Royal retreat: New-look bar will move back from eroded beachfront

The crumbling Royal Palms building on the oceanfront is slated for demolition in a redevelopment that will see the bar retreat from the water’s edge.

Former Calico Jack’s owner Handel Whittaker’s plans to reopen the venue for tourist high season were dealt a blow by recent storms, which wiped out what was left of the beach and further damaged the derelict two-storey bar.

But the erosion on the southern end of Seven Mile Beach may have helped speed up the process of removing the irredeemably damaged front section of the bar.

Whittaker, speaking to the Cayman Compass on Friday, as water lapped against the crumbling foundations of the old bar, outlined plans for those structures to be removed entirely.

The pool will be filled in and a new bar and deck built over the top.

Once that happens, he said, the beach should partially return in front of the property, affording patrons an oceanfront view.

Whittaker, whose Animals restaurant management company also operates The Bird and The Roost, leases the property from Dart.

The bar is tentatively scheduled for a February opening depending on the planning permission process.

“Once that building is gone some of the beach will come back and people will be able to sit and have a drink and watch those sunsets.”

Ironically, the recent wave damage may have helped expedite the removal of the moribund structures.

Government officials, earlier this month, announced an expedited process for property owners to get rid of debris and damage along the eroded southern end of Seven Mile.

That could mean that when the Royal Palms does reopen, it will be with a genuine beach and waterfront view.

Whittaker urged officials to help speed up the process, arguing it would result in a better experience for tourists and locals.

While some view beach replenishment as a bailout for waterfront-property owners, he says it is a resource for all to enjoy.

“The beach is for everyone and this bar will be for everyone.

“There’s a gap in the market in Cayman for this type of beachfront venue. That’s one of the reasons Calico Jack’s was so successful. I met Bill Clinton at Calico Jack’s. I met Anthony Bourdain and Mark Cuban.

“The rich and the poor can come here and have a good time.”

Whittaker, who is also vice chairman of the Central Planning Authority, believes there will need to be redevelopment farther back from the ocean along Seven Mile. But he argues this should be done through compromise and partnership with the private landowners in the area.

“I think everyone will pull back and you will see 10-storey buildings on that stretch, and instead of having a swimming pool on the front, it’s going to be on the rooftop, and instead of having parking at the back, it will be on the bottom floor.”

Opportunity

He added that many of the condos experiencing issues now were built in the ’70s and ’80s when legal setbacks from the ocean were shorter and the beach was larger. Cayman’s tourism product needs to be “refreshed” and the redevelopment represents an opportunity for the island, he believes.

“We need tourism, we need financial services and we need construction. That’s what our economy depends on,” he said.

He also appealed to Caymanians to apply for jobs in the hospitality industry, including at Royal Palms.

“I had servers at Calico Jack’s that were making $60,000 or $70,000 a year, mostly through tips.

“I am proof that you can make a good living in this industry,” he said, adding that he was not afraid to clean toilets or wash dishes when the job required it.

As for Royal Palms, he is disappointed to miss the height of high season but hopeful for the new year.

“I really wanted to open for November and have those cash registers singing for Christmas, but anything worth having is worth waiting for.”