Betty Delfosse-Ingleton greets attorney Patrick Bailey (right), as guest of honour, Basil Wallace, looks on.- photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Kingston is still the most fabulous and hottest metropolis this side of Miami; one melting pot flavoured by the pulsating rhythm of its people, art, music, cuisine, ever-changing landscape, architecture and, above all else, its capacity for reinventing itself, and thus remains head and shoulders above its Caribbean counterparts!

cauldron of creative energy

The place is a cauldron of creative energy, whether it's the high life of the power-brokers and/or the social movers and shakers or the drudgery of existence in the crowded urban ghettos and its sub-cultural music, language and entertainment. Life is never dull in the nation's capital.

And speaking of things and/or places above and beyond the ordinary, the Spanish Court Hotel, located right in the heart of the city's commercial and business district of New Kingston, is just that - above and beyond the ordinary.

The brainchild of businessman Chris Issa, the hotel is definitely one of the latest gems in the crown-jewel that is Kingston. Now, for those familiar with the social and entertainment history of Kingston, the Spanish Court itself was once the entertainment hub of Kingston as a chic boutique-styled mall, housing the red-hot Epiphany Night Club; the very hot late-night eatery named Mike's, that later became Gino's Fast-food and the trés chic Curved Space ultra-mod designer furnishing - that catered to the fab and chic, plus a number of other establishments that followed, all adding to the cachet and spirited nightlife for which Kingston is universally known and celebrated.

Well, after some years of being primarily an office complex, albeit a very fashionable one, the enterprising Issa decided on transforming the old mall into a hotel, magically he has! Located on St Lucia Avenue, just across the road from the Trafalgar Road-based British High Commission compound, the hotel is an oasis, a masterpiece made so by the masterful meld of haute-contemporary designs, using bold and marvellous colours to complement avant-garde styling in furnishings and accent pieces, that is simply and fabulously captivating as it is awe-inspiring!

Funky lobby

From the very chic and oh-so-fabulously funky lobby, to the razzmatazz of the cafe/dining room, or the lounge left of the lobby, the Spanish Court reeks fabulissimo! If the late Picasso designed hotels, this would have been one of his masterpieces. The kudos, however, all go to the marvellously talented Jamaican-born United States-based Allison Antrobus, who used colour, fabric, and on-the-edge furnishing (all hand-crafted by Jamaican artisans in Kingston) to bring fantasy to life, and in a mode, manner and style that are nothing but fabulous!

And then there is the upstairs deck, with its centrepiece - an infinity pool - dominating the wooden deck studiously done-up with some fab and colourful accent pieces that make for a wholesome tropical mode. But the most beautiful part has got to be the hotel's royal suite!

What style! Oh the ease and comfort of it all. We are talking ultra-mod and fabulous like nothing else in this here fab city of haute mode and firsts; this one is the contemporary suite of suites! Not yet officially opened, the Spanish Court Hotel is, however, accepting guests as it uses this time to tweak its operation before its late March official opening, with General Manager Steve Bethel promising to have everything up and running to meet the rush of guests now lining up to experience the hotel's hospitality and services. But if last Monday evening's little cocktail and dinner hosted by Issa is anything to judge by, we are talking a simply marvellous and welcome new addition to the social landscape of this bustling city.

It represents the perfect working get-away for the travelling business executives, or the perfect stopover for international travellers, and not to mention that the place is perfect for cocktails.

cocktails aplenty

And it was cocktails aplenty last Monday, for visiting Jamaican-born actor Basil Wallace, who originally hails from Spanish Town, St Catherine, but now calls the United States his home, and has some 40 films to his credit, the latest being Blood Diamond starring Leonardo DiCaprio, and sees the charming Wallace, in a supporting role as the teacher fighting the odds to educate the children of war in a remote village in Southern Africa, as well as for Guyanese-born US-based former racing car driver, now businessman, Charles Downes, who both stayed at the hotel last week.

Among the notables out sharing in the very warm occasion were Information, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Olivia Grange; noted attorney and talk show host, Patrick Bailey; the celebrated Betty Delfosse-Ingleton; businessman and acclaimed tenor Carl Bliss; the lovely Marilyn Bennett; the elegant Enid Harrow; Vanitta Clarke-Douglas and the lovely Debra Taylor plus a few others.

Basil Wallace (left), Betty Delfosse-Ingleton (second left), Christopher Issa (second right), and Betty Wood.

Basil Wallace (left) in conversation with Christopher Issa (centre) and Glen Mills.