The iconic Royal Palms Beach Club is set for a rebirth, as the team members behind its new lease on life say they are rearing to get the hotspot up and running after the remnants of its former structure were demolished this week.
The Cayman Compass was on hand Thursday morning as Handel Whittaker, former Calico Jack’s owner, and his team oversaw clearing works and prepared to commence construction on the new establishment bearing the same name.
“We’re very excited about this particular time. As you can see, the building has been removed and it’s a new year. This is going to be a new start. The island has been waiting for a facility as such and we intend to make Royal Palms into a really nice restaurant/beach bar that tourists and locals alike can come and really hang out and enjoy the view, the sunset, and great food and entertainment,” Whittaker said as he surveyed the now-cleared property.
The demolition of the Dart-owned property began on 6 Jan., and the Cayman Compass was on scene as the old, sea-battered building on Seven Mile Beach was reduced to rubble by an excavator.
Although sad to see the former Royal Palms building go, Whittaker said in an earlier interview that he was invigorated to bring the beach bar back and was looking forward to the future.
Reflections on Royal Palms
Royal Palms, first constructed as a hotel in the late 1960s, had been a popular beachfront location for both locals and visitors.
However, repeated bad weather beatings and a diminishing coastline led to its closure.
Many loved the establishment and commenters on the Compass Facebook page lamented the loss of the building, with one saying it was the “end of an era”.
Another commenter said, “Sorry to see the old Royal Palms go. It should never have been left to fall into such a state of disrepair. Not many beach bars left where locals and tourists alike would mix.”
Another Compass reader, sharing her memories of the beach bar, said she met her now husband at a New Year’s event there.
“He was related to one of my close friends so I had run into him a few times before, but never really spent time with him or spoke to him. He saw me out there with my friends, decided to stick by my side wherever I went, and we had a great time together. Watching the fireworks show on the beach there was simply unforgettable. Before we said goodbye that night (or morning as it was about 4am when we were heading home), this guy I basically just met told me he was going to marry me. I told him he was crazy and I meant it,” she said.
A year later, she said, he proposed to her.
“We’ve been married for a few years now and recently welcomed our precious daughter. I still hold onto the hope that maybe the three of us will one day watch an unforgettable fireworks show on the shores of Royal Palms once again,” she added.
It’s memories like these that Whittaker hopes to create with the new bar.
He said it will have the same atmosphere, but “ there’s going to be a few changes”.
“Royal Palms isn’t going away. As you can see, we purposely kept the name Royal Palms. It’s an iconic venue. It brings back memories, a huge amount of memories for a whole bunch of people and we want to keep the same atmosphere. But the look will be a lot different from what it used to be. We do think that this new look will be something that people would really enjoy and are anxious to see it happen,” Whittaker said.
He said the existing pool will be filled and the bar will sit on top of that. The whole area on the south side of the site will be built out with outdoor decks and new bathrooms.
In December, Whittaker applied for planning permission to remove the damaged seafront bar. Whittaker, who is also the deputy chairperson of the Central Planning Authority, recused himself from deliberations in order to present to the authority.
Whittaker said his team is working closely with the Department of Environment to remove all the debris and make sure that the beach “is totally clean”.
“Hopefully in another six months, we’ll have a vibrant beach there so people can come in and enjoy it like they did years back,” Whittaker added.
He declined to give a timeline for the reopening of the establishment at this stage, saying there is a lot more work to be done in the coming months.
He said he was grateful and thankful for the opportunity as a Caymanian to redevelop Royal Palms.
“We’re trying to blend the old Calico Jack’s into Royal Palms and make it into an iconic venue so that tourists and locals alike can really come here and have a great time,” he said.
Former Calico Jack’s bartender Devon Clark, who still works with Whittaker, said he is looking forward to returning to Seven Mile Beach.
“It is a fantastic feeling. I think this is amazing. I think Royal Palms has been an institution in the Cayman Islands for so many years and it represents so much to so many different people throughout many different years that I think it’s great that this is our turn to bring it back,” Clark said.
Former Calico Jack’s bar manager Marty Francis said he was “super excited” for the return of the popular beach bar.
“We’re the custodians of an iconic beach bar, which was Royal Palms, and that’s something that we take very seriously. This was an iconic beach bar, so we want to show the love that it deserves,” he said.
“We also want to bring our casual beach vibes from Calico Jack’s and the affordable beach vibes that can bring back the locals and the tourists, where everybody can afford it. It’s family oriented.”
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