SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — From the first hours after the news of the Orlando massacre broke, in which a shooter named Omar Mateen killed 49 people and injured 53 others in an act of hatred of LGBTQ people, it was clear that most of the men and women who died that day were Latin Americans.

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Since boyhood, Gregor Nassief, owner of Dominica’s Secret Bay hotel, had a lofty dream—to create a home away from home amongst the wild forested cliffs of Dominica. And to preserve the natural environment all the while.

While celebrating the nuptials of Gregor and wife Sandra, Sandra’s father and award-winning Latin American architect, Fruto Vivas granted the couple a special gift—a proposed drawing of their personal residence at Secret Bay. With this, Gregor knew Fruto would have the vision to materialize the dream at large.

With Fruto as lead conceptual architect, the assistance of Haitian architect Claude Lauture, and the guidance of Gregor and Sandra, the villas and bungalows that comprise the living, breathing eco-luxury resort at Secret Bay came to life.

We sat down with Fruto to reveal the vision and execution of Secret Bay’s famed residences.

How would you describe the villas and bungalows from an architectural perspective?

For me they are all the same: structures linked to the landscape, liberated from the ground, with a design that embraces the cultural patterns of the island.  The original vision was to have a coherent answer with the Caribbean Architecture, which has developed its own concept of tropical architecture. I imagined these residences for maximum happiness; the architecture is designed for the guests to be its main characters. It allows the interaction of the guests with their natural environment, in particular the extraordinary vistas of the landscape around, achieving a great relationship with nature.

How did you integrate intimacy and privacy into each residence?

All the residences have their own space of absolute intimacy that allows the guest to realize their activities in private. This is possible because there is enough distance between them and thanks to the exuberance of the vegetation around them, a visual barrier.

How did you envision the residences blending with the natural environment?

When locating each villa and bungalow, we gave great importance to all the existing natural elements that allow a maximum integration with the environment. Each villa is placed with vistas to the sea and forest.

How did you go about preserving the environment while planning and building?

First, there was a topographic and environmental study that allowed us to maximize the natural resource without the need of removing almost any trees, because it is actually the trees that guarantee a fresh climate inside the villas in a tropical island with the typical warm temperatures. We took precautions to ensure we did not cause any negative impact on the environment during construction.

Did you envision more than the original six residences being built?

In the original design, we projected occupying the slopes with more villas designed to respect the landscape and the beautiful sea view that make Dominica a great tourist destination.

Which Secret Bay residences are your favourite?

Given the topographic and climatic characteristics of the implanting site, my favourite structures are the bungalows, which are friendly in design and versatile. They mold to the characteristics of the landscape.

What materials did you use? Why did you choose these for the specific features?

The supporting structure or column in each structure was made in formed concrete to allow the placement of a wooden structure on top, with great glass windows and roofs in corrugated laminar structure, typical of Caribbean Architecture.  The structures are designed to be hurricane-proof and have already resisted one [Hurricane Erika]. The materials were chosen because they reflect the best of Caribbean Architecture.

The post Designing Dominica’s Best Hotel appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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By Otmar Oduber
Op-Ed Contributor

Our Aruban Government is promoting a policy to foster a balanced portfolio of on-island accommodations.

The rationale for this policy, which will impact the future of the destination’s all-inclusive sector, is simple and imperative: Tourism is Aruba’s heart and soul.

Our island’s GDP is 91 percent tourism-centric, ranking No. 1 in the Caribbean and No. 2 in the world, relative to size. And given Aruba’s high level of dependence on the tourism industry, it is our responsibility to formulate policy that best meets the island’s general interest and to re-address policy in respect to accommodation providers on island.

Our vision for a balanced mix of accommodations stems from research derived from more than 13 publications, which suggest a correlation between all-inclusive resorts and a decreased effect on local spending and immersion in local culture.

Aruba Tourism Authority also conducted consumer research to measure Aruba’s brand health and equity amongst both the U.S. and Canadian international travelers who have visited at least one Caribbean destination and/or Mexico in the past five years. As a key takeaway, the offering of all-inclusive accommodations is significantly less relevant to travelers than the quality of Aruba’s beaches, natural features and local culinary experiences.

Aruba proactively seeks an increased share of affluent visitors, who will enjoy Aruba’s dynamic culture and culinary scene influenced by more than 90 on-island nationalities. As such, it is our duty to analyze and supply this research to Aruba’s policy.

And when carefully considering all of these factors, among other key considerations, our government wishes to cap the share of representation of all-inclusive hotel accommodations at a maximum of 40 percent of the total transient hotel rooms.

We would also place an annual 20 percent cap on all-inclusive room nights sold by European plan hotels.

Of the 5,543 transient rooms on-island currently, 66 percent are in European plan hotels, whereas 34 percent are in all-inclusive resorts. This mix has effectively served as the foundation of Aruba’s overall tourism industry development.

We must emphasize – our goal is not to completely eliminate all-inclusive resorts. We understand this market is considered to be the fastest growing segment of the leisure travel industry in the next 10 years.

Our goal is simply to remain competitive and create balance, while re-evaluating the policy every five years to ensure Aruba’s best interests continue to be met.

Additionally, as alternative accommodations, ranging from apartments to condos and villas, continue to grow in popularity worldwide as well as in Aruba, our government is also making amendments to the island’s Hotel and Lodging ordinance – as we are committed to providing the highest quality vacation experience across all styles of accommodations, while also maintaining a level playing field for all partners.

These measures will ensure Aruba’s continued fruition.

Following a record-setting year of 1.07 million stay-over visitors in 2014, ATA reported total arrivals in 2015 increased by an additional 14.3 percent, totaling 1.22 annual stay-over visitors. Most Caribbean islands saw a 3-10 percent increase in annual stay-over arrivals from 2014 to 2015.

Aruba’s hotel sector also showed growth last year. Total visitor nights grew by 8.3 percent in 2015, while ADR increased by 2.7 percent to $237.39. Aruba’s RevPar has steadily increased over recent years, from the No. 8 overall Caribbean ranking in 2011/2012 to No. 7 in 2013 and No. 6 in 2014/2015 – and specifically in 2015, it increased by 1 percent to $191.10, which according to STR is higher than the Caribbean average of $158.

In addition to receiving more visitors, Aruba saw an increase in their spending in 2015. Tourism receipts increased in 2015 by 2.8% as compared to 2014.

So again we emphasize: Tourism is Aruba’s heart and soul. And ultimately, a healthy mix of on-island accommodations is crucial to the continued success of Aruba.

Otmar Oduber is Aruba’s Minister of Tourism, Transportation, Primary Sector and Culture.

The post Aruba’s Hotel Vision appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Finding the best-kept secret in St Barth

By Alexander Britell

ST JEAN — St Barth is quiet in the summer. The winter crowds have left to the Cote d’Azur and the edges of Long Island, but the roofs are still red and the hills are still green and you can still enjoy the kinds of afternoons you can only find in the French Caribbean.

Because there is a certain kind of afternoon in the French Caribbean; you find it on a balcony drinking a ti’ punch and listening only to the wind, when you become convinced that time takes its holidays here, too.

The French have made an art form of these places, small oases in the hills of the West Indies, where the sweeping views become paintings you must study for hours.

One such place is Le Village, a boutique four-star hotel in the town of St Jean with 25 rooms and suites and a pair of luxury villas.

It is a lovely hotel, with spacious rooms with broad balconies overlooking the sea and outdoor kitchens and hammocks and shelves of books built into the walls.

It is also a family-run hotel that was among the island’s first, with a heritage of more than 40 years, under the stewardship of Catherine and Bertrand Charneau.

At any time of year, it is a sanctuary, just steps up the hill from the island’s most famous beach, offering a tranquil getaway that really does feel like your own private retreat.

Lately, Le Village has been making changes, adding a breakfast lounge and terrace and poolside gazebo with an honor bar.

The changes join the hotel’s hallmarks: the infinity pool gazing at the bay of St Jean; the panoramic second-level fitness room; the warm service.

And then there are the rooms — thoughtfully designed units with shelves of books, outdoor kitchens and the sounds of coqui frogs in the evening.

Even better is the location in St Jean — a quick drive from the airport and within easy access to all of the wonders of St Barth: the restaurants, the beaches, the shopping in Gustavia.

But the best part might be that you’re getting one of the great hotels in the French Caribbean for, well, far less than many of its famous neighbors.

This isn’t just a great hotel in St Barth — it’s an affordable hotel in St Barth, with rates as low as 170 € in the summertime.

And the whole place is right out of a novel; as you walk the grounds and meet the guests at the pool, you get a sense that this is somewhere for travelers in the know, for those who have found something to treasure, for those who value French Caribbean afternoons.

And it is the Best-Kept Secret in St Barth.

The post The Best-Kept Secret in St Barth appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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Dominica’s new Secret Bay Villas are set to launch this September, the property announced.

Dominica’s top hotel is expanding with new villas called “Ylang Ylang,” named after the legendary flower that grows on the hotel’s grounds.

All timber work is complete on the villas, as well as doors, windows, kitchen appliances and bathrooms.

The newest addition to Secret Bay have one bedroom and one bathrooms, with two decks, a pool directly accessible from the bedroom, an outdoor shower, a barbecue and a hammock sofa.

— Caribbean Journal Staff

The post New Secret Bay Villas to Debut in September appeared first on Caribbean Journal.

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