Rosewood & Six Mens Marina Still On Stream

"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

Recent News

- Barbados Tourism Investment to own 82 acres at Harrisons Point.

- Construction likely to start August/September this year.

- Ground breaking by yearend.

Problems With Rosewood

The ultra-luxury Rosewood hotel brand tapped to manage the resort expected to be built at Harrison?s Point has lost yet another important management contract of a beachfront property. Five years after its contract to manage the Carenage Bay Club on nearby Canouan in the Grenadines had to be terminated it has been announced that the year and a half old Acqualina Resort which recently made the Conde Nast Hot List and located in Sunny Isles, Florida just north of the hip South Beach area will also be hauling down the Rosewood flag at the end of the month. Luxury brand Raffles now runs the Canouan resort but interestingly Acqualina is saying that it is leaving Rosewood to create its own brand. This latter intension, however, cannot hide the obvious dissatisfaction with Rosewood so soon after the resort's opening barely over a year ago. Whatever the problems with Rosewood are, developers at Harrison?s Point and the Bajan public which was invited recently to comment on the plans for the area should pay attention to this latest development.

Still Coming

http://www.cbc.bb/content/view/12486/10/

"Harrison Point to be a luxury resort
Friday, 07 September 2007

A dramatic change of status is on the cards for Harrison Point in St. Lucy. Mike Goddard reports that the site of the temporary prison is to be transformed into a place of luxury. It will be constructed on 83 acres of land, and will comprise a hotel, residential villas, restaurants, pools and a spa, among other things. The Harrison Point Resort development is a joint private and public sector project by the Barbados Tourism Investment Incorporated and Fairways Development Limited. The details are all spelt out in an environmental impact assessment which is now available for public viewing. According to the document, there will be an 80 to 120 room hotel and about 350 residential units plus tennis clubs, jogging track, hiking trails and beach facilities. The residences will be made up of 140 - cliff top units, along with 15 to 20 on the beach, 35 - on the bluff and between 100 and 150 condominiums.

The developers will also be transforming one kilometer of coast line by constructing and relocating two groynes and by creating an offshore island. Harrison Point lighthouse is also to be retained and will be incorporated into a historic centre and park.The Harrison Point Resort development is to be discussed during a town hall meeting at North Stars Cultural and Social Club on Wednesday September 26 at 7.30 p.m..Copies of the environmental impact assessment are presently available for public viewing at the Town Planning Department, the Garrison, at North Stars Club at Crab Hill and Golden Crust Bakery at Maycocks in St. Lucy.The developers say the multi million dollar Harrison Point Resort development will create a unique high quality environment which will benefit visitors, residents and the Barbadian public.It will also improve and revitalise an area of coastline that has not been formally accessible to the public for between 40 and 50 years. This project has been on the cards since 2004 but was put on hold when the fire at Glendairy prisons forced the relocation of prisoners to the site of the old American navy base at Harrison Point."

Can Rosewood Wait?

Word is that the earliest the temporary prison will be vacating the site on which this resort is to be built will be June of next year, 2007. The Nation reported that - "THE NEW PRISON under construction at Dodds, St Philip, will not be ready ahead of Cricket World Cup 2007 as originally planned by contractors and Government. Consequently, prisoners will have to remain in the less-than-ideal temporary prison at Harrison Point, St Lucy, where larger-than-normal cells accommodate dozens in a dormitory-like setting until at least June 2007." The upshot of this development is that it pushes back the start of construction on this project. Of course, that's if the funding for it is already in place; and that's a big "if." It is doubtful whether in the very competitive market to attract and keep high-end luxury brands in a hurry to expand that one like Rosewood can sit around and wait on small island-states to get their act together. Rosewood recently pulled out of a project in St. Lucia in a much more desirable location than Harrison's for similar reasons.

www.mullinsbay.com

Harrisons Point Project Outline

Harrisons Point
Harrisons Point, St. Lucy (82 acres)
Hotel - Rosewood 200 rooms
Villas - 75
Condos - 160
Townhouses - 100
Developers - Harrison Resort (Barbados) Limited
Date - 2009
Price Tag - US $100 Million
Status - Pending move of temporary prison occupying site.

www.mullinsbay.com