal of existing buildings from stock through conversion to non-office buildings or even demolition," the report concludes..."

Read more: Dubai may have to knock down buildings constructed during boom - Telegraph

See also: Mullins Bay Blog: "This Is Monaco: Is This What We Want For Barbados?"

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Turtle Butchered

2010-08-29T11:11:00.001-04:00

Barbados TravelAdvisor • View topic - Turtle Butchered

Is Singapore Airlines Coming To Barbados?

2010-07-23T00:59:00.000-04:00

"Singapore has concluded open skies agreements (OSAs) with Barbados, Brazil, Jamaica and Rwanda, at the International Civil Aviation Organization Air Services Negotiation Conference 2010 (ICAN 2010), held recently in Jamaica.

ICAN 2010 offers a central meeting place for air services officials from various countries to meet and conduct bilateral air services negotiations. The OSAs with Barbados and Jamaica are the first between Singapore and the Caribbean community. The Singapore-Brazil OSA comes on the back of the Singapore-Peru OSA, which was concluded in 2009 together with the establishment of Air Services Agreements with Colombia and Ecuador. The OSA with Rwanda is Singapore’s second with an African country, after the Singapore-Zambia OSA that was concluded in 2008.

Without restrictions on capacity, frequency or routing, OSAs allow carriers the full flexibility to introduce services when market opportunities arise. Carriers are also able to tap on traffic from and to third countries to improve the commercial viability of their operations. Direct air links with Singapore will allow businesses in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbeans to access more markets by tapping on Singapore’s excellent connectivity to the Asia Pacific region. This will reinforce the growing people and trade flows between these regions and the Asia Pacific. The establishment of liberal air services frameworks between Singapore and more countries in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbeans pave the way for such benefits.

There are currently no direct flight connections between Singapore and Latin America or the Caribbeans. In Africa, Singapore Airlines operates passenger services to Egypt and South Africa, while Singapore Airlines Cargo operates cargo services to Kenya and South Africa.

Apart from sealing OSAs with the four countries at ICAN 2010, Singapore and Fiji also concluded an open skies framework for cargo services and expanded traffic rights entitlements for passenger operations between and beyond both countries. Yap Ong Heng, Director-General of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore welcomed the recent developments, saying, “airlines operate in a challenging environment with dynamic markets. It is thus critical for countries to proactively put in place air services frameworks that enable airlines the commercial freedom to respond to market opportunities.""

Source: mb.com.ph

Speightstown Out - St. Lucy In

2010-06-21T09:17:00.002-04:00

Prime Minister David Thompson in St. Lucy last week

A frail-looking Prime Minister David Thompson gave the clearest hint yet that government is leaning toward St. Lucy over Speightstown, St. Peter for the planned second cruise port for Barbados. This comes just over a year after Tourism Minister Richard Sealy's statement indicating that Speightstown had the nod. Yesterday the Barbados Advocate reported:

"While stating that the [Pickerings New Town] project has the potential of increasing market opportunities for St. Lucy he [the Prime Minister] said that he was “convinced” that MP for St. Lucy Denis Kellman may get a “long overdue airport and cruise terminal”.

He stated that Government has had offers from people to establish private airport facilities for private jet aircraft and a cruise terminal could be beneficial since a lot of activities take place in the north..."

Some might say that again politics seems to be trumping common sense on the location of the cruise port, as indeed, some have been criticizing the whole Pickerings/New Town project which is to be built on some of the best agricultural land in St. Lucy (much of it already owned by government). In a land-scarce country the question must be asked - what kind of example government is setting vis-a-vis reviving agriculture? It has not gone unnoticed that one of the principals of the company behind Pickerings/New Town is a high ranking member of the governing party and a former parliamentarian for St. Lucy himself. This clue to how things get done in Barbados may also be instructive on how the decision will come down at the other end of the island on the Long Beach/Chancery Lane wetlands project where yet another governing party politician has designs.

After 4 Years Of Selling Thin Air Merricks Gets The Big Green Light

2010-06-06T06:20:00.001-04:00

"The much awaited $400 million resort development project planned for Merricks St. Philip has received approval from the Town and Country Planning Office.

Word has come in the local press that developers of 70 acre development received planning permission on May 19th, 2010 and now it appears that all systems are ago for the project.

Although a small number of investors have demanded refunds due to the lengthy delay in receiving planning permission for the property.

The tourist complex includes three five-star hotel blocks, eight apartment blocks, 18 “plantation” houses, 42 one-bedroom cabanas, a 500-seat conference room, restaurants, shops and a spa village..."

Click here for more =>> Barbados TravelAdvisor • View topic - Merricks Resort Gets Government Nod

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Pierhead battle brewing

2010-06-01T08:47:00.000-04:00

"Government may face court action over its handling of the award of a contract for construction of the multi-million dollar Pierhead Marina Development Project.

An American law firm representing Irish company Lagan Construction Limited has written the board of the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. (BTII) citing an alleged breach of an “agreement” it said was reached between its client and the BTII last November for the said contract and is now threatening to “move swiftly to protect its rights”.

Barbados TODAY has learnt that the BTII and by extension Government were given until last Wednesday to respond to a three-page letter from Washington D.C. law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP on behalf of its client Lagan, otherwise they would seek legal recourse.

This was after a November 13, 2009 decision by the BTII’s four member Project and Tenders Committee headed by then chairman Dr. Jerry Thorne to award the Pierhead contract to Lagan was overturned and the decision communicated directly to Lagan International Director, Richard Jones.

That letter sent from Barbadian law firm Inn Chambers last November 27 on behalf of the BTII and copied to BTTI CEO Stuart Layne and Thorne, charged that Thorne had “acted ultra vires” (beyond his powers) and that “the entirety of the contents of the said correspondence in no way represents the position of the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc”. The chairman tendered his resignation three days later and it was accepted.

But the controversy does not start or end there..."

Follow this link for more - Pierhead battle brewing

AirOne Apparently Not Dead ... Yet

2010-05-22T19:54:00.001-04:00

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados — AIRONE Ventures Limited (AVL), a start-up airline, which three years ago sought a home in Jamaica, is likely to begin operations in Barbados later this year.

AVL, which has a Barbados address, is advertising for several positions including line training captains, captains, first officers, cabin crew, human resources and facilities manager, among others.

The advertisements for flight crews said candidates should have an International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) licence with current type rating on MD 80 aircraft.

With a "launching low fares" tagline, AVL said it would be positioning as the first Caribbean low-cost carrier.

Airone Holdings Limited has named the Irish-based communications firm Digicel as its marketing and sales partner.

No information was immediately available about AVL's routes but the company had previously said it would operate flights between the Caribbean and the United States.

The airline had initially planned to operate two Boeing 737-300 aircraft, which it said it would lease for between US$200,000 and US$400,000 per month and gradually expand to five within two years.

AVL had sought national carrier status in Jamaica and signalled its intention to set up in Barbados once its application to the Jamaican authorities was denied.

The airline had argued that with its base in Jamaica, it would have generated more than 200 new skilled jobs in the first year of operation, contribute two per cent to gross domestic product and a minimum of US$65 million in taxes to the government.

Source: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/Airone-likely-to-commence-operations-this-year_7626912

See also: West Coast Blog: AirOne Still Standing By For Takeoff

Search For The Good Life Barbados

2010-05-15T18:11:00.000-04:00

Barbados TravelAdvisor • View topic - Barbados, insider's

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Taking St. Vincent For A Ride

2010-04-22T16:15:00.001-04:00

"Update on the Buccament Bay UK Launch Party – April 24th & 25th
We are delighted to tell you we now have full details on the opening of the most exciting new resort in the Caribbean.

The Rt Hon Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St Vincent & The Grenadines, will be present on both days to talk about this wonderful island and the Government’s support for our stunning new resort. Also present will be several Government Ministers and Caribbean High Commissioners for St Vincent & The Grenadines, Barbados, St Lucia and the Dominican Republic, the islands where Harlequin will be opening their other resorts during the next few years.
Harlequin’s Ambassador

Andy Townsend, ex-Chelsea and Republic of Ireland player, will be compering the weekend and will provide an update on the Harlequin Sports Academy.

Ex-Liverpool footballer, David Fairclough, and other Liverpool personnel will also be on hand to talk about the Liverpool Football Club Soccer Schools, the first of which will be opening at Buccament Bay Resort in July.

Pat Cash will be talking about the Pat Cash Tennis Academies, the first of which will be opening at Buccament Bay Resort in July, as well as the new Pat Cash Tennis Hotels that Harlequin are planning to build at the Buccament Bay Resort, Las Canas and The Marquis Estate.

Harlequin Performing Arts Academy. We are proud to announce that stars from the West End and Broadway will be performing in a new music and dance extravaganza, Bringing the Best of Broadway to the Caribbean, on each day at 4pm. This is a show not to be missed! Performers will include Michael McCarthy, West End and Broadway star, famous for his performances of Javert in Les Miserables and Paul Morrissey, who has recently finished performing in Phantom of the Opera in the West End..."

Click here for more.
Click here to follow The Merricks Saga in Barbados

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Ocean Pew

2010-03-18T11:46:00.000-04:00

The interior of Barbados's Nidhe Israel synagogue.

"Consider the irony: A foreign visitor celebrates his bar mitzvah on Shabbat Shekalim in a synagogue that was itself saved from the wrecking ball by a massive round of shekel-collecting; a synagogue, moreover, that is perched on an island at the easternmost edge of the Caribbean (no desert, but no Jerusalem, either) where the mere act of enumerating the Jewish population—800 Sephardim in 1750, 40 Ashkenazim in 2010, no Jews at all in 1930—reminds us of just how convoluted the history of our wandering people can be..."

Click here for entire Tablet Magazine article.

See also: Speightstown’s Jewish Past

Yet Another Reason To Ditch The Barbados Tourism Authority

2010-03-15T07:33:00.001-04:00

There is growing dissatisfaction with the way in which tourism in Barbados is being run. Other Caribbean destinations are already eating our lunch as our marketing efforts continue to fall short, and failure to address forthrightly some the glaring problems in the sector such as a lack of affordable hotels and beach erosion. It has not helped also that a promised "Tourism Master Plan" is still more than two years in the making. Join the discussion on our forum by clicking on the link below.

Barbados TravelAdvisor • View topic - Yet Another Reason To Ditch The Barbados Tourism Authority

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Pierhead Project Back From The Dead - In News Again

2010-03-09T13:38:00.000-04:00

"FOUR MEMBERS of the board have parted company with the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. (BTII).
Reports reaching THE NATION yesterday were that chairman Jerry Thorne, deputy chairman Mark Prescott, and members Paul Bernstein and Decourcey Headley have left the BTII. All of them have been on the board since 2008.

New appointments

It is understood that new appointments were made last month, and chartered accountant Andrew Marryshow was installed as the new chairman while businessman Chris deCaires is his deputy.
Several telephone calls to Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Darcy Boyce, and Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy for confirmation about this situation were not immediately returned. THE NATION was informed that both were attending meetings.

When contacted, Thorne, an orthopaedic surgeon, declined to comment, but deCaires confirmed that he was now on the BTII's board.
Reports indicated that the separation follows a disagreement over the $130 million Pierhead Development Project, which was switched from the Ministry of Tourism to the BTII in 2009.
That project, which has been in the works since 1988, includes plans for a marina, hotel, three blocks of condominiums, a retail and restaurant complex and a high-rise car park, as well as other services.
It was to transform the Pierhead and Lower Bay Street into a sophisticated shopping, entertainment and upscale accommodation area, and represent a partnership between Government, the private sector and foreign investors, with Government and the Barbados Shipping and Trading conglomerate as major landowners.
Last October, when asked about the project, chief executive officer of the BTII, Stuart Layne, said it was before Cabinet and he could not speak on the matter.
It is understood that a significant sum of money had already been spent by the former administration to conduct a study into the feasibility of this much-mooted project."

Source: http://www.nationnews.com/news/local/LEADbtii-resignations-FRONT-PAGE-LEAD

The Merricks :: "Recession 2010: When hotspots turn cold"

2010-03-02T22:36:00.002-04:00

Palmetto Bay, Barbados (proposed site for The Merricks Resort)

"Some investors who bought off-plan units at The Merricks, Las Canas and other schemes believe that their money may have been used to complete Buccament Bay, in which they have no stake.

Harlequin instructs agents to make it clear to potential investors that revenues are used to market and develop all the resorts in the Caribbean. Harlequin says it is treating investors seeking refunds on uncompleted properties in The Merricks and Las Canas "sympathetically" but that often involves re-negotiating terms.

One woman was offered the chance to swap her unbuilt villas at Merricks for similar properties at Buccament Bay but she declined because she thought they were of lesser value. Others have been offered "discounts" of 10 per cent on their unstarted properties at Merricks..."

...continue reading - click link below:

Express.co.uk - Home of the Daily and Sunday Express | Property :: Recession 2010: When hotspots turn cold

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Update On Barbados Tourism Mystery Plan

2010-01-28T22:48:00.000-04:00

Anyone Can Surf Barbados

2010-01-20T22:40:00.001-04:00

"It was the kind of scene you'd expect to see on the north shore of Oahu or the Gold Coast of Australia: three surfers bobbing in the water as a 15ft swell rolled in. One of the surfers paddled into it, snapped to his feet and suddenly he was riding it – millions of gallons of the ocean's energy barrelling him forward. He turned, speeding left, flipping right, then crouched down and held the sides of his board, launching himself five feet off the crest. He flew, spinning into the air, dro

Only this wasn't Pipe, Indo or any other famous moniker the world's nomadic surfing community bestows on its favourite pilgrimage spots. This clean, perfect, enormous wave was rolling in to a little-known surf destination – the east coast of Barbados. And the only audience that these three surfers – professionals from Hawaii and Florida in town to shoot a documentary for Billabong – had was an empty, palm tree-lined beach..."

Go Underwater With A Point and Shoot

2010-01-10T02:50:00.001-04:00

"This shoot was taken while Danny was snorkeling in Barbados with some very friendly turtles. He ditched his snorkel and went down to between 3 and 6 feet below the surface. This picture was taken at F4 at 1/250th of a second.

Colors fade the deeper you go underwater, disappearing in light spectrum order (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet). Most underwater photos will have some amount of blue or gray tint. To get rid of the haze, you usually have to tinker with the white balance and saturat

On trips like this one, Danny and his fiancé want to keep post-production to a minimum to save time, so they use Picasa to organize and edit photos: "Because we were traveling, we didn't want to fuss around with photo adjustments such as white balance and contrast like we normally would. We also wanted to share pictures easily with our families...""

Click here for more on our forum.

It's Official ...

2009-12-12T13:21:00.004-04:00

... Port Ferdinand of Arrogance on the way:

Click images to enlarge

Links:

King Ferdinand Of Arrogance Finds A Port In Barbados At Last

Ugh! Yet another Six Mens marina in the works

Merricks Gets More Bad Press

2009-11-23T16:14:00.003-04:00

Barbados TravelAdvisor • View topic - Caribbean property investors fear for their deposits

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King Ferdinand Of Arrogance Finds A Port In Barbados At Last

2009-11-23T07:37:00.005-04:00

Work in progress on the Port Ferdinand Marina at Retreat, St. Peter, Barbados

It has been several months since this blog visited the subject of the Six Mens/Retreat marina, but that's not because a lot has not gone or is going on with that project. Quietly a few months ago work started on the project but as the old Bajan proverb goes - "You can hide and by land but you can't hide and work it" - sure enough, word of the billion dollar St. Peter residential marina project has started leaking in the local media a few weeks ago and already a firestorm has been gathering. You know, for example, that there is a big environmental concern when the daily paper through which the government speaks to the country yesterday had to carry an article trumpeting the environmental procedures that were followed in getting the project off the ground. The article glossed over the fact that the last mangrove on the west coast has already been destroyed by this project, but that may only be the first of several controversies this new marina next door to the still controversial Port St. Charles may generate before it opens for business hopefully in 2012.

Port Ferdinand Marina Master Plan

The master plan calls for just 96 luxury condos to be constructed on the 13-acre site around a lagoon with the capability for berthing 120 yachts. It also involves the construction of a roundabout and a swing bridge to facilitate vehicular and boating traffic, and beach improvements in the area will be carried out.

No word yet on whether this latest west coast monstrosity is in fact named in honor of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile.

Links:

Club Bimshire: Protect historic sites!

Mullins Bay Blog: "This Is Monaco: Is This What We Want For Barbados?"

"Barbados in the year 2050 – The vision of some…" « Barbados Free Press

"Should Barbados Be The Next Monaco?" « Barbados Underground

Barbados Continues To Suffer From Poor Tourism Advertising

2009-10-26T10:36:00.000-04:00

Potential visitors react to photo used to sell Barbados as a tourist destination.

Barbados TravelAdvisor • View topic - Barbados Tourism

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More Rumblings In Merricks

2009-10-08T12:14:00.000-04:00

"During a public meeting at Bayley's Primary School Tuesday evening, St Philip residents received retails about the project and got a chance to air concerns about water distribution and access to the nearby beach.
Documents which the developer Harlequin Hotels & Resorts released at the three-hour meeting showed that more than 750 people would be employed during the construction phase and 1 500 will be needed to operate the complex that includes a five-star hotel.
In a presentation to the estimated 150 people, David Senior of architects Robertson Ward Associates Limited said the development would put a total of 1 242 beds on the market.
The tourist complex includes three hotel blocks, eight apartment blocks, 18 "plantation" houses, 42 one-bedroom cabanas, a 500-seat conference room, restaurants, shops and a spa village.
In an interview afterwards, Chairman of Harlequin, Dave Ames, told the DAILY NATION that the company is expected to spend between US$300 million and US$400 million on the Merricks project."

Click here for entire NationNews.com article

Merricks Back On CBC Radar

2009-10-05T06:54:00.000-04:00

"Plans are well on stream for what is being described as the largest hotel resort in Barbados.
The project has been in the works for some time but is now nearer to reality.
The new billion dollar resort is to be built on 70 acres of oceanfront land in the area around Peat Bay.
The United Kingdom based developers, Harlequin Property, say it will comprise nearly one thousand hotel rooms including suites, apartments, custom homes and cabanas.
Merricks Barbados five star luxury spa resort will be made up of a five star hotel, about 10 villas and 600 apartments with over 12 hundred bedrooms..."

Click here for entire article.

What Happened To The Lakes?

2009-09-25T03:08:00.000-04:00

Click image to enlarge

It is amazing what a change of government and a recession can do to some of the "big" tourism related developments around the island. Ever wondered what happened to "The Lakes?" Remember those huge billboards along the highways and byways a few years ago advertising what was to become a huge 500-villa health and wellness community in Mt. Brevitor, St. Peter? Well, it seems they sold a lot fewer than 77 villas and apartments so they have downsized and changed the name from The Lakes to "VueMont." "The Lakes" probably was too confusing to potential buyers who wouldn't know the development was supposed to sit on 180 acres of two former sugar plantations - Mt. Brevitor and Lakes. They have also dropped the health and wellness/retirement theme and are going after anybody with at least US$400K who cannot find and/or afford beachfront property and don't mind a view from a ~~hill~~ mount. Get it - VueMont?

End Of The World: Lessons for those who would "Dubaify" Barbados

2009-09-19T05:57:00.003-04:00

Proposed island north of Bridgetown Port

"England is deserted, Australia and New Zealand have merged, and the man who bought Ireland has killed himself.
They were designed to make Dubai the envy of the world: a series of paradise islands inhabited by celebrities and the super-rich reclaimed from the azure waters of the Arabian Gulf and shaped like a map of the Earth. It was called The World.
As millions of tonnes of rock were dumped into the sea for the foundations, timely leaks suggested that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were to buy Ethiopia, Sir Richard Branson was tipped to occupy England, while Rod Stewart would border him in Scotland.
Instead it has become the world’s most expensive shipping hazard, guarded by private security in fast boats and ringed by warning buoys to keep the curious away. A development that was meant to send Dubai’s star into the firmament of First World cities has been left to the mercy of the waves and the baking winds..."

Click here for entire Times Online article.

Meanwhile, we learned this week from The Nation:

"PRIME MINISTER DAVID THOMPSON is expected to take a four-nation trip shortly to meet with investors on several projects here that have been stalled.
Speaking at a Press conference at his Ilaro Court residence yesterday, Thompson said he would visit the Britain, Canada, United States and China.
He said there were more than 12 projects that had to be discussed, and he intended to sit down and see what concerns the investors had and what issues could be resolved.
Among those to be discussed are Four Seasons, Sam Lord's Castle, "some on the West Coast and one at Merricks in St Philips, some of which have groundwork to be done and some of which are almost ready and can proceed at a moments notice..."

- NationNews.com 9/16/09

CLICO Fiasco Leaves Government Guessing What To Do About Sam Lords

2009-08-20T10:22:00.000-04:00

"PM wants joint effort to restore Sam Lord's

by TRACY MOORE

PRIME MINISTER DAVID THOMPSON yesterday called for a joint venture or full private arrangement to redevelop Sam Lord's Castle that now lies in ruin.

The Prime Minister and several ministers and Government officials toured a number of St Philip sites yesterday,

"We don't want to have to use significant taxpayers resources except in facilitating some sort of joint-venture arrangement or alternatively a full private sector arrangement that protects the interests of Barbadians and delivers on what we want - beach access, protection of the Castle and perhaps mixed-use of other tourism development in an area of Barbados that needs to have further development."

He told the Press: "Let me make it clear, Sam Lord's Castle is a building of historic interest in Barbados. There was intended on that site a tourism development which would have seen a significant broadening of the product that Barbados offers, also in an area where it is critical for us to provide jobs and to have new economic infrastructure."

He added: "We are determined to see that particular project or one like it proceed. We are not interested in owning Sam Lord's Castle . . . . We are interested in seeing it developed in the interest of Barbadians.

"That is part of reasons why we feel that Sam Lord's Castle is important to be acquired at this time.

"We expect that as soon as we can complete our analysis of what can be done with the property . . . we will work with other persons to ensure that it is developed."
"

Source: http://www.nationnews.com/news/local/story-1-sam-lord-s-castle-copy-for-web

Barbados TravelAdvisor • View topic - My Barbados: Best beaches, friendly people and blue seas

2009-08-17T19:31:00.001-04:00

Barbados TravelAdvisor • View topic - My Barbados: Best beaches, friendly people and blue seas

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Barbados: This Earth, This Realm, This Little England (Conde Nast reviews Barbados)

2009-06-24T11:46:00.001-04:00

"Barbados, once the British Empire's most important colony, is still, with its historic riches and great houses galore, a temperamentally English enclave. Some parts of this Caribbean country even look like Devon and Somerset. But, says Isabel Fonseca, there is definitely another side..."

Click here for entire Conde Nast Traveler article.
Click here to join our forum discussion of this article.
Click here or below to leave a comment.

Rosewood & Six Mens Marina Still On Stream

2009-06-23T11:36:00.001-04:00

"MINISTER OF TOURISM Richard Sealy says Government has identifed the north-west corridor of the island, as an area for greater tourism development.

Sealy is confident tourism projects planned for the island's north coast will increase the economic and tourism activity in that "northern corridor" .

Speaking to the media during last Friday's official opening of Sugar Cane Club Hotel and Spa in Maynards, St Peter, Sealy pointed to a number of private/public sector tourism projects on stream in the north, among them a marina at Six Mens Bay, and a major tourism project at Harrison's Point where Rosewood Hotels and Resorts is scheduled to build a five-star resort on 82 acres.

The mixed-use property will comprise condominiums, a hotel, shops and other resort-related facilities. It is a Government-private sector venture.

Though Sealy said that the project was "not moving as fast as we would like" because of the current global economic conditions, he pointed out it was still on stream.

In addition,he said the marina at Six Mens Bay was supposed to start later this year.

Sealy said Sugar Cane Club Hotel and Spa fitted in well with the Government's plans for the north, and he welcomed the inland hotel which he said should meet the new visitor need for a "different holiday experience".

While regretting the demise of Villa Nova Hotel in St John, the minister maintained there was still scope for inland hotels.

"I think it (Sugar Cane Club Hotel and Spa) is a remarkable and welcome addition to the hotel plant in Barbados", he said, adding that the whole concept of taking a vacation and basing it merely on a beach experience had "expired".

The former 23-room Sugar Cane Club has been renovated at a cost of $12 million. There are now 41 suites, a penthouse and two private villas, as well as a host of art and sporting facilities.

Owner Bernie Weatherhead said the hotel was now a boutique hotel with a personable atmosphere, designed to attract a different type of clientele. (GC)

"Tourism is changing, trends are changing, people are no longer travelling merely for sun, sand and sea. Today's traveller is looking for an experience," Weatherhead said. (GC)"

Source: NationNews.com

Toy-Boat Racing Gets On The Way This Weekend

2009-06-19T21:35:00.001-04:00

Are they serious? Give me a break! If they were not saying it with a straight face, we would probably all be laughing at the Ministry of Tourism and its claim that this coming week of toy-boat racing in Carlisle Bay "was worthwhile and an important tool for bringing visitors from all parts of the world." Come on, who do they think they are kidding? Are they going to publish hotel occupancy numbers after this event?

Ever since St. Lucia stole the ARC Race two decades ago Barbados has been floundering looking for its niche in yachting and boating in the Caribbean. The only serious effort on this front has been the establishment of the Port St. Charles Marina a decade ago which basically is a gated "luxury" condo community built around a small lagoon. Condo sales and re-sales there have been good but the project has done precious little to put Barbados on the yachting map. If plans come to fruition they should be seeking to correct some of what went wrong with PSC with a controversial expansion just north starting construction in the fall.

Meanwhile, as we await PSC2 and the overdue "Tourism Masterplan" we may as well try to "bigup," if I may borrow a current colloquialism, the toy-boat racing this weekend. Come on, Senator Gilkes, you are no longer sailing coconut shells on the salt pond in Speightstown - these are the big leagues we are playing in right now. Look around and see what our competitors in St. Lucia and Grenada are doing and get with the program!

The Saga At Merricks Continues...

2009-06-15T10:17:00.001-04:00

After several years of fits and starts maybe things are finally getting on the way at the Merricks resort in St. Philip. According to their most recent newsletter permission has been granted for and construction begun on three show homes at the site and signage erected. They are claiming that full planning permission is/was being held up by a water supply problem in the area. Looking at their plans and what is currently being built on neighboring St. Vincent it probably wouldn't surprise anyone in Barbados that the Government may be dragging its feet and/or hoping the current recession would bring new developers to this prime strip of coastline.

Speightstown Cruise Port Madness

2009-06-11T10:34:00.001-04:00

Mullins Bay Blog: St. Lucy MP Comes Out Swinging Against Speightstown In Today’s Advocate

Expansion on cards for Barbados Hilton

2009-06-02T19:41:00.015-04:00

click image to enlarge

According to a report in the Sunday Sun last Sunday May 31 (click image above to read), the “new” Barbados Hilton is shortly to undergo a major redo including an addition to its 350 rooms and expansion of its conference facilities. Also, on the cards is another hotel on the peninsula (Conrad or Waldrof perhaps? – since Barbados wants to focus on luxury brands) where the Hilton now sits.

However, don’t look for any of this anytime soon as the recession has shuttered nearly all the major tourism construction on the island including the much sought after Four Seasons Barbados on the site of the former Paradise Beach Club in Black Rock/Freshwater Bay. Also, the current Tourism Minister is developing quite a reputation for talking boldly about “masterplans” that never seem to materialize. We are still waiting for his “Tourism Masterplan” for the entire island which was supposedly due to be made public last December.

Save Mullins Bay
Road View, St. Peter
Barbados
246-244-1885
savemullinsbay@gmail.com
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Barbados TravelAdvisor • View topic - Another Marina?

2009-05-27T20:43:00.000-04:00

Barbados TravelAdvisor • View topic - Another Marina?

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Barbados TravelAdvisor • View topic - Things You Can Do To Help The Save Mullins Bay Effort

2009-05-16T15:59:00.000-04:00

Barbados TravelAdvisor • View topic - Things You Can Do To Help The Save Mullins Bay Effort

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More Line Noise On The Northern Cruise Port

2009-05-09T11:31:00.005-04:00

“PLANS ARE AFOOT for the construction of a small Port in Speightstown, St Peter.
Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy said yesterday that basic adjustments would be made to the jetty in Speightstown to accommodate small vessels.
"Given the structure of the area, large cruise vessels will not be able to berth there, but officials are looking at the potential economic benefits of having another port," he said.
Although he could not say how soon vessels would start berthing, or what would be the overall cost of the project, Sealy said having a port in Speightstown would mean that visitors to the island coming in at that end would bring more life to the area and hopefully more revenue.
The minister made the comments while speaking at the launch of the Bajan Pride Expositions at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill.
In an interview later Pierre Spenard, owner of Mangoes By The Sea Restaurant in Speightstown, said while he had heard of the plans, the whole town was "just sitting on a fence waiting to see what will happen".
He said a port in Speightstown would help restore the town to its historic stature, and would offer a chance to promote better community tourism.
"It would be nice to see Speightstown retain its character. It used to be the capital of this great country, and it's rich in heritage tradition and history."
He said a look at Arlington House Museum across the street would show the full life of the town. Spenard has been in that location for 14 years and said the town hadn't moved much, outside of Arlington House Museum and Archer's Hall.
Owner of Fisherman Pub and Beach Bar, Clement Armstrong, said he too had heard of the plan, even under the previous government, and although he would welcome the initiative, the question was when would it happen?
"I have welcomed the idea since 14 years ago, but I am still waiting to hear when it will start. We had trial runs one year and when the people came, the first thing they asked was 'where is Holetown?'
"Nobody knows about Speightstown; it is a black business place. But it's 20 minutes away from the Wildlife Reserve, Farley Hill, Bathsheba and Animal Flower Cave, so it would take a load off the traffic in Bridgetown and may bring good business," he said.”

Source: NationNews.com

Church Street, Speightstown, Barbados 2009

Click image to enlarge

Barbado'ed: Scotland's Sugar Slaves

2009-05-01T07:10:00.010-04:00

See discussion on our forum -->> http://bbtravel.freeforums.org/scotish-slaves-in-barbados-t1013.html

Mounted Police To Patrol New South Coast Boardwalk

2009-03-25T16:29:00.002-04:00

In the wake of the recent attacks on two Canadian visitors to the island on Long Beach, Christ Church and the subsequent death of one of them, police in Barbados have stepped up their patrols in areas frequented by tourists and purchased at least two Segway motorized personal transporters to patrol the new south coast boardwalk in Hastings, Christ Church which area has also seen an uptick in violence against visitors since its recent unofficial opening. According to police quoted in the Barbados Advocate similar units will also be deployed in other parts of the island. Attention is also being given to the question of lighting the boardwalk after dark.

Lobby Group Calls For End To Mega-Resorts

2009-03-12T00:39:00.001-04:00

"Mega-resorts are destroying communities and are environmentally unsustainable and lead to widespread alienation and displacement of people from their land, according to a new report from lobby group Tourism Concern.

Poor communities in developing countries, which depend heavily upon their natural resources for their livelihoods, are the hardest hit.

Huge tracts of public and privately owned land are being "grabbed" and sold off to real estate developers by governments keen to expand tourism in pursuit of economic growth. In reality, little of the profit from internationally managed resorts stays in the local economy.

The trickle down of tourism revenue to those who have lost their homes and livelihoods is minimal, particularly in the face of rising living costs associated with an influx of tourists and owners of expensive second homes. Cheap migrant labour is often drafted in from abroad to work on the developments, while opportunities for employment in the exclusive five-star resorts are limited to the most menial, poorly paid roles..."

Click here for entire article.

Champers Makes Sir Gary's Barbados Top Ten

2009-02-28T21:27:00.000-04:00

"This restaurant in Christ Church is my favourite on the island. I sometimes eat there twice a week and have come to know the owners very well. Excellent food and service, good location overlooking the sea and it has a lively bar. There are big portions of fish like blackened snapper and coconut shrimp."

Click here for entire Times article.

Is There Anyone Left In England?

2009-02-27T03:40:00.006-04:00

So, I went to Kensington Oval yesterday attending the opening day of the 4th. cricket test match in the current series between England and the West Indies. England completely dominated this first day's play and I saw some very entertaining cricket. Who can forget that big six Strauss lofted over the stands (losing the ball in the process) to reach his magnificent century? He played every stroke in the book and then some. It was even more entertaining for the thousands of English fans cheering their team them along. The the stands were so packed with them that were it not for the blue skies and 80-something degree weather you would have thought you were at Lords or some other famous cricket ground in England. The little video below which I made with a point-and-shoot camera captured some of the atmosphere from the Greenidge and Haynes stand. The player closest to the stand is Barbados/West Indies fast bowler Fidel Edwards. He laboured all day and got a ton of runs knocked off him for no wickets, although he did suffer at least one spectacular dropped catch.

Dubaification Of Barbados Picks Up Steam

2009-02-26T01:18:00.002-04:00

We now have a sketch and we can put a name and a face on at least one of the "significant local and foreign investors of good repute and business success..." (according to last year's Budget Speech by the Prime Minister). CBC News is reporting:

"A major realtor is proposing the creation of an island north of the Bridgetown harbour exclusively for tourism.

Director of Altman Realty, Paul Altman says this will cushion Barbados' against any negative impact from the current global economic crisis.

He believes the project would absorb all of Barbados' unemployment as well as provide a much needed economic boost, in the wake of the world economic crisis.

He made the comments at the first luncheon of the year for the Barbados Association of Professional Engineers at the Barbados Yacht Club."

Click here for entire article.

Has Paul Doyle Taken Over Culpepper Club/Whitehaven

2009-02-16T10:28:00.000-04:00

You know how it is in Barbados - you learn what's happening on the island by reading the overseas media (usually the British press). A blurb in a recent article in The Independent seems to indicate that Paul Doyle, the re-developer of the Crane Hotel in St. Philip, has taken over all or part of the financially strapped Culpepper/Whitehaven project at Bushy Park (at least the Whitehaven part):

"Canadian Paul Doyle has made the Crane into one of the best hotels on the island, recently completing the Crane Village, a series of colonial-style buildings including an art gallery, a cinema, a fitness centre and a bookshop. He is planning a new project, Anani (named after the Amerindian word for flower), further north, opposite Culpepper Island. Doyle's design will make the most of the stream and ponds that are features of the site and each room will have its own infinity pool and views of the ocean."
Click here for entire article.

Quiet On The East Coast

2009-02-16T09:12:00.000-04:00

"Not much happens round here. The Sea Side Bar rum shop has but a couple of patrons. A short distance from the Soup Bowl, Robert LaMare is idling in a hammock on the porch of his Island Craft shop, which doesn't seem to sell a great deal except hammocks – which are currently out of stock. LaMare decamped to Barbados from upstate New York some 15 years ago and hasn't gone back. "I get two deliveries of post a month; the water bill and the lighting bill. I don't have a television or a cellphone. But I don't want or need anything.""

Click here fore entire article and discussion.

Trader Vic's Coming

2009-02-13T16:05:00.002-04:00

If The Merricks ever gets built, and that's a big "IF" given all the shenanigans that have gone on for the last several years over the luxury resort slated for Palmetto Bay on Barbados' southeast coast, it may include a trendy world class restaurant - Trader Vic's - in its ensemble. Word of this development came in a recent press release announcing that Harlequin Hotels & Resorts - the developer of The Merricks - has signed an agreement with Trader Vic's to bring its restaurant brand to Harlequin's Caribbean resorts planned and/or under development in Barbados, St. Vincent, St. Lucia and the Dominican Republic.

Click here for details.

Gaurdain Mixes Up Bahamas And Barbados

2009-01-07T03:58:00.000-04:00

"A Hollywood celebrity, a teenage death in a bathroom and the Church of Scientology is a toxic brew for global gossipmongers and, sure enough, the death of John Travolta's 16-year-old son, Jett, has triggered an orgy of internet chatter. Some of the speculation is being driven in an organised way by critics of the Church of Scientology ("Co$" in internet parlance).

According to the Travolta family, Jett suffered from regular seizures (around one a week) and had been diagnosed with Kawasaki syndrome, a rare childhood condition with some life-threatening symptoms but rarely fatal. Details of Jett's death, in the bathroom of Travolta's holiday home in Barbados after a reported seizure, are sketchy. The postmortem results will almost certainly be kept private by Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston..."

Click here for entire article.

Surprise, Surprise! Barbados TravelAdvisor Members Pick Barbados...

2008-12-18T13:37:00.002-04:00

...as their top holiday/vacation destination.

Click here to find out why and maybe share your picks also.

Boardwalk Ready For Primetime

2008-12-15T09:44:00.000-04:00

Click here for brief report and discussion.

Mullins Beach Webcam Meeting 11/25/08

2008-11-28T01:38:00.000-04:00

Glad you got a sense of things going on, it was difficult because the camera angle wasn't great. In answer to your questions, massage lady wasn't part of the group as far as I know. The first couple at the table was Mr and Mrs Shadow, they were joined by Robiv (long hair) and Mr Robiv, TCG appeared briefly and then sat down and you couldn't see her. She has long, blonde, curly hair.

Follow the excitement here and here.

Who Knew There Was A "Private Beach" In Dover???

2008-11-13T14:57:00.000-04:00

"Ocean Two is located on its own private beach called Rainbow Beach, which is being enhanced and extended for residents to enjoy the beautiful blue waters. The property is located in Christ Church Parish on Dover Beach and Saint Lawrence Gap. It is within an easy drive of both Bridgetown and Grantley Adams International Airport."

Click here for entire article and discussion.

Global Financial Crisis: Lessons for the luxury west coast and other high end projects in Barbados

2008-10-29T02:38:00.000-04:00

"Investment banking has now collapsed, as it were - if you were wondering how that impacts the many, many hotel and resort projects that have been started in the past few years thanks to all that easy money flying around, well, look no further than Turks and Caicos. Here, the up-until-recently uninhabited island of West Caicos was slated to be developed into one of those mixed-use resort communities..."

Click here for entire nypost.com article.

Can Graeme Hall Swamp And Worthing Beach Coexist

2008-10-25T15:14:00.000-04:00

"FOR MANAGEMENT of the Graeme Hall Nature Sanctuary, the sluice gate on nearby Carib Beach, Worthing, Christ Church, is a gateway to preserving the life of their swamp.

But for some beach-users, the door should be slammed shut on the brownish, brackish water making its way through the structure into the sea, turning off sea-bathers.

The controversial gate, which controls the discharge of water not only to and from the nature sanctuary, but also various storm drains in surrounding districts, was at the centre of dispute after last week's heavy rainfall..."

Click here for entire NationNews.com article.

Sandy Lane Weathering Economic Strom ... so far

2008-10-22T13:52:00.000-04:00

"At the Sandy Lane resort in Barbados, rooms cost at least $3,000 a night in season and villas go for as much as $25,000 a night, with a required minimum two-week stay. Families that reserved there for the holiday season before Oct. 15 must pay 25 percent of the total cost in advance, and will have to pay the balance in mid-October. Renting a villa would cost $350,000 for a two-week stay, not including lunch and dinner. For now, the hotel is sold out. But travel agents are watching closely to see what the room availability is after that deadline..."

- more - http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/04/business/04luxury.html?ref=business

jprkjr's Jentillia Trip Report

2008-10-11T06:43:00.001-04:00

Click here to read jprkjr's report on her recent trip to Barbados staying at the West Coast beachfront cottage - Jentillia, near Mullins Beach, St. Peter.

Having Fun In Barbados With The Bajan Bears

2008-10-08T16:36:00.002-04:00

"Anyway, talking of ‘splashing out’, those of you who are already familiar with the delights of ‘The Tides’ will know that the beach-front tables offer the best views BUT the best chance of taking an early bath – when the larger waves crash on the rocks just below their decking ! Today was just such a day when a large wave gave us a good cooling shower - so we thought we might have to eat our fish quickly before it swam home. We don't usually put salt on our food but we had some served up to us by the sea today. Luckily we had almost finished eating..."

Click here for the rest of The Bajan Bears trip report and feedback.

Boardwalk Update

2008-10-08T16:13:00.000-04:00

"In terms of all the major construction, though, that is about 90 per cent [completed].

"The piles, concrete headlands that are to the front of this job, concrete steps, concrete revetments – we have pretty much completed most of those.

"The reason I would tell you that it is overall 85 per cent complete is that we still have a bit of landscaping and tidying up to do. The final project and how it would look in terms of the vegetation and so on has to be done..."

Click here for NationNews article and feedback.

Banyan Tree, Black Bess And Sam Lord's Castle

2008-09-21T12:19:00.001-04:00

"...it has recently emerged that Banyan Tree is probably getting together with CLICO on the renovation and expansion of the Sam Lord’s Castle project in St. Philip on the southeast coast..."

Click here for more - Mullins Bay Blog: Reading The Tea Leaves & Rumors At Mullins Beach

West Coast/South Coast: The Great Debate Continues

2008-09-15T21:57:00.001-04:00

With two great coasts from which to choose for your vacation, both with fiercely loyal fans, the great debate about where to stay in Barbados continues.

Click here to join the discussion.

Barbados property is a winning investment formula

2008-09-08T13:27:00.000-04:00

"Property prices in Barbados are appreciating at between 15 – 20% per year at the middle of the market and often even higher at the luxury end.
Such price increases have been driven by a strong economy, well established tourism industry, direct flights, climate and the strength of the pound against the dollar which, even after recent falls, remains historically high. This has all led to a winning formula for British buyers..."

Click here for entire article.

Local Community Activist Comes Out Swinging Against New Marina

2008-09-04T19:00:00.000-04:00

"For too long the people of Six Men's have been tossed around. Government after Government has promised to develop the area, but there has always been what seemed to be a legitimate excuse why these developments for the residents never came to fruition.

Now we are hearing that developers are seeking to build another marina just to the south of Six Men's, which will ultimately impact on this historic fishing village... "

Click here for the entire letter to the editor of NationNews.

Crew Aiming To Break Atlantic Rowing Record

2008-09-03T09:01:00.000-04:00

"GALWAY resident Peter Williams is to join eleven other oarsmen from around the British Isles in an attempt to smash the current Guinness World Record for the fastest row across the Atlantic ocean. The current record is 33 days, 7 hrs, 30 mins.

The crew will depart from Puerto Mogan in Gran Canaria in a bespoke boat called La Mondiale on December 31 and will aim to arrive in Port St Charles, Barbados in a new record time..."

Click here for entire article.

Music From The Gap Still A Problem For Some

2008-09-03T04:44:00.000-04:00

"Guests staying at various establishments in St. Lawrence Gap are once more protesting the loud music coming from night-clubs in the Christ Church entertainment hub..."

Click here for entire NationNews story.

Talma paddles around Barbados

2008-09-03T04:34:00.000-04:00

"BRIAN "DEACTION MAN" TALMA made history by stand-up paddling around Barbados in 16 hours and 25 minutes last Wednesday.

Stand-up paddling, or SUPing as it is called, is done using an extremely long surfboard and using a paddle to propel oneself through the water... "

Click here for entire NationNews article.

BTA Crew Bare All

2008-09-03T03:20:00.000-04:00

puggydog>>"Now that were all one big dysfunctional family Very Happy Lets get to know one another........Does anybody work or what did they do before they retired Question What do people do for hobbies etc..."

Click here to join the discussion.

Slave Route Signage Project

2008-08-27T04:28:00.002-04:00

"IN A QUEST to promote cultural tourism and to honour this country's slave heritage, the Government is embarking on a "Slave Route Signage Project".

To this end, today Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy officially launched the Project with a Plaque Reveal ceremony at the site of Chefette Restaurant, Upper Broad Street, Bridgetown. ..."

Click here for entire NationNews.com article.

Divi Southwinds Going Green

2008-08-27T04:17:00.000-04:00

"...A major component of going green involves minimal use of harmful or harsh chemicals.....like the introduction of a system that considerably reduces the use of chlorine in its swimming pool..."

Click here for entire CBC.bb article.

First Impressions

2008-08-26T01:48:00.002-04:00

>>puppydog>> "My first impressions after leaving the airport and enroute to my hotel Question Well i saw immence wealth then poverty but i never felt they were poor.I saw chickens and goats in gardens,and locals sat on there varandahs chatting to each other..I saw the most immaculately dressed school children and then i saw the sea wow...The first night i heard the whistling frogs and in the morning as i sat on the balcony and shared my breakfast with the most amazing coloured birds, I thought this is going to be a very special island to me.And it was... "

Click here for other first impressions of Barbados or to share yours.

Hastings - Rockley Beach Improvement 2007

2008-08-23T18:17:00.000-04:00

The above synth is a collage of photos taken last year (2007) of the beachfront in the vicinity of the KFC restaurant in Hastings, Christ Church on the south coast tourism strip. The project involves the widening of the beach between Hastings and Rockley by building a series of artificial headlands between which sand is being deposited to reconstruct beaches in the area that have been eroded over time. It also involves the construction of a boardwalk stretching the entire length of the project and a small park on the headland by KFC. There are four frames in this synth that were taken in March of 2007 before the project started showing the completely eroded beachfront as it appeared looking south towards Rockley from the KFC location. All the others frames were taken in October 2007 when construction of the headland by KFC was in full swing.

Airport Roof Extension

2008-08-22T00:38:00.001-04:00

happydays writes: "Just been reading that they are going to start to extend the roof over the check in area - can't picture where it means properly - I thought all the check in desks were under cover? the only part I can think of is that they are going to extend into the road?
Also it mentioned that some wanted an enclosed air conditioned check in area but thankfully that isn't happening yet..."

Click here for discussion.

Public/Private Beaches

2008-08-22T00:31:00.001-04:00

Jprkjr writes: "I see that there is a post on TA re Mullins and the PPB thing again. As I understand it, due to the British past of Barbados, an owner on the land adjacent to a beach owns the land down to the highwater mark (with some controversy over accretion which has to be "gradual", and what is actually the highwater mark). Our family used to own a shack-on-the-beach in North Wales and I know, for a fact, that it was the same for us. So, if that is the case in Barbados, the beach in front of the various hotels is, in fact, private to the highwater line, but it is illegal to block-off access to the beach because it is denying access to the land below the highwater line..."

Click here for forum discussion.

Pierhead Project Status

2008-08-19T22:44:00.000-04:00

"IN 2007, the Barbados Tourism Investment Inc. (BTII) continued its work with the private sector in developing its properties. Included on that list of properties was tender procurement for the Pierhead Development Project.

The Pierhead Development Project, which was conceptualised in 1999 and was estimated at $130 million, had a projected time frame of five to seven years with investors coming on board early in 2000.

However, in 2007, the BTII said it had initiated a BOLT [Built Operation Lease and Transfer] Tender Procurement Process during the period under review, with a view to finding a partner to assist it in the construction of the Marina component of the Pierhead Development Project.

This process was ongoing at the end of the reporting period.

In addition, BTII was continuing discussions with its private sector partners concerning the development of the land-based component of the project, following the signing of the Management Agreement with the Le Meridien Hotel chain..."

Click here for entire BarbadosAdvocate.com article.

Solar Trams For South Coast Tours

2008-08-16T22:53:00.000-04:00

"There are proposals before the Ministry of Transport for persons to introduce solar-powered vehicles to promote tours in particular areas of our cities and our town centres, like Dover and St Lawrence Gap, and in the city centre itself, outside of the cruise terminal, outside of the harbour to bring persons into Bridgetown for short tours..."

Click here for original NationNews.com article.

Barbados rates high for luxury homes

2008-08-15T10:12:00.002-04:00

"Homeowners at the highest end of the real estate market still have a dream house in mind and islands like Barbados play a factor in where some call home, according to the 2008 Coldwell Banker Previews International Luxury Survey..."

Click here for entire article.

Government hoping Sam Lord's will lift economy

2008-08-13T16:02:00.000-04:00

"On this occasion there was a slowdown in construction which had registered growth over the years as a result of preparation for Cricket World Cup, and other infrastructural projects.

However, Government said it will be starting a housing development programme in August, while a major expansion project at Sam Lords Castle is expected to commence later in the year. These will add some buoyancy to construction."

Click here for entire article.

First Night In Barbados

2008-08-13T13:04:00.001-04:00

"Just wondering what other people do on their first night in Barbados after a long flight (food wise..."

Click here for the entire discussion.

Tourism 'not falling off'

2008-08-10T05:07:00.002-04:00

"MINISTER OF TOURISM, Richard Sealy has stated that in spite of not having a Cricket World Cup (CWC) this year. Barbados' tourism performance almost equals last year's..."

Click here for the entire NationNews.com article.

Re-engineering Palmetto Bay For The Almighty Dollar

2008-08-10T03:57:00.001-04:00

If you like picturesque beaches the way nature intended them, then get out your camera and head to Palmetto Bay before it is eternally too late. If Bottom Bay is one of the most beautiful beaches in Barbados, then its nearby neighbor, Palmetto Bay, is a close second. But all of that is about to change forever if the once-thought-dead proposals for a 5-star resort on Palmetto Bay see the light of day. According to the second quarterly newsletter from Harlequin, the British company behind the Merricks development, they are proposing to build an offshore partially submerged breakwater to create a "swimming area" for the resort. They claim they are doing the necessary environmental impact studies but one doesn't have to be an environmental scholar to see that any barrier visible above waves at Palmetto Bay (as pictured above [click photo to enlarge]) will fundamentally changed character of that beach.

The Merricks resort development has always been problematic ever since they started advertising their "private beach" on Palmetto Bay some years ago. Now it looks as if they are willing to destroy one of the most beautiful beaches in Barbados to achieve that end. I suppose when you are charging between US $ 1/2 M to 2 M for condos and villas you had better come up with a swimmable beach even if you have to make one, but do you also have the right to sacrifice one of the island's treasures? Don't they have enough water and swimming pools in their current pool-deck design for the resort to realize that even the villa owners and guests could come to recognize that leaving the beach as is and/or completely submerging the breakwater could be a great asset rather than the liability they will undoubtedly create for themselves and the island?

The Merricks was supposedly originally coming on stream this year but is now delayed until the end of 2012. In the humble opinion of this blogger who has been following this development for the last few years, most of the problems associated with it stem from the simple fact that the area in which it is to be located is just not suited for the scale and scope of development they have or had in mind. Maybe a small boutique hotel would work here but certainly not Crane II. This is the reason why their plans have gone through half dozen or so incarnations and none of them seem to work. This latest proposal to re-engineer Palmetto Bay is simply just another grandiose scheme to make their bad plans for the area work. The question is - are Barbadians willing to pay the price?

Is It Gibbs Or Gibbes

2008-08-07T09:12:00.002-04:00

With the rise of the popularity of Gibbes Beach around the bend south of Mullins Beach has come some confusion as to how its name should be spelled and pronounced. Click here for the definitive answer.

Tourism Master Plan In Oven Going On 8 Months

2008-08-06T17:48:00.003-04:00

"A MASTER PLAN designed to ensure Barbados stays ahead of the competition is on the Barbados Tourism Authority's (BTA) drawing board..."

Read entire NationNews.com article here.

Where To Find A Taxi In Holetown

2008-08-05T17:06:00.002-04:00

All you need to know about finding a taxi in Holetown but was afraid to ask.

Click here for our recommendations.

No Mention Of Pierhead Project In Budget

2008-08-04T16:34:00.000-04:00

It is significant that there was no mention of the Pierhead project in last month's presentation of the Budget by the new Prime Minister. Consequently, it is left to us bloggers and other onlookers to speculate as to what might be going down (or going up for that matter). What the Prime Minister did say was that he was talking to deep-pocketed players who want to build islands and marinas off Barbados. Could it also mean that the long awaited Pierhead project is now being merged into this new thinking? If so, are we going to have to wait another dozen or so years for this project to get off the ground or come out of the water? So far only Starwood Hotels has committed to managing a luxury hotel to anchor the project but they are already busily getting into management contracts for their long list of luxury brands elsewhere in the Caribbean, so they are losing nothing the longer the process in Barbados is drawn out. Ultimately, it is the people of Barbados themselves who will miss the boat if they don't "head for the pier" in time.

Barbados TravelAdvisor's 2 Thumbs Up For Mamma Mia

2008-08-02T21:01:00.002-04:00

As summer 2008 begins to wind its way down some will remember it for the music of a generation ago brought back to life on the silver screen in the film Mama Mia.

Click here to join our forum in the discussion.