CANOUAN ISLAND,
Grenadines -- Even before celebrating its official grand opening,
the Raffles Resort Canouan Island weathered its first hurricane
with minimal damage, housing 150 guests and staff in its Villa
Monte Carlo casino and ballroom and serving gourmet meals
throughout Hurricane Ivan.
Although most
guests were evacuated in advance of Ivans arrival on Sept. 7, Louis
Sailer, the resorts general manager, said that some decided to stay
and ride out the storm with us. We gave them the full Raffles
treatment.
Apparently, that
treatment will generate repeat business from at least one customer.
Guest Meriko Sarmiento said that if faced with similar
circumstances again, I would place my familys lives in the hands of
Raffles management team and staff. We had a rather pleasant
experience, despite the circumstances.
Although the
resort had little structural damage, according to Sailer, it has
temporarily closed for repairs and will reopen on Nov.
1.
If our work is
completed sooner, we will reopen. We want to ensure that every last
detail is perfect as we prepare for our grand-opening celebration
on Nov. 20, he said.
The Raffles
Resort Canouan Island, formerly the Carenage Bay Resort, had its
soft opening in August.
The resort is
Singapore-based Raffles first foray into the Caribbean -- the
company has 12 luxury hotels around the world.
This is a new
ballgame for us, a resort wrapped around Raffles standards of
quality and service, Sailer said.
Expansion in the
Caribbean remains a strong possibility, according to
Sailer.
Although the new
Raffles Amrita Spa, the meditation room and nine individual
treatment suites were not damaged, three other treatment rooms and
the main reception area are being rebuilt.
The resorts
18-hole golf course is playable, although the clubhouse had some
wind and water damage. Several guest villas had some roof damage;
all others were untouched.
Set on 1,200
acres, the resort has 156 rooms in one-
and two-story villas; four restaurants and bars; the Raffles
signature spa; the Jim Fazio-designed Trump International Golf
Club; private yacht moorings; a large, beachfront pool complex; and
the European-style Villa Monte Carlo casino managed by Donald
Trump, who also is developing 135 high-end villas on the
island.
Each villa has a
golf cart for guests use in getting around the property. They are
the latest fleet of Club Cars and look like Volkswagen [Beetles],
Sailer said.
Arriving guests
are greeted at Canouan airport and then board a double-decker,
mahogany-trimmed launch for the short cruise to the resort. Guest
check-in takes place on the boat.
American Airlines
and American Eagle serve Canouan from San Juan and St. Lucia, and
Trans Island Airways has a daily flight from Barbados. Also,
Raffles private, eight-passenger jet can be chartered to Canouan
from other islands.
I think were well
covered with airlift, Sailer said. There are plans to enlarge the
airport to handle Airbus aircraft.
Opening rates
through Dec. 17 start at $289 per night, double; rack rates from
Jan. 7 through April 3 start at $675 per room, per night, double.
Holiday prices from Dec. 21 to Jan. 7 carry a 10-night requirement
with arrival on or before Dec. 25.
Christmas is just
about sold out, Sailer said. Although we are not yet well known in
the region, bookings for January and February look good.
The bulk of
business will be East Coast-generated, Sailer said, and we expect
30% from the U.K. and the rest to be a mix from Europe and
Asia.
Sailer said
travel agents will play a big role in generating bookings. He
expects to host many of them on fam trips in the coming
months.
For the family
market, the resort appointed a board of directors composed of kids
ages 5 to 14, which is overseen by two adults.
The directors
created the Sugar Palm Kids Club and told resort executives that
they did not want T-shirts and silly games, Sailer said. They
wanted their own business cards and separate facilities for
different age groups.
The resort now
has a two-story clubhouse for young children, complete with a water
slide, private pool and gardens. Kids ages 8 to 12 have their own
activities building with Sony PlayStation and Nintendo Game
Boy.
Raffles also has
30-minute baby-sitters who will stay with young kids on the beach
or at the pool while parents go for a swim. There is no extra charge for the kids club and the
baby-sitter service.
Another concept
at the resort is its $300 cocktail, which Sailer described as the
perfect martini, served in designer glassware with 24-karat gold
stirrers that replicate miniature swords. Imbibers -- and there
already have been several, Sailer said -- keep the glasses and
stirrers as mementos.
For guests who
are reluctant to pay that high a tab, Sailer said Raffles has a
selection of 88 martinis on its drink menu, minus the gold stirrers
and designer glassware.
Resort amenities
include wireless Internet access in guest rooms, at the business
center and in the library; iPods also are available.
To contact
reporter Gay Nagle Myers, send e-mail to [email protected].