Travel+Leisure editors selected Belmond Cap Juluca in Anguilla and the Rosewood Baha Mar in The Bahamas as two of the 72 hotels on the 2019 “It List” with Cap Juluca being named “Comeback of the Year” after sustaining damage from a 2017 hurricane.
Kansas City-based firm, SKS Studio is honored to announce that two of its resort landscape architecture projects, Belmond Cap Juluca in Anguilla and the Rosewood Baha Mar in The Bahamas, have been selected for Travel+Leisure’s (T+L) It List for 2019. T+L annually publishes its “It List” of the finest new (and newly renovated) properties in the world as selected by a network of editors, writers, photographers, and hospitality professionals. The properties on the list have been selected out of hundreds of those recently opened around the world. In addition to making the list, Belmond Cap Juluca stood out as the “Comeback of the Year” after Hurricane Irma devastated the area in 2017.
Cap Juluca, Maundays Bay, Anguilla
Hotel and leisure company, Belmond closed Cap Juluca’s doors on August 27, 2017 to undergo a planned $121 million top-to-bottom renovation. SKS Studio was well into refreshing existing landscape design elements to update the resort when Hurricane Irma devastated the region, including the Cap Juluca. The category 5 hurricane ravaged the existing landscape, which was established and mature.
“Once we were able to resume our work, the project became a post-hurricane landscape assessment. Based on the damage, we could no longer simply ‘refresh’ the resort’s landscaping. Belmond relied on our expertise to restore the landscape that could be saved and replace those trees and plants that could not. Hurricane Irma doubled our work to be done at Cap Juluca, yet the November 2018 opening date remained on schedule,” explains Sean Simms, SKS Studio president.
In addition to designing landscaping that surrounds guests with Cap Juluca’s vibrant botanicals and indigenous foliage, SKS Studio blended a new infinity pool and accommodations into the landscape. Luxurious, yet easygoing, Cap Juluca is the crown jewel of Maundays Bay, Anguilla once again.
Rosewood Baha Mar, Nassau, Bahamas
Two years after Baha Mar, the multibillion-dollar casino resort complex, debuted and put Nassau, Bahamas back on many luxury travelers’ vacation map, the Rosewood Baha Mar opened as yet another draw to the island. A T+L contributor describes The Rosewood as, “Polished and of-the-moment — note the 3,000 square feet of stunning murals by the New York company Silver Hill Atelier, which depict Bahamian island scenes in soothing tones of green, gray, and white. But it’s also relaxed in all the right ways: The people are warm. There are help-yourself cookie jars in the library.”
“The Rosewood was one of the last components of Baha Mar to come on line, thus we took the opportunity to really put our stamp on the property,” says Simms.
The Rosewood Baha Mar is one of three properties of the Baha Mar resort complex, but is the most intimate and priciest. It is located on Nassau’s Northern Shore, situated on prime Cable Beach known for its white sandy shore and crystal clear turquoise water. The grounds are full of tall palms, lush greenery and immaculate landscaping and include two outdoor pools, the Quiet Pool and Lagoon Pool. Both are skirted with chic loungers and cabanas, plus there is direct access to the beach.
About SKS Studio
SKS Studio is a full-service, boutique master planning and landscape architecture firm, specializing in large-scale, mixed-use and hospitality related projects. Since 1997, the SKS team has participated in projects in more than 50 countries, totaling over $2 billion in construction, including The Royal Atlantis Dubai, Malliouhana Resort and Spa in Anguilla, Amara Hotel in Cyprus and more. Visit http://www.sks-studio.com to learn more about the firm and their approach to landscape architecture around the world.