It is gutsy to open a hotel on Dec. 15, the very day that marks the start of high season, or "festive season" as it is called in the Caribbean region. Yet the new Shore Club on Long Bay in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, did just that.
"We had a trained staff, we had a culinary team, we had our rooms ready and several of our restaurants open," said Frits Hannenberg, general manager.
Raynado, one of the bartenders, had even concocted a signature cocktail called the Long Bay Breeze, a mix of blue curacao, dark rum, orange vodka and lime.
Guests did check in on opening day. I arrived six weeks later and found a resort still so new that I was the first guest in my suite, one of 106 oceanview units overlooking a 3-mile stretch of Long Bay on the Caribbean side of Providenciales (aka Provo).
Directly northeast from Long Bay across Provo is Grace Bay Beach, long known as the site of luxury resorts and villas.
The Shore Club pretty much has Long Bay Beach to itself, one reason the location was selected, according to Stan Hartling, CEO of the Hartling Group, which owns the 72-suite Palms, opened in 2005, and the 114-room Sands, opened in 1998, both also on Provo overlooking Grace Bay.
"It's an amazing piece of real estate, and it has a unique sense of place," Hartling said.
Indeed it does. Set on 9 prime acres of beachfront, it is a peaceful, luxurious retreat. Aside from a couple of small guesthouses far down the beach, resort guests have the sand, the sun and the gentle sea all to themselves.
The exterior of the resort, which opened on Dec. 15 and offers 106 oceanview suites. Photo Credit: Gay Nagle Myers
Beach waiters deliver drinks and towels and open up umbrellas; there are no crowds and plenty of lounges. The water is so shallow and clear that one can walk far out before the ocean reaches waist high.
About a mile or so out from the beach is a cargo ship, silhouetted on the horizon.
When the ship hadn't moved for two days, I asked about it.
"It's been there 11 years. It got caught in a bad storm and was grounded," Hartling said. "Now it is so deeply mired in sand that it cannot be moved."
The vessel was long ago emptied of its cargo and has become a snorkeling and scuba site.
What impressed me about the Shore Club, in addition to its spectacular beach, was the focused attention to details throughout the upmarket, $100 million property.
My suite had plenty of electrical outlets in both the living room and bedroom areas, including two on the base of the alarm clock on the bed stand.
The bathroom, with a curved arch doorway, was well lit, spacious and had a rainfall showerhead that did not require the mind of a scientist to operate.
Ceilings throughout the suite were high; individual air conditioning controls were in each room, and two balconies with thick-cushioned chaise lounges had views of the pools below and the sea beyond.
It's a low-density resort with two four-story buildings that contain four suites per floor, ranging from one to three bedrooms each and penthouses on the top floors.
Each unit has a washer and dryer, a fully equipped kitchen with a refrigerator that can be stocked on demand prior to arrival, marble countertops and drawers that glide smoothly and silently.
The ratio of staff to guest was 2-to-1 when I was there. "We are using the first quarter of the year to shake out any glitches, and we will add staff as occupancy builds," Hannenberg said.
Occupancy in early February was running at approximately 40%, but strong forward bookings indicated a pickup in business as the year advances.
A living room in one of the Shore Club’s penthouse suites.
Six stand-alone beachfront villas will open later this year as will the 12,000-square-foot Dune spa with eight treatment rooms, a lap pool, a gym and a salon.
For now, three charming spa cottages overlooking the beach foliage and the water are set in a wooded area down a sandy path.
Not being a fan of massages, I opted for the detox facial treatment delivered by Krishna, who assured me that I would look radiant and younger in an hour after she lathered on a mixture of herbs and broccoli extract followed by a thick layer of honey.
I didn't shed 10 years in looks, but it was a tasty 60 minutes, especially the honey part when it got on my lips.
The facial was $180; massages start at $180 for 60 minutes.
The Shore Club caters to all ages, and I saw several young families with toddlers in strollers and infants in arms.
One mother had high praise for the resort, citing the calm, shallow water at the beach and the staff at the kids club.
The Jungle Jam kids club is complimentary, open daily and available to ages 4 to 12.
I dined at Sui-Ren, the resort's a la carte, signature dinner restaurant, which requires reservations.
A chef's tasting menu with a fixed price will be introduced this spring, but executive chef Daniel Delgado served me a sample menu of his fusion blend of Peruvian-Japanese cuisine, which included Peruvian ceviche, sesame tofu, grilled scallops, short ribs and a dessert topped with a chocolate ice-cream dome.
Other culinary venues included the Colonnade and its Rope Bar, serving casual food and drinks poolside throughout the day at tables or in six covered cabanas; the Sea Grape pool bar with light lunch fare; and the Cloister Gardens for breakfast, which is included in the room rate.
Room rates start at $925 per night, double, in a gardenview junior suite through April 21.
"Our first wedding will take place on April 8 with 150 guests," Hannenberg said. "We are a boutique luxury property, and we hope to attract more weddings as well as small corporate groups."
Agent relationships are critical, according to Hartling. "We have a number of packages booked from the U.S., particularly from the East Coast, and we very much value our relationships with agents," he said.
Fam trips and agent rates are offered at the resort.
The propertywide WiFi is complimentary, and the internet password particularly appealed to me: writeyourstoryhere.
"That's exactly what we hope each guest will do when they vacation here or when they are back home: write about their experiences at the Shore Club," said Karen Whitt, vice president, sales and marketing, Hartling Group.
And that's exactly what I did.
Visit http://theshoreclubtc.com.