Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Hotel will open despite oil spill

Jimmy Buffett isn’t going to let a little oil spoil his fun. The margarita-loving crooner is set to open his 162-room Margaritaville Hotel in Pensacola, Florida and said the threat of the BP oil wreaking havoc on his beaches isn’t of concern.

Buffet’s $50 million hotel sits on the Gulf near the main section of Pensacola Beach, on land where Hurricane Ivan destroyed a previous hotel in 2004. Clearly not phased by the potential threat of the oil spill, Buffett told news sites he has no plans to delay the opening of his hotel.

“This will pass,” he said as walked along the city’s beachfront and fishing pier with Fla. Gov. Charlie Crist.

“Here’s an opportunity to be a real Floridian, because if we have to shore up here, we can do it.” Buffet told South Florida’s CBS4 reporters this weekend. He has his own marketing campaign in mind to get people to come to the panhandle. “It might be more fun to come down and help clean up than just lay around on the beach.”

Well put, Mr. Buffett. Grab your margarita, find your cheeseburger and sit back in a new kind of paradise in Pensacola. Cheers!

[via CBS4 South Florida]

Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville hotel set to open in Florida this summer

This summer, the beachfront of Pensacola, Florida will become home to the world’s first Margaritaville hotel. The hotel offers 162 rooms and suites, and each one is “inspired by the lyrics and lifestyle” of the man behind the brand – Jimmy Buffet.

Upon arrival, guests are welcomed with fresh Florida orange juice and a panoramic view of the Gulf of Mexico (hopefully without an oil slick).

The hotel restaurant will of course serve signature dishes, such as the “Cheeseburger in Paradise”, and a Margaritaville restaurant is scheduled to open next to the hotel in 2011.

The hotel is on target to open in late June or early July, with rates starting at $299 in the peak season, and $179 in the off season. A reservation request page can be found here.

New Orleans Jazz Festival

About a week and a half ago, I mentioned the Tobago Jazz Festival, and a
commenter asked if I was aware of any other Jazz Festivals in the world.

You’re kidding, right?

You’d be AMAZED at how many jazz festivals there are.  There’s the Monterey Jazz Festival.  There’s the Montreux Jazz Festival.  There’s the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal.  And there are tons of others too numerous to mention

That said, the one I think that has the biggest meaning for me is the New
Orleans Jazz Festival
— having lived in Texas, it was the one I was the most familiar with, and the one I have
memories of.  Given the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina last year, it’s amazing that the festival will
still go on. And go on, it will:  this year’s lineup includes Bruce Spingsteen, Dave Matthews, Jimmy Buffett,
Herbie Hancock, Galactic, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Ani DiFranco, The Ohio Players, and The Meters, just to name a very
few.

Unfortunately, I now live too far away to attend — but if you happen to live around or near Louisiana,
do the Jazzfest a favour and pay them a visit — you won’t regret it, and your presence will serve to ensure a wonderful
festival continues to flourish.