The 5,120 square-foot Presidential Villa. Photo by Tadeu Brunelli
BLANC AND BLUE Ethereal environs await at the Park Hyatt St. Kitts Written by Bridget Williams Rush Slowly is the name of a boat moored just off of Reggae Beach near the Park Hyatt St. Kitts. This oxymoron is an accurate description of the pace of life on the island, which boasts one of the longest recorded histories in the Caribbean. Even though this molasses clip can sometimes be maddening, turning down the dial can allow for things to unfold the right way - as evidenced by this thoughtful development in Christophe Harbour. It had been nearly five years since my last visit to Christophe Harbour for the grand opening celebration for a mega-yacht harbor. Located on St. Kitts’ southeast peninsula, the 2,500-acre master-planned residential community, developed by Kiawah Island developer Buddy Darby, boasts six of the 11 main beaches on the island. Back in 2014, there were plans for a golf course (still in the works), as well as a luxury hotel, which came to fruition two years later than originally scheduled when the Park Hyatt St. Kitts opened in early 2018. We opted to disembark at Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport using the services of the KanyanJet luxury lounge. An attendant was waiting for us as soon as we deplaned, and whisked
us away to the lounge in an air-conditioned SUV. We enjoyed a glass of champagne and canapes as our passports were processed (similar services are available on the return trip as well). En route to the resort, I was delighted to see that the landscape of St. Kitts—marked by a dragon’s tail of verdant, jagged peaks that give way to beaches bordered on one side by the cerulean Caribbean Sea and the more agitated Atlantic Ocean on the other— remained just as it had been etched in my memory. The Park Hyatt St. Kitts lays claim to 20 enviable oceanfront acres and is separated from neighboring Nevis by a straight dubbed The Narrows. Following the appetizer offered by the jaw-dropping views on the thirty-minute shuttle ride from the airport, we were fully prepped for the main course, dramatically delivered by the resort’s “welcome walk.” Beginning at the porte-cochere, a thoughtfully designed covered walkway appeared to float in the middle of a koi pond. As my eye was drawn outward to the ocean view, there was an immediate feeling of excitement and anticipation. My shoulders loosened, and I swore I could hear the ocean breezes whispering that I should adjust my watch to island time.
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