Yacht Haven Grande, the new $160 million
megayacht marina complex near the cruise ship piers in Charlotte
Amalie, St. Thomas, opened to fanfare and fireworks with more than
50 megayachts in attendance.
The opening
culminated years of planning and construction and erased forever
the memories of Hurricane Marilyn in 1995 that demolished the
former hotel and piers on the site.
The
hurricane-battered hotel and dilapidated piers had been an eyesore
for years until construction on the megayacht complex began in
2004.
Phase one of the
new complex includes a marina than can accommodate 50 yachts up to
450 feet long, an esplanade with three restaurants and 80,000
square feet of retail space. Retail shops already open include
Louis Vuitton, Coach, Bulgari and Little Switzerland. A fourth
restaurant will open next fall.
Also open are the
Residences at Yacht Haven Grande, a complex of 12
three-bedroom/three-bath condominium units, each with two terraces
and a plunge pool -- with sale prices starting at $2 million
each.
The Club at Yacht
Haven Grande is slated to open in September; membership will
include personalized amenities, recreational facilities and private
dining.
The facilities
marina services feature side-by-side berthing for the megayachts;
24-hour security; facilities for crew, owners and guests; and
nautical provisioning.
Island Global
Yachting, a management company that is part of the Island Capital
Group, manages and operates Yacht Haven Grande as well as marinas
in St. Maarten, St. Lucia and the British Virgin Islands in the
Caribbean and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
For details,
visit www.igymarinas.com; the direct link to Yacht Haven
Grande is www.yachthavengrande.com.
To contact the reporter who wrote this article, send e-mail
to Gay Nagle Myers at [email protected].