Jamaica

Maroon 5 Headlines Jamaica's Jazz & Blues Festival

Filed under: Events

I'm not quite sure that Maroon 5 qualifies as jazz or blues but those traveling to the Jamaica Jazz & Blues Festival (January 23 - 29, 2011) to catch the band in action probably don't care a bit. The Grammy-award-winners are just part of the annual event that gives music lovers a good reason to enjoy the warm weather and hospitality of the island. The festival's promoters told them a local Jamaican newspaper that they are hoping the band will help lure a new (and younger audience) to the popular annual festival.

The popular event will be held at the Trelawny Multi-Purpose Stadium, located just east of the island's tourist capital, Montego Bay. other confirmed acts include: Air Supply, Laura Izubor, Regina Belle, SWV, Ron Isley, Alison Hinds, Brenda Russell, Phil Perry and Diana King. The full schedule is available at the festival website and tickets start at $80.

Tags: blues festival, jamaica, jamaican jazz and blues festival, maroon 5

The Best of the British West Indies

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Books

From Antigua, Jamaica, Nevis, Barbados, St. Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Kitts and Mustique to the less-traveled islands of Bequia and Dominica, a beautiful new book by Michael Connors captures the best of British West Indies Style. Many of the English island great houses showcased in the volume are hidden to most visitors. Close to fifty private residences are featured in over 200 full-color photographs taken especially for the book, such as the entrancing view of an estate on Nevis (above). The English country house meets the southern plantation in design details such as mahogany writing tables, tropical wood settees, linens and terraced gardens, offering inspiration for the use of local materials, painting techniques, and elements of outdoor living. Connors also includes entertaining historical vignettes putting the beautiful residences in context.

Tags: Barbados, books, British West Indies, coffee table books, decor, estates, furniture, island, islands, Jamaica, mahogany, Mustique, Nevis, UK, West Indies

The Classicist: Win a Private Tour of Ralph Lauren's Car Collection & More

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions, Events, Charity, Sports, Big Givers, Men's Style, The Classicist, Luxury Shopping

From now through Oct. 21, Ralph Lauren is auctioning off a number of extraordinary items and experiences to mark the 10th anniversary of Pink Pony, the designer's global initiative to raise awareness and funds in support of the fight against cancer. The online auction, the first of its kind for the Pink Pony cause, is being produced in partnership with luxury charity auction site charitybuzz. Highlights of the incredible event include several once-in-a-lifetime forays into the private world of the famed fashion designer and his luxury empire, including classic cars, polo, chauffeured Bentleys, sexy models and shopping sprees. You check out full details and register to place bids at www.charitybuzz.com/RalphLauren; meanwhile, here are The Classicist's top picks:

1. A private tour of Lauren's incredible car collection, estimated at $150,000: You and a friend will be shown the cars, including the ultra-rare 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic (above), worth an estimated $40 million, a $28 million Ferrari 250 GTO, Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing, McLaren F1LM and more, by Lauren himself at his lavish estate in Bedford, New York. You'll also get a ride in one of these world-class driving machines and take home a signed copy of Speed, Style, and Beauty: Cars from the Ralph Lauren Collection.

2. A weekend at Lauren's private Round Hill Villa in Jamaica, estimated at $150,000: A priceless opportunity to spend four days and three nights for you and up to three guests at the designer's personal Jamaican paradise. The fully staffed villa, which sits on a magnificent, picturesque cliff over the crystal blue Caribbean Sea, has been featured on the covers of House & Garden and Architectural Digest. Enjoy a swim in the villa's infinity pool and private beach access, as well as complimentary tennis lessons and a yoga session.

3. Play polo with Nacho Figueras and stay at The Breakers in Palm Beach, estimated at $15,000: Take a lesson from Nacho Figueras, world class polo player and Ralph Lauren model. You and a guest will refuel afterward during lunch with Nacho, and you'll also spend three nights at the exclusive Breakers hotel in Palm Beach, including a spa treatment for two at the Breakers Spa; a round of golf for two; a $1,000 private shopping experience at the Ralph Lauren store at the Breakers; and VIP access to the U.S. Open at the International Polo Club.

4. Front row seats to the Ralph Lauren fashion show and an outfit from the runway, estimated at $25,000: Bring along a friend when you meet the designer and sit in the elite front row at his Fall 2011 Fashion Show in New York. Then, select your favorite look from the runway to add to your own personal collection. Enjoy two nights at a penthouse suite at The Setai Fifth Avenue hotel, including breakfast for two and one signature spa treatments. [continued]

Gallery: Ralph Lauren Pink Pony Auction

Tags: ad campaign, auction, Bedford, Bentley, bespoke, Boris Becker, Bugatti, car collection, Caribbean, Carlyle Hotel, charity, charitybuzz, classic cars, designer, fashion show, Ferrari, Ferrari 250 GTO, Jamaica, London, mens style, Mercedes-Benz, Nacho Figueras, Palm Beach, Paris, Pink Pony, polo, Ralph Lauren, Rhinelander Mansion, Setai, tennis, The Breakers, The Savoy, villa, Wimbledon

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Jamaica Inn's Couples Getaway

by Bobbie Leigh (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

When a weekend doesn't do it and you're still bushed on Monday morning, it's time to take off. So, why not consider the Jamaica Inn in Ocho Rios for an awesome couples getaway. The Inn now has an eight-day, seven-night "romance" package for $4,198 per couple that promises privacy, pampering, and posh surroundings. This 47-room boutique hotel overlooks a private cove with a post-card perfect sandy beach. Book a veranda suite and you might never leave your room. To maintain privacy to the max, request daily breakfasts and candlelit dinners served on your veranda --- all included in the week's package along with free airport transfers, the requisite champagne on arrival, and a couples massage at sunset. Available anytime from now through December 14 with the exception of Thanksgiving. Details at www.jamaicainn.com; reservations@jamaicainn.com.

Tags: CouplesRetreat, hotel deals, Jamaica, jamaica inn, romantic Caribbean resort, spa holiday

The Classicist: Plantation Rum Collection, Finished in Cognac Casks

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits, The Classicist

Last summer we told you about Citadelle, the delicious gin inspired by a recipe created in the 18^thcentury in the French seaport of Dunkirk, made by Cognac Pierre Ferrand during the downtime between brandy distilling seasons. Now Ferrand has embarked on another exclusive new spirits venture: the Plantation Rum Collection. These spectacular artisanal spirits come from Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama and Trinidad, hand-selected by Ferrand's owner Alexandre Gabriel. Each rum in the Plantation collection is made according to its country's traditions and expresses the characteristics and flavor of its country of origin. While the rums are created in rum distilleries in the traditional fashion and aged in barrels in the tropical sun, they then undergo a unique finishing process not used by any other rum producer in the industry.

At just the right moment they're brought to the historic Ferrand estate in France and then refined for several more months in small French oak Ferrand cognac barrels. "Our love affair with true rum began when we sold the prized casks that once held our Cognac to better rum producers, and we fell in love with their product," Gabriel notes. "Ninety-nine percent of rums are aged in barrels that once held bourbon. We found that adding an aging process in a French oak cask that once held Cognac adds extra complexity to the rum. This is a practice that was done more commonly in the past but has almost disappeared now. We thought who better than Ferrand, with our knowhow and exceptional casks, to resurrect this ancient technique."

Gallery: Plantation Rum

Tags: Barbados, Caribbean, cognac, France, Jamaica, Pierre Ferrand, Pierre Ferrand cognac, PierreFerrand, PierreFerrandCognac, rum

Continue reading “The Classicist: Plantation Rum Collection, Finished in Cognac Casks”

Evolving Definitons of Luxury: The Tryall Club, Jamaica

by Susan Kime (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Luxury Travel & Hotels, By Design

Because of the ongoing severity of the economy, the definitions and presentations of luxury appear to be evolving. What is emerging, due to the shock and awe of this recession-roller-coaster ride, is the shift in luxury awareness from mirror to window, or, from narcissism of self, involving conspicuous consumption, to window: looking from conspicuous to conscious consumption, infused with a strong measure of social awareness. Looking out the window garners new vistas, and as it does, garners divergent root systems in the meaning and awareness of the luxury experience.

A new example of this evolving definition are the new ideas put into place at the Tryall Club – a bastion of family tradition and colorful history near Montego Bay, Jamaica.

It is, and has been for the past ½ century an enclave of understated elegance, with an exceptional social history and multilayered cultural tradition. Originally a 2300 acre sugar plantation, it was transformed in the 1950s into an elite club of private oceanfront, ocean view and golf course villas. Bing Crosby ( who bought four plots of land in one morning), and friends visited there, Noel Coward, Princess Margaret, Winston Churchill all were there. It defined and still does, some of the best that money buys in terms of time, space, location and design aesthetic.

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Tags: Jamaica, luxury private clubs, philanthropic goals, private clubs, private villas, PrivateVillas, redefining luxury, Tryall Club

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Caribbean Houses: History, Style & Architecture

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Decor, Estates, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Books

West Indian decorative arts scholar Michael Connors presents a lavishly illustrated and comprehensive history of architecturally significant dwellings and estates in the West Indies in his beautiful new book Caribbean Houses from Rizzoli. The book is divided into five chapters, one for each European heritage that brought their own influences and designs to the region: the Spanish, Dutch, English, French, and Danish. In addition to the gorgeous photographs done exclusively for the book, Connors discourses on the area's rich architecture and interior design history, and gives the reader a "unique view of houses that combine the tradition of European styles with the vernacular island forms and decorative motifs." The featured islands include: The Spanish Antilles – Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic; The Dutch Leewards – Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao; The English Islands – Barbados, Turks & Caicos, Jamaica, St. Lucia, and St. Kitts; The French Lesser Antilles – Martinique; and The U.S. Virgin Islands (formerly Danish) – St. Thomas and St. Croix.

Tags: architecture, Aruba, Barbados, Caribbean, Cuba, dominican republic, DominicanRepublic, interior design, InteriorDesign, islands, Jamaica, Michael Connors, MichaelConnors, Rizzoli, tropics, U.S. Virgin Islands, U.s.VirginIslands, West Indies, WestIndies

The Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort, Rose Hall, Jamaica

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels

When you arrive at Rose Hall's Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort in Jamaica, welcome cocktails are served in carved-out pineapples and an assortment of local juices like june plum, sour sop and tamarind can be delivered to your room. The colors and decor are vibrant and reflect the local culture. The cuisine is peppered with Jamaican specialties like callaloo, jerk-everything (they have a whole Jerk Center on the beach, which is not entirely unhilarious) and to-die-for sugared and pan-fried dough.

From the Ritz-Carlton in Rose Hall, you can take an easy shuttle bus to The Shoppes at Rose Hall, where you can buy all the local jewelry and touristy t-shirts and dresses your heart desires at very low prices -- or to their White Witch golf course and club -- a beautiful plantation-style venue for all kinds of parties. The "White Witch" is named for none other than Annie Palmer, the legendary Parisian plantation owner who offed a slew of husbands and lovers and apparently still haunts the island. In fact, a fellow guest of the RC reported some very strange incidents in her room while she was reading about her! You can get more information about Annie Palmer here -- or just ask me, Annie Scott; every person on the island who learned my name told me another story about her.

Rose Hall is no longer run by Annie Palmer, but rather owned by Michele Rollins, a former Miss USA whose late husband fell in love with Jamaica and created tens of thousands -- perhaps hundreds of thousands -- of jobs by developing the Rose Hall settlement. Mrs. Rollins is a well-spoken, devoted philanthropist who humbly credits her husband with the island's success. "If you can't have vision," she says, "the next best thing is to marry vision. If you could learn vision, we'd all be in Vision 101." Rollins is committed to making Rose Hall into what her husband had imagined.

Rose Hall now includes a number of hotels and golf courses, including a Hilton, and Rollins works with the various organizations who settle there to support the local community. Several companies there own and run homes in the local S.O.S. village for orphans, including the Ritz-Carlton.

The hotel was not without its hiccups -- in the days that I was there, the hot tub wasn't at all hot and one of my closets was damp (the other was fine), but those little things don't come close to overshadowing the beauty of the resort, complete with that sparkling turquoise Caribbean Sea (P.S. complimentary windsurfing) and the genuine warmth of the Jamaican people. As always, the Ritz-Carlton staff was respectful and polite, helpful and friendly, and everyone from families to couples, even to larger groups coexisted in harmony.

With no further ado, here are some photos of the luscious property nestled on the north shore of Jamaica in the center of Rose Hall. Click here to visit the website and book a trip.

Gallery: The Ritz-Carlton Spa & Golf Resort, Rose Hall, Jamaica

For more photos and to read about hosting corporate meetings and events at Ritz-Carlton, click here for my article on Gadling.com.

Tags: annie palmer, AnniePalmer, jamaica, michele rollins, MicheleRollins, ritz-carlton, rose hall

The World's Most Expensive Rum

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Spirits

Usually when we are talking about the world's most expensive spirits we are either dealing with some form of wine or with whisky but what about the humble bottle of rum? The bottle shown here, bottled in the 1940s by the Jamaican distillers Wray and Nephew, and containing blends that date back as far as around 1915 has the honor of being what is believed to be the world's most expensive bottle of rum. The bottle which is being displayed at Europe's first rum festival, RumFest, is valued at £26,000. The bottle, which is one of four unopened bottles of the stuff in the world, represents the lost tradition of the Wray and Nephew Rum. The popularity of the Mai Tai cocktail drained their rum supplies in the 1930s. In order to keep up with demand, the distillery changed their production methods. The bottle therefore represents the chance to the Mai Tai as it was originally conceived. That is, if anyone ever opens the bottle.

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Tags: alcohol, jamaica, mai tai, rum, rumfest, spirits

Zion Truffle Collection

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Who knew that you could "experience Rastafarian culture" through chocolates? The Zion Truffle Collection from Vosages is an exquisite collection that showcases some of the flavors of Jamaica with five unique flavor blends, shown above from left to right:

I-tal - Blue Mountain coffee, organic fresh coconut and dark chocolate
Selassie - pumpkin puree, Jamaican pepper, dark chocolate and organic roasted pumpkin seeds
Rasta - Appleton Estate rum, fresh ginger, white chocolate, organic hibiscus and sorrel flowers
Kaya - hemp seed nuts and milk chocolate
Zion - Red Stripe beer, dark chocolate and cocoa nibs

Because the truffles are made with fresh ingredients, including fresh cream, they only have a shelf-life of ten days, which should be more than enough time to polish off all 16 of the pieces that come in this collection. Price: $41.

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Tags: bob marley, chocolate, chocolates, coffee, collection, dark chocolate, hemp, jamaica, pumpkin, rastafarian, truffles, vosages, zion

The Palmyra, Jamaica's Latest Co-tel

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Luxury Travel & Hotels

In the market for a beachfront co-tel?The Palmyra Resort & Spa at Rose Hall, a new luxury condo hotel in Jamaica will be holding a launch event weekend May 5-7 at the Ritz-Carlton Golf & Spa Resort at Rose Hall near Montego Bay. The private event will offer buyers pre-construction pricing and incentives such as a one-week stay at The Palmyra's sister resort in Tuscany, Italy. They are expecting 500 buyers to attend in hopes of selling out of Phase I of the luxury condo hotel. Pre-construction pricing ranges from the $400,000s to $5 million and there are both condo units and villas available. The co-tel is located on 16 acres of waterfront land in Montego Bay. Like other co-tels the Palmyra will allow owners to place their condos in a rental program.

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Tags: co-tel, condo hotel, condominium, jamaica, montego bay, palmyra

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