Thursday, May 27, 2010

Buccament Bay Resort Opens in SVG

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Buccament Bay Resort announces its soft opening as the first luxury resort on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. The 368-room resort will be the first from the new hotel brand, Harlequin Hotels & Resorts and is positioned to redefine tourism on the island, creating massive sustainability and growth into the economy and its community.

The hotel’s unprecedented partnerships will provide extensive facilities and amenities such as The Alaia Spa, Pat Cash Tennis Academy, Liverpool Football Club Soccer School, Harlequin Performing Arts Academy, Trader Vic’s along with several other bars and restaurants, a Diving & Water Sports Centre and a Marina.

Harlequin Hotels & Resorts understands the impact a large-scale resort development has on a relatively small tourism industry and is committed to being a responsible and considerate community partner by striving for a positive economic impact and supporting social development in St. Vincent. This will include a sustainability strategy involving sourcing local resources for building materials and food, maximizing energy efficiency, minimizing water waste and pollution and reducing the carbon footprint made by transporting goods and guests within the resort. Harlequin is also recruiting its workforce locally and Buccament Bay Resort will employ more than 700 local people in the operation of the resort.

Accommodations from sprawling beachfront villas to chic hotel suites, including nine different categories are being constructed to the highest specifications.

Inspired by the rich jewel tone colors of a tropical sunset, Dallas-based interior design firm Jones Baker incorporated tropical hardwoods, natural stone, and luxurious textiles to create a memorable guest experience. Catering to an upscale clientele, special attention was given to design details such as custom bedding, luxurious baths with rain showers, and numerous other guest amenities including in-room technology, custom lighting and private terraces.

With several restaurants, bars and lounges, Buccament Bay Resort will provide the best of world cuisine. Restaurants include Jack’s Steak and Seafood, Arlecchino Italian fine dining, Trader Vic’s offering a blend of Pacific Island, Asian and American cuisine, Ginger & Co. Asian fusion restaurant, and The Bay Beach Club serving drinks and snacks throughout the day. An attraction in its own right is The Pearl, a galleon that will be moored just offshore at the hotel to provide a fantastically original surrounding.

Buccament Bay Resort will feature the Caribbean’s most varied, and respected sports facilities and activities. The Pat Cash Tennis Academy will offer expert tennis coaching for both adults and children along with annual tournaments featuring Grand Slam players. Further, the resort will be the first Caribbean destination to feature a partnership with a football (American soccer) club with the opening of the Liverpool Football Club Soccer School. The courses at the school will be designed to be fun, challenging and interactive with courses available for children of five years and up. The facilities will also be available for professional teams to undertake pre-season training.

The Harlequin Performing Arts Academy will offer a wide range of upbeat classes and a unique opportunity for children of all ages to learn and develop performance skills, with tailor-made programs led by West End and Broadway performers, actors, choreographers, vocal coaches and musicians. Master-classes can also be arranged for aspiring adults.

The resort marina will have berths for cruising yachts and offshore anchoring mooring buoys for larger yachts. Buccament Bay Resort will offer a wide range of water sports through its Diving & Water Sports Centre including a range of PADI certified diving tuition and guided dives. Other water sports offered will include kayaking, and snorkeling.

The Alaia Spa, designed by ESPA, will have a range of relaxing and restorative treatments and therapies. Services will include hot stone therapies, Shiatsu, Aromatherapy, holistic body and Thai massages as well as traditional beauty treatments. Yoga, Pilates, Reiki and meditation will also be offered, reflecting the spa’s holistic focus and guests will be able to experience outdoor treatment suites, bordered by herb gardens and shaded by tropical vegetation.

Wedding ceremonies will take place in an antique gazebo being shipped from Spain overlooking the resort’s white sand beach and the Caribbean Sea. Packages will have exclusive use of a villa for a champagne and canapés reception.

Additional resort amenities include several boutiques, a white sand beach, swimming pools with concierge service, a children’s pool, , business center, Teen Club, babysitting and Little Harlequins, Buccament Bay Resort’s signature kid’s club.

For reservations and more information, please visit www.harlequinhotelsandresorts.com.

About Harlequin Hotels & Resorts
Harlequin Hotels & Resorts is creating luxury resorts in Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & The Grenadines, Dominican Republic and Brazil. Built to the highest specification and offering state-of-the-art facilities, the resorts will be managed and maintained to the highest standard by a five-star hotel management team. Each resort will offer a wide range of amenities; the Harlequin Sports Academy will include the Liverpool Football Club Soccer School, Pat Cash Tennis Academy, Harlequin Fitness Centre and Diving & Water Sports Centre; several bars and restaurants, including world famous Trader Vic’s, will offer guests a choice of cuisine ranging from fine dining to casual eating; the Harlequin Performing Arts Academy; the Alaia Spa created and operated by ESPA, and the Little Harlequins Kids Club. The Marquis Estate in St Lucia will have a Gary Player Signature Golf Course with the world’s first Gary Player Golf Hotel and villas. Harlequin’s first resort, Buccament Bay Resort in St Vincent & The Grenadines, is due to open in 2010.

http://www.hotelinteractive.com/article.aspx?articleid=17131