MONTEGO BAY, Jamaica -- The family-run Coyaba Beach Resort &
Spa here is luring travelers with expanded water sports and spa
facilities -- paired with home-spun service -- while courting
agents with higher pay.
Owners Kevin and Joanne Robertson -- ex-New Yorkers who ditched
Wall Street careers for the island life eight years ago -- have
pumped more than $7 million since 1995 into refining the small
plantation-style beach resort.
"We try to blend the facilities and professionalism of a large
resort with the feel and touch of a bed-and-breakfast," said Kevin
Robertson, noting that guests are, for example, welcomed with
baskets of freshly baked banana bread.
But Coyaba's 50 rooms -- 26 of which are junior suites -- boast
upscale "mod-cons" such as satellite TVs, VCRs, CD players and air
conditioning.
Services at the new Touch 10 spa include facials and skin peels;
body scrubs and back cleansing; sunburn treatments; deep-tissue
massages; and manicures and pedicures.
Coyaba's new, on-site, five-star PADI Scuba Center, managed by
Resort Divers, offers a wide range of activities, including
waterskiing, snorkeling, glass-bottom boat trips and scuba diving
and certification.
Also on the activity front, the resort offers regular tennis
clinics by professional players.
Dining-wise, Coyaba expanded the deck at its seaside Dock's
Caribbean Bar and Grill, which offers dinners twice weekly -- a
Wednesday seafood grill and Jamaican cuisine each Saturday.
Robertson said quality food service is Coyaba's calling
card.
"Coming from Manhattan, it was a priority," he said. "We tried
to combine the expectations of New York foodies with an island
experience."
The Coyaba also offers meals at the Vineyard, a garden-style
restaurant, and the Polo Grounds, which serves English-style pub
fare.
Although Coyaba gets about half its bookings through tour
operators, Robertson regularly hits the road to meet individual
travel agents. Commission is 12%.
Rates through Dec. 15 run from $293 per person, double, for
three nights in a gardenview room with no meals, to $1,933 per
person, double, for seven nights in an oceanview junior suite,
including the Gold Plan all-inclusive meals and perks package.
Breakfast and breakfast-and-dinner -- as well as standard Coyaba
and deluxe Gold all-inclusive -- meal plans also are available.
For reservations, call (800) 330-8272; for more information,
visit www.coyabajamaica.com on line.