The Jalousie Plantation, one of Tropical Sky’s best-loved resorts on the Caribbean island of St Lucia, is set for a major redevelopment and rebrand.

It’s planned to close in May 2009 and reopen as The Tides Sugar Beach in 2010 in conjunction with the Kor Hotel Group, who already run several Tides properties in other exclusive locations. The St Lucia resort is already fantastic, so we’re really excited to see it being made even more spectacular.

One of its most unique features is definitely its location – set in a UNESCO World Heritage Site overlooking the twin Piton peaks that St Lucia is famous for. The resort has white-sand beaches lapped by the Caribbean Sea and no less than 192 acres of rainforest, and all this attracted Kor Hotel Group to approach the Jalousie Plantation, as its owner Roger Myers explained:

“Our unique location attracted interest from prestigious resort operators around the world. Kor Hotel Group’s high standards, proven experience and the energetic enthusiasm of their leadership convinced me that together we can create one of the best resorts in the world.”

This sounds good to us, and looking at some of the other Tides hotels, including The Tides South Beach in Florida, The Tides Riviera Maya on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula and The Tides Zihuatanejo on Mexico’s Pacific Coast, we’re sure its going to be one of the Caribbean’s most luxurious destinations.

A $100m renovation will go into creating The Tides Sugar Beach’s 150 villas and guestrooms with private pools, four restaurants, an array of recreational activities, and amenities including a beach lounge, a comprehensive fitness centre and a world-class spa.

It’s billed as fusing chic European, African, Asian and Caribbean influences and will also feature Personal Assistants to help guests make the most of their holiday experience. We can’t wait to see the results.

In the meantime, you can still visit The Jalousie Plantation until it closes on 4 May 2009 and it will keep offering its first class service and facilities until then.