caribbean vacation

Four Seasons Nevis Called a National Emergency

Before and after images of Four Seasons Nevis. The image on the right was taken shortly after Hurricane Omar hit the island of Nevis in 2008.

The closure of the Four Seasons Nevis and the involuntary chapter 11 bankruptcy filed against it has been declared a "national emergency" by the government of the island of Nevis. The image on the right shows the devastation the hurricane wreaked on a beach at the resort.

Once considered one of the best hotels in the entire Caribbean, the Four Seasons Nevis was severely damaged by Hurricane Omar in October 2008 and has been closed ever since. The Four Seasons offered 196 spacious, luxurious guest rooms and suites in 12 two-story guest buildings just steps from the beach and exclusive two- to six- bedroom residence villas. The privately-owned self-sufficient estate home accommodations as well as a 18-hole golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones II, were not damaged by the hurricane and are fully operational.

This week, the Sovereign Government of the Island Nation of Nevis filed a motion asking the Delaware bankruptcy court to abstain from hearing the bankruptcy case filed against the hotel's owner, Hotel Equity Fund V, LLC. The Nevis government believes the resort's continuing closure, and the potential impediment to the resort's reopening resulting from the bankruptcy filing, constitutes a "national emergency" for the island, as the Four Seasons resort is the island's largest employer.

Gallery: Four Seasons Nevis

A view of the swimming pool at the Four Seasons Nevis

Tags: bankruptcies, bankruptcy, bankruptcy court, BankruptcyCourt, Caribbean, caribbean destinations, caribbean vacation, CaribbeanBeaches, CaribbeanTravel, Four Seasons, Four Seasons Nevis, Nevis

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Cunard Wins Readers' Choice Award for Best Caribbean Cruise Line

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

Arguably the grandest, most magnificent ocean liner ever built, Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2 is the winner of the Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Award for Best Caribbean Cruise. Queen Mary 2 is the flagship of Cunard, whose history dates back to 1839 when Her Majesty Queen Victoria awarded Sir Samuel Cunard of Halifax, Nova Scotia, the first ever license to deliver mail across the Atlantic Ocean.

While she is described as "timeless elegance", Queen Mary 2, which debuted in 2004, offers the latest luxury amenities, from the pampering services of the first Canyon Ranch SpaClub® at sea to a pool with a retractable roof, allowing it to be enjoyed in inclement weather. Queen Mary 2 also offers an award-winning intellectual and entertainment enrichment program led by prestigious experts in a variety of fields, including literature, the arts, politics, the sciences, culture, maritime history and academia.

The ship, which cost an estimated $800 million to build, is 1,132 feet long--113 feet longer than her predecessor Queen Mary, with space for 2,592 guests in lower berths and 3,056 total guest capacity, when including third and fourth berths. Her crew numbers 1,253.

Tags: awards-main, canyon ranch, canyon ranch spa, CanyonRanch, CanyonRanchSpa, Caribbean cruises, caribbean vacation, CaribbeanCruises, CaribbeanTravel, CaribbeanVacation, cunard, luxist-awards, queen elizabeth 2, Queen Mary 2, QueenElizabeth2, QueenMary2, transatlantic, winners-winter-travel, wintertravel-awards, wintertravel-main

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Sun Village Resort and Spa

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Sun Village-Cofresi, a Canadian-owned resort in the Dominican Republic has created a new spa with indoor-outdoor treatment rooms, tropical gardens, and a spa-only pool and sundeck. There are also 25 Oasis Spa rooms that offer private Jacuzzis and views into the Spa gardens, pool or ocean. The spa offers the usual collection of massages, wraps, scrubs, facials and hand and foot treatments. Their Island of the Sun Package includes a caviar facial, body scrub, wrap, body massage including a lavender scalp massage, pedicure, manicure and a spa lunch. The total pampering experience takes over four hours and costs $299. The resort offers multi-bedroom villas, standard hotel rooms and they recently opened special Oasis spa suites which include a private Jacuzzis and a more tranquil location near the spa pool and gardens.