I flew out to St Kitts last Saturday with a group of PRs, journalists and publishers for a press tour of Christophe Harbour… a proposed luxury real estate opportunity set on a pristine 2,500 acres of beautiful Caribbean island.
As a South African, and one used to big landscapes and wide open spaces, my initial reaction was to balk in horror that almost a third of this little jewel was to be dug up and built upon. Is no place on this planet sacred ? And as I did some more research of Basseterre (the capital) and surrounds, flipping through tourism brochures and looking at the various travel websites of the island, the likes of the enormous Marriott hotel jumped out and my heart sank further. “TELL ME I didn’t see TWO casinos,” I pleaded with the critic on my shoulder, who had already passed out cold and slid down my arm.
Well I can say now it’s a very good thing I went out there to see it all first hand. Sometimes we all need a little saving from ourselves. And I think St Kitts is no different. The island could so easily go the way of others in the Caribbean. For who hasn’t seen massive resort hotels dominating what used to be paradise beaches, whilst hulking great cruise ships block ports and seascapes, offloading thousands of insatiable shoppers who swarm through these small harbours like ravenous Pacmen.
But not this future for St Kitts if the guys at Christophe Harbour have anything to say about it. All of the south-eastern point of the island will be taken up by the development and it’s all 100% class. Instead of tacky hotels and ugly housing estates, Fazio Golf Course Designers Inc will shortly get stuck into building one of the most picturesque championship courses in the world. And a planned mega-yacht harbour and marina will also aim to steal the limelight and possibly a lot of the attention away from Antigua too. I want to tell all about the sensational villas, five-star hotels, spas, shopping and the Beach Club next…. but it’ll have to wait till my next blog.
