Whatever Happened to the Pearl of China Project

https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islan...na-suggested-by-govt-due-to-restrictions

It was originally to be a Belair property development? It was rumored to be the former Mullet Bay Resort location?
Hurricane Irma slowed down the project. The DH article is an archived story pre Irma.

A thread in TTOL archives mentioned Maho had three hundred chinese construction workers?
http://www.traveltalkonline.com/ubbthreads.php/ubb/showflat/Number/184288/Searchpage/1/Main/27369/Words/%2BChinese/Search/true/ocean-point-at-maho.html#Post184288

Is Maho owned by the "Pearl of China" Group???

Hard to imagine it would be a place we’d want to go to, but I guess that could be said about any concrete monster until you stay there.

Be a bummer not being able to go to the beach.

I think commend they build next to the Westin.

Keep all that stuff together.

Easy answer. NO Maho is owned by the Maho Group, which is the Spadarro Family...which also own, Royal Islander properties....The Sonesta and Ocean Point....CAsino Royale....and were the ones that built and are building up behind the Casino. If i remember correctly, the Pearl project was going to be on Great Bay.

Ed,

Could be mistaken but I thought the Pearl Development was going to be in the general area of Belair, but on the other side of the road, no? Any talk of planting it on the Mullet property, should it become reality, would be the final straw for me and my reason for finally giving up on St. Maarten completely.

Pat--correct, Pearl of China was supposed to be in the area of Belair originally. My feeling with regard to why it has kind of disappeared is because William Marlin is no longer the PM....

We stay at Divi and have been staring at the space for the last 30 years. We've seen what looks like someone clearing the area a few times and then remain untouched for years. The view hasn't changed much and we assume we will be long gone before anything happens to spoil it.

Pat...it may be over there. I know it was much closer to pburg than maho.

Never been a fan of those big hotels properties. Maybe in Vegas but I don’t go to the Caribbean to park in a huge garage then have to go up a elevator to just another hotel room. I Like small unique property with beach out my door and toes in the sand within 1 min room to water! Horny Toad , BSV or preferably Mary’s Boon if they have a room. Glad for those big hotel places to suck some people over there and away from my favs! 😊

Since we stay at Belair, I have tried to keep up on the status of the Pearl of China project. It was scheduled to be built on Little Bay just up from the Belair. Convention center/apartments/hotel all mentioned but little additional detail since Irma. Originally huge construction that was later split to have about half on the site at Little Bay and the other across from the stadium between the Belair community and Bush Road. It was advertised that Sint Maarten would benefit from the employment it would offer and road improvement as well as school contributions the developers would provide.
I feel that no news is good news for us.

Tom,

I’ve always thought the same with regard to any talk of the future redevelopment of the Mullet Bay Area. No news is the best news, IMO.