New Mandarin Oriental Resort Coming to St. Kitts

If the Marriott has helped put St. Kitts on the radar for U.S. tourists, the Mandarin Oriental St. Kitts should ensure that it stays there. When it opens in 2010, the Mandarin promises to be the island's most luxurious resort, and one of its most private, as well.

The resort will be located on 50 acres facing Majors Bay, located on the island's currently undeveloped southeast peninsula. The resort will be a centerpiece of the 2,400-acre Christophe Harbour project, which will include a marina village, restaurants, shops, and an 18-hole Tom Fazio-designed championship golf course built on a site with frontage on both the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

The 125-room Mandarin resort will include a 4,800-square-foot beachfront Presidential Suite, 20 private residences, five restaurants and bars, a ballroom and three meeting rooms, and a 15,000-square-foot spa -- all in a natural setting near St. Kitts' rainforest and Mount Liamuiga. You can learn more in my St. Kitts Island Guide, and if you can't wait until 2009 to visit, check out my review of the St. Kitts Marriott -- another great island resort.