St Lucia – New facilities to support high end lifestyle
St Lucia, part of the Windwards Islands chain in the West Indies is luring would-be second home owners with plans for a new airport terminal and upscale facilities such as a new casino (the first for the island), a multi-million pound shopping mall and super-yacht marina. The Minister of Tourism Allen Chastanet reveals that the quality of life is changing in St Lucia and services are developing to support a higher end lifestyle for property owners and discerning travelers. The news has been welcomed by luxury developments such as The Landings, an exclusive development of private residences based close to the new amenities.
Chastanet says: “The property market has weathered the recession well. Our real estate prices did not boom so consequently did not crash like other destinations. People have bought property to use for lifestyle reasons rather than for speculation.”
Chastanet continues “We are redefining St Lucia’s image as ‘barefoot luxury’. The Landings was a turning point in the island’s development and took it to another level. St Lucia previously was not known as a high end destination, but we now have several new upscale resorts such as Cap Maison, and Jade Mountain amongst others. We are now developing better facilities to support this clientele.”
Oliver Gobat, who was born on the island and is Sales Director at The Landings says: “St Lucia has changed so much over the last few years. Now the island is attracting the more sophisticated traveler it’s good to see the infrastructure and facilities keeping a pace. Not only that but we also have several new world class restaurants such as The Cliff at Cap that are getting great independent reviews .”
St Lucia has always been a popular sailing destination with many boats starting there and heading to the Grenadines. Now with the opening of new super yacht facilities at Rodney Bay Marina the island is seeing more and more celebrities dropping in on their mega yachts. Recent spots have included Bono, Tiger Woods, Roman Abramavich and Oprah. The new facilities can now take yachts on 32 dedicated berths up to 250 ft. in length. Already, the marina has received rave reviews from participants in the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC) who made the facility their temporary home after their race across the Atlantic.
Arriving at St. Lucia will also become more of a pleasure as the Government has announced plans recently to construct a new terminal with all modern amenities at the Hewanorra International Airport in Vieux-Fort. Prime Minister King says the development of a new terminal at Hewanorra, is designed to accommodate increased airlift, (which is scheduled to triple in the summer of 2010), and to bring the airport up to speed with international trends and standards.” Work started on the new terminal in January 2010 and it will take two years to complete.
The Baywalk Shopping Mall in Rodney Bay is another development in the north of the island that is close to completion. There will be two floors of retail shops including some of the world’s best brands and St. Lucia's first casino which is opening in July 2010.
The Landings is situated 5 minutes drive from Rodney Bay marina, shopping mall and casino, and has a private yacht harbour where owners can berth their own boats. The resort has just launched a new phase of beachfront apartments for sale offering a choice of two bedroom (1850 sq. ft), three bedroom 2638 sq. ft, three bedroom grand residences (3390 sq. f), and four bedroom duplex’s (3700 sq. ft) with private pool.
Each property features a fully equipped high-end kitchen with premium-brand appliances, a spacious living room, dining room, cloakroom, bedrooms with en suite bathrooms and four poster beds, two balconies or a landscaped terrace. All ground floor and top floor apartments have outdoor heated, jetted plunge pools, where owners can sit with a drink and admire the view. The properties are finished in high quality materials such as stainless steel, exotic wood, imported tiles and stone.
In addition to the harbour, the extensive amenities on site include a beachfront club lounge and restaurant with beautiful views over the bay plus a fine dining restaurant overlooking the marina - ‘The Palms’, several pools, tennis courts, concierge services and shops. There is also a full service hair salon and a state-of-the-art fitness club and spa. The Landings provide watersports facilities including sail boats, wind surfers, kayaks and snorkeling equipment for use, whilst the beach staff ensure that guests are regularly serviced with drinks, cooling water spritz and fresh towels.
Owners at The Landings also have membership at the St. Lucia Golf and Country Club, which is a three minute drive from the resort.
Properties at The Landings start at $550,000 for a one bedroom residence and the new beachfront residences range in price from $1.8 million (£1.18M) to $3.5 million (£2.24M).
