A resort just opened in Pass Christian that blends waterfront charm with amenities that appeal to locals and visitors.
Steps away from the beach and the downtown, Pass Bungalows at 100 W. Scenic Drive is a coastal getaway, whether people are stopping by for a homemade frozen custard, a fine Italian dinner or a weekend stay.
Jourdan Nicaud opened his first restaurant, Bacchus on the Beach in Pass Christian, when he was 21. Since then, he and his brother, Field, built a Coast dynasty of restaurants, apartments, shops and vacation rentals across South Mississippi.
Opening this luxury resort in their hometown, which has few hotels, is Jourdan’s dream.
“It has been my goal since starting Bacchus,“ he said, and he’s committed to bring in things people want to do and places they want to eat.
Pass Bungalows satisfies each area of the Nicaud Hospitality Group’s brand of “Eat, Stay, Play” on the Secret Coast — all in one location.
The pool and tikki bar at the new Pass Bungalows in Pass Christian will be a popular place for a swim and a cold drink.
New places to eat
The first 21 hotel rooms at Pass Bungalows are open, along with Coast Casual resort clothing shop for men and boys, the swimming pool and tiki bar.
Guests can eat at the neighboring Bacchus on the Beach or take a short drive across the bridge to downtown Bay St. Louis and dine at the Nicaud’s Toro Sushi & Sake or Field’s Steak & Oyster Bar.
By early July, all 36 hotel rooms are scheduled to be open, along with more restaurants and shops. They include:
Lasagna and other Italian specialties, along with pizza, sandwiches and antipasto, are on the menu at Field’s Italian restaurant in Ocean Springs. A second Field’s Italian is opening this summer in Pass Christian at Pass Bungalows.
▪ Field’s Italian Pass Christian. Field’s opened in Ocean Springs in February to rave reviews and Pass Christian soon is getting its own location at Pass Bungalows. Executive chef Lauren Joffrion, who has overseen the opening of several of the Nicaud restaurants, created a menu of contemporary and classic Italian dishes, appetizers, pizza, sandwiches and entrees.
▪ St James Cheese Company from New Orleans. “This will be their third location,” Nicaud said. Similar to the locations in New Orleans’ Uptown and Warehouse District, the Pass Christian shop will feature ripe cheeses, charcuterie and gourmet grocery items. “We’ve built an international network of cheese makers and affineurs who hook us up with the artisan and farmhouse cheeses not found in other shops,” according to the company’s website.
▪ A homemade ice cream and coffee shop and a boutique grocery store also open at Pass Bungalows this summer.
▪ Nine Toes Brewing won’t be at Pass Bungalows, but will be a close neighbor when it opens later this summer at 110 W. Scenic Drive. Those staying at the resort will be able to walk over for a craft beer, Nicaud said, and play the golf simulator and the arcade.
Coast billboard needed
Nicaud said he thinks the Coast tourism office needs to put up a billboard along I-10 showing kids crying in the backseat and the traffic backup at the tunnel in Mobile. It would encourage travelers to vacation in South Mississippi instead of driving on to Fairhope, he said, or the Alabama beach.
The big lawn in the center of the Pass Bungalows resort in Pass Christian has space for families to play and also can accommodate a wedding or other event. Guests can stay in the one- and two-bedroom suites with water views, dine at the restaurants and walk to the beach and downtown.
At Pass Bungalows, he said, “There’s space for kids to run and a big pool.” Adults can get a massage or a haircut at the nearby Elysian Salon Spa. They can wander the shops in downtown and explore the park and the harbor.
When complete this summer, the resort will have 60 beds, split between 12 two bedroom suites and 24 one bedroom units in white stucco buildings surrounded by lush tropical landscaping and centered around the great lawn and swimming pool plaza.
The two-bedroom “family suites” are on the lower level and are decorated with coastal blues. One bedroom penthouse units on the upper floor are done in tropical green.
A king bedroom at the new Pass Bungalows in Pass Christian features handmade furniture, balconies or terraces with views of the great lawn or the harbor.
“They’re coastal and they’re large,” Nicaud said — large enough for families to spread out. The four styles of rooms have hand-painted murals and no carpeting. Every room has a balcony or patio with water or courtyard views. The beds and all the furniture were hand-crafted for the resort. ADA-compliant suites are available.
The resort is equipped for weddings, where a tent can be set up in the courtyard, he said, and guests can spend a night or two in the rooms.
The new Pass Bungalows has one-bedroom penthouse hotel rooms with great water views and two-bedroom family suites with a living room, full size refrigerator and microwave.
More Nicaud projects under way
The Nicauds are betting people will so enjoy spending their vacation or weekend getaway in Pass Christian, they’re building St. Paul Village in downtown Pass Christian for those who want to live in town or have a second home there.
They continue to work on other projects across the Coast.
This week they announced that Chef David Dickensauge will return home to the Coast as Field’s Steak and Oyster Bar in Biloxi is transformed into Field’s Mediterranean by Chef David Dickensauge.
In Ocean Springs, the Artesian Hotel will open in early June alongside and atop Field’s Italian restaurant on Government Street. Cat Island Coffee Shop also will open at about the same time and the Mirror Bar on the third floor will open as an enclosed be piano bar.
Farther east in Jackson County, the Nicauds are about to break ground on the first building at their $14 million Ice House mixed use development in Pascagoula on land that has sat empty since a 2012 fire.
They are also hosting a Block Pawty to benefit Animal Aid of Mississippi May 24 from noon to 4 p.m. at Bacchus on the Beach in Pass Christian. On June 7, Bacchus on the Bayou in Ocean Springs will host a block party from 2-10 p.m., with music, vendors and a Fly Llama tap takeover.