Preview of the Baha Mar Resort in the Bahamas

Slated to arise nearly in the shadow of Atlantis on the Bahamas' Paradise Island -- and about the only project big enough to overshadow the Atlantis mega-resort -- the new, $2-billion Baha Mar project will be partly owned by Harrah's Entertainment and managed by Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, project officials have announced.

The huge new destination resort will arise on 1,000 acres on New Providence Island's fabled but somewhat faded Cable Beach area. The project -- billed as the largest destination resort in the Caribbean -- will include a series of Starwood branded hotels, including a W, St. Regis, Westin, and Sheraton.

Harrah's will run gambling operations at the resort, including at a planned Caesar's Resort Hotel at Baha Mar that will have 1,000 guest rooms and a 100,000-square-foot casino.

Grandiose plans for Baha Mar feature:

• hotels with a mix of Colonial, European and African architecture and a total of 3,000 hotel rooms
• an expansive "water boulevard"
• a 50-foot circular waterfall
• at least two spas
• an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus championship golf course
• 200,000 square feet of meeting space
• 3,000 feet of beachfront
• chef-branded restaurants
• a retail village
• entertainment venues

Hotels will include a W Baha Mar, St. Regis Baha Mar, Westin Baha Mar, and the Sheraton Cable Beach Resort. The latter will open first, in 2007, after the renovation and renaming of the current Radisson Cable Beach & Golf Resort. The entire project is scheduled for completion in 2011.