The pool and lounge area will have an ocean view

Currently known as the Jalousie Plantation, the resort is undergoing a US$100 million redevelopment and will open in December 2011. The resort achieved first place at the 2010 Condé Nast Traveller Awards (UK) for ‘Favourite Overseas Americas and Caribbean Hotel’ and 25th overall for the top 100 Favourite Places/Hotels.

Once complete, Sugar Beach will comprise 64 luxury villas (which form 112 hotel rooms) and 42 residences. There will also be two white sand beaches, three new restaurants, four bars, a scuba centre, and a unique rainforest walkway and spa.

Due to the fragile nature of the rain forest location, every aspect of the development has taken the environment into consideration, with sustainability and conservation as fundamental criteria in development decisions.

Development plan

The developer and hotel managers have forged close relationships with officials and agencies concerned with the Pitons Management Area, and they continue an open dialogue about the issues and concerns affecting the integrity of the World Heritage Site, and to safeguard its status.

Located on the site of an original eighteenth century sugar mill estate, the development of Sugar Beach brings new life and prosperity to this part of the island. The remains of some of the original structures and machinery have been incorporated into the development plan and can still be seen on the grounds today.

Purchasers have a choice of between two and six bedroom properties with prices ranging from US$2.4 million to US$9 million. Those seeking the ultimate in luxury can choose Glenconner Beach: five beachfront residences, each with its own oversized swimming pool set in a private garden which opens out on to a secluded white sand shore. The owners of these properties will be able to work with architect Lane Pettigrew to create bespoke interior layouts. Prices range from US$7million to US$9million.

Luxurious interior design

Every residence will have its own private swimming pool with a natural stone deck and some will be combined with whitewashed greenheart timber deck, depending on the setting. The living and dining areas will open out onto spacious terraces, and some of the bedrooms will have private balconies.

The bathrooms have a six foot cast-iron clawfoot bathtub, a separate shower and classic American-style fixtures with brushed nickel fittings.

A base kitchen specification will be provided and will include quality branded appliances. Kitchens can be tailored to meet individual requirements. Each property includes ducted air conditioning in every room, satellite or cable television connection and wireless Internet.

Ownership and funding

Jalousie (1996) Limited has owned the property for the last 14 years. In 2008, Roger Myers, already a shareholder, bought the remaining shares with a view to transform the hotel into one of the best resort developments in the world.

Roger has over 35 years experience in the leisure industry covering restaurants, pubs, health spas and hotels. He was a founder and Chairman of the Pelican Group, which developed a successful chain of restaurants in the UK. After the sale of the group to Whitbread he became a founder and development director of Punch Taverns plc.

The world’s leading honeymoon destination

St Lucia received a major endorsement from leaders in the international property industry when The Residences at Sugar Beach was named Best International Property at the International Property Awards in London.

Sugar Beach is located on the site of an original eighteenth century sugar mill estate

The awards, sponsored by Bloomberg Television in association The New York Times, International Herald Tribune and Kholer, celebrate the highest levels of achievement by residential and commercial companies operating in all sectors of the property industry worldwide.

After winning the ‘Best Property’ category in the Caribbean region, the Residences at Sugar Beach went on to represent the Americas region earning the Awards’ highest accolade, ‘Best International Property’, against all other regional winners from around the world.

The awards are seen not only as a huge boon for Sugar Beach, but as a triumph for St Lucia which was voted the ‘World’s Leading Honeymoon Destination’ for the fifth consecutive year at the recent World Travel Awards, and thus cementing the island as one of the top destinations in the world for second home owners.

Lisa Basire, marketing director of ‘The Residences’ at Sugar Beach, said: “We are delighted that The International Property Awards has acknowledged Sugar Beach as one of the finest luxury developments in the Caribbean and indeed, the world. Our success is due in a large part to our relentless focus on achieving excellence in all aspects of our business – both the exceptional quality of the product and the highly supportive way in which we work with our clients. There is always a market for the highest quality properties.”

For more information on ‘The Residences’ at Sugar Beach in St Lucia visit: www.residencessugarbeach.com

New ski apartments for sale in a residence de tourisme described by developer MGM as ‘state-of-the-art in terms of sustainability and fuel economy’ are to be built at Flaine in Haute-Savoie region of the French Alps.

MGM, which has signed-up to the principles of HQE (Haute Qualité Environmental) – the international construction industry’s high environmental quality standard which aims to integrate the principles of sustainable development defined at the 1992 Earth Summit – sees its latest new development at Flaine as the next significant step in its commitment to reduce energy consumption.

“This development is tipped to become a showcase of eco-friendly development and it will set the pace for future new developments by MGM,” says the company’s London-based sales consultant Richard Deans.

Le Centaure was designed by one of France’s leading architects, Christian Hauvette of Paris

Le Centaure will comprise 66 apartments ranging in size from 27 square metre studios to 75 square metre three-bedroom duplexes. They include apartments specially adapted for use by disabled occupiers. Features of these apartments include larger floor areas in all rooms, especially the bathrooms and toilets which will have hand rails to assist.

The Residence will incorporate an indoor swimming pool with floor-to-ceiling glazing to give dramatic views of a nearby mountain waterfall, as well as a sauna, Jacuzzi, steam and fitness rooms. A spa and beauty centre will have a variety of massages and body treatments on offer.

When it opens for business at the end of 2011, Le Centaure will be just 50 metres from the cable car lift to Les Grandes-Platières which boasts panoramic views of Mont Blanc at the start of the Cascades blue run down to Sixt-Fer à Cheval. At 14 km, this is one of the longest ski runs in the world, forming part of the 265 km network of pistes within the Grand Massif ski area.

Flaine, a 75-minute drive from Geneva Airport, is popular both for the ski season – with additional activities like ice driving on offer – and the summer where mountain bike rides and walks start on the doorstep.

Off-plan prices of the properties at Le Centaure start at €159,000 for a studio, rising to €426,000 for a three-bedroom duplex apartment.  The prices, which include parking, cellar storage and a ski locker, exclude VAT waived under the leaseback scheme.

Eco details of the Le Centaure development

For 20 years the firm has insulated the external walls of the homes it builds – despite the fact that, in France, this was not a legal requirement until 2007. The levels of both thermal and acoustic insulation installed by MGM exceed the standards demanded by French building standards.

Le Centaure has been planned so that the majority of the apartments are south-facing to maximise the use of natural light through glass-fronted balconies and big double-glazed windows.

Among other energy saving features are:

• lighting activated by movement detectors, switching off automatically when no-one is around
• low-energy light bulbs in communal areas
• geothermal heat pumps to extract and use energy which occurs naturally underground
• low-cost under-floor heating
• flow regulators on all taps.

During construction of Le Centaure, MGM will reduce the carbon emissions caused by transporting workers and materials to the site by engaging local contractors and sourcing local building materials like stone and timber from nearby quarries and sustainable forests.

All the building materials to be used have been closely scrutinised by energy-saving experts at MGM. Eco-friendly paint will be used on the external walls and the company has opted for timber window frames. This is because, while recognising that aluminium ones can be recycled in the longer term, the manufacturing process uses up to 1,000 times more energy than that for timber frames. During the construction process all waste materials will be carefully sorted on site and sent for recycling.

For more information about the properties available, call MGM’s UK office on 0207 4940706 or visit the website www.mgm-constructeur.com

CARIBBEAN

Old Bahama Bay

Barefoot elegance is to be found at Old Bahama Bay on Grand Bahama Island, in the heart of a thriving waterfront resort community. Extraordinary beaches, beautiful water and excellent fishing abound and Old Bahama Bay is a great getaway for tranquillity, relaxation and pampering. The resort also offers a full-service and official port-of-entry marina to Grand Bahama as well as a helipad with charter service available from Florida and state-of-the-art facilities.

Stunning oceanfront home-sites and beachfront condominiums are available from £300,000. For more information contact Barton Wyatt on 01344 843 000 or visit www.bw-international.com.

Bacolet Bay Resort & Spa, Grenada, Caribbean Bacolet Bay is a low density resort comprising villas and hotel cottages spread across 41 acres of tropical gardens on one of the less developed islands of the Caribbean, Grenada. Experience International offer one bedroom, separate dressing room, bathroom, plunge pool with waterfall feature and shaded terrace priced from £321,724. For more information on the four units remaining contact Experience International on 0207 321 5858 or visit www.experience-international.com.

PORTUGAL

Monte Rei

Monte Rei Golf and Country Club, Eastern Algarve is a range of luxury apartments, large villas and plots of land available for development within this luxury development based around two 18-hole Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses.

Prices start at €995,000/ £894,300 to €1,830,000/ £1,644,564 and for more information, please contact Barton Wyatt on 01344 843 000 or visit www.bw-international.com

© Stewart Andersen and Stewart Andersen’s Property Blog, 2009. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Stewart Andersen and Stewart Andersen’s Property Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.