GO...UP & AWAY - JAXFAX Travel Marketing Magazine

The Sandy Sister Act:
Selling Antigua & Barbuda
With Boggy Peak re-named Mount
Obama in honor of our 44th President,
Antigua is poised to welcome
American travelers this winter season.
Officially named on the August 4th
birthday of the President, Mt. Obama
stands proud at 1,319 feet and is the
highest peak on the island. Measuring
14 miles long and eleven miles wide,
Antigua sits pretty south of St. Maarten
and east of St. Kitts. Three hundred
and sixty five beaches rim its coastline
and with an array of accommodations
from upscale resorts to quaint inns, the
island is a magnet for the winter-weary.
To the north, Barbuda is a very big
beach surrounding a very little island,
so far untouched by mass tourism.
Beds for Heads
New on the hotel horizon, Sugar
Ridge opened in December with sixty
rooms and the island’s first Aveda Spa.
Perched on its namesake hill bordered
with sugar cane fields, the property
provides shuttles to the beach and an
18-hole golf course. “Our team
remained focused on this project, even
in this challenging economic climate,“
said Aidan McCauley, company director.
”The opening is a tribute to what
we have set out to do, which is offer a
luxurious resort that is affordable and
unrivaled in the region.” Visit
www.sugarridgeantigua.com
Accessible by boat, Jumby Bay has
reopened after a $28 million renovation.
Secluded and swanky, the Rosewoodmanaged
property unveiled new facilities
including a Sense spa and bistro-style
eatery overlooking a new infinity pool.
Accommodations include forty
redesigned guestrooms and suites.
Jumby Bay encourages eco-minded
guests to join the Turtle Watch Program.
All-inclusive rates through April 10 start at
By Melanie Reffes
Antigua and Barbuda’s pink and white sand beaches are protected by barrier reefs.
$1,395 per night. Visit www.jumbybayresort.com
Two Sandals properties include the
Grand Pineapple Beach Resort on the
northeast coast and Mediterranean Village
at Sandals Grande Antigua Resort
overlooking Dickenson Bay. “Together,
the Villages represent the best of both
worlds,” said Gordon “Butch” Stewart,
Sandals chairman. “With nine fine-dining
restaurants, six pools, Red Lane spa and
large areas for shopping, guests have
more options in one grand setting.” Visit
www.sandals.com
Elite Island Properties manage a
quintet of resorts including Galley Bay,
St James’s Club, Dian Bay, Pineapple
Beach Club and the Verandah. On the
West Coast, Galley Bay is the jewel in
the crown with refurbished Gauguininspired
cottages and the Teepee bar
where you may spot next door neighbor
Giorgio Armani sipping a glass of
Grandin Champagne. The only resort
that touches the Caribbean Sea and the
Atlantic Ocean, St. James’s Club is
family-friendly with babysitting services
when the Monte Carlo casino is open.
The “Linger Longer“ promotion at all
five resorts offers 50% off the 8th
night, valid year round. Visit
www.eliteislandresorts.com
On the south coast, 72-suite Curtain
Bluff has been under the same ownership
for more than four decades. Ratcheting
up the luxe-factor with caviar and
champagne massages, sightings of
Oprah and Eric Clapton are as legendary
as the wine cellar stocked with twentyfive
thousand bottles. “The year 2009
was tough for many; we want to offer
something extra special to start 2010 off
right,“ said Rob Sherman, managing
director, referring to the “Power of 10”
which includes a second spa treatment or
tennis lesson for ten dollars above room
rates. Visit www.curtainbluff.com
In English Harbour, Copper & Lumber
Store Hotel dates to 1783 when
Captain Horatio Nelson commissioned
the warehouse to shore up his embattled
fleet. The waterfront inn is a
favorite of modern swashbucklers who
favor its whitewashed brick structure
and antique brass keys that unlock
fourteen guest quarters, each named
after one of Nelson’s ships. Visit
www.copperandlumberhotel.com
More island history at the Inn at English
Harbour with twenty-eight rooms in
colonial-style cabanas and villas. Although
upgraded with Wi-fi and spa, the Inn
retains its old-world charm with the Terrace
Restaurant and Stone Bar built in
the original stone house. “No detail has
been spared to preserve the integrity and
grace of the historic inn while updating
the comforts and amenities essential to
today’s travelers,” explained Fabio Giorgi,
general manager. Visit www.theinn.ag
Chow Down
The Caribbean Sea laps so close to the
Coconut Grove restaurant that it’s not
unusual for the waves to wash right into
the dining room. With a steady stream of
guests from the attached Siboney
Beach Club, the open-air eatery is a
favorite watering hole of the ex-pat community.
Outside Nelson’s Dockyard, Grace
Before Meals is famous for fruit smoothies
large enough to be a meal, though
burgers and rotis are also on the menu. In
a leafy courtyard inside the Dockyard,
Wardroom Restaurant and Mainbrace
Pub serve British fare to a crowd of regulars.
Around the corner in Falmouth Harbour,
Mad Mongoose attracts hungry
sailors with affordable drinks and hearty
Guinness pies. On Hilda Davis Drive,
Papa Zouk’s pours two hundred kinds of
12 FEBRUARY 2010 WWW.JAXFAX.COM
BARBUDA TB