SteveO
Reged: 06/06/03
Posts: 78
Loc: Boston, MA
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A new resort is opening this fall along Shoal Bay East called Ku. They are marketing the resort as having the minimalist cool of South Beach and the sophistication of St. Barts. It is only a 27 room all suite resort with a beach bar, pool, mini spa. I guess the same management team that helped Cap Juluca gain fame is also behind this project. I wouldn't mind seeing more places like this in Anguilla but the mega projects they have planned worry me.
Great introductory rates for the upcoming year!
http://travelvideo.tv/news/more.php?id=5474_0_1_0_M
http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/article/20050606102027125
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Petri
Reged: 01/19/04
Posts: 1258
Loc: Helsinki, Finland
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Just in case someone else is wondering, I exchanged a few e-mails about this new resort and tried to put the place on the map.
It's formerly known as Shoal Bay Beach Hotel and it's next to Uncle Earnie's. It's going through major renovation so I don't know how much will be left, nevet visit the Shoal Bay Beach Hotel.
Petri
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SELES
Reged: 03/15/03
Posts: 1826
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Has anyone run across any further information on Ku? I plan to take a look at it in mid August. Ric
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SteveO
Reged: 06/06/03
Posts: 78
Loc: Boston, MA
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I know it is not opening until October/November and they will have great rates this high season. I hear they have redone a few of the rooms already and they are quite chic. Here is the location of the place. http://www.shoalbaybeach.com/
Ku is the old Shoal Bay Beach Hotel.
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stuart
Reged: 06/13/04
Posts: 35
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Did you ever get a look at this place? We have stayed at both Cuisinart and Cap J but the prices are getting ridiculous. Thoughts?
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Dennis
Reged: 04/05/04
Posts: 3121
Loc: Chicago
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http://www.kuanguilla.com/
Obviously not quite ready yet...
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SELES
Reged: 03/15/03
Posts: 1826
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I got a short look at the 'to be' KU-Anguilla and it will surprise me if they're ready in November as expected. I think it will be a nice place, and if they keep the rates under Cuisinart and Cap J. they'll do good.
Like it was pointed out at the start of this subject, it really concerns me about 2 things on Anguilla:
1~the rising cost of hotel rooms and rental villas
2~the local governments recent change to allow hotels/inns with over 100 rooms
With the new developments, hotels and massive villas I either saw under construction or heard of with permits/approvals to proceed, Anguilla could easily triple+ their rooms on the Island within 3 years, leaving the peaceable and loving Anguillans who have shared this Island with the Original Aristocracy to be pushed out of the real estate market. Displacement happens naturally in many locations, but this represents a real political change in their laws. The Island will be forced to hire employees from elsewhere and provide some type of housing for them...there she goes.
Just my thoughts.
Ric
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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Anguilla's planned pace is a bit curious. In fact, several islands are adopting a similar strategy. Nevis, for instance, has just approved two more five star hotels to share Pinney Beach with the Four Seasons. So long as these are a couple hundred rooms or so, that should not be too big a deal. But islands that heretofor have been known for being quiet and laidback (Anguilla and Nevis for instance) are really picking up the pace.
It seems that some of this is chasing after The Glitterati. Within six months of reading "Oprah loved Nevis" or "Oprah is buying a house on Anguilla, as is Tom Cruise" both islands are building Bigger And Better.
I find it curious, myself. Because, to me, there are several models you can adopt:
1. The St Croix Model
Having not been a favorite haunt of The Glitterati for some time, they have made their living on second-home owners, divers, marathon runners and folks who like hotels and condos. Their future plans are for large-scale casino resorts chasing middle class americans wanting a good time and a little action. Not everyone's cup of tea - but it will probably be successful.
2. The St Barts Model:
Keep it small, mostly villas and a few boutique hotels, some quite high end. Cater to a monied crowd with sophisticated tastes and offer a little flare with an otherwise sedate experience
3. The St Martin Model:
Bring 'em en. Plane, boat, ship, whatever. We want 'em and we will build accomodations for them. Clearly this brings a lot of money to your shores. But it also brings relatively uncontrolled growth, guest workers and a loss of identity.
4. The Exclusive Glitterati Model:
Very similar to The St Barts Model. Try to bring in Big Money by offering a fine but relatively serene experience not appealing to the mass markets. This is the Parrot Key or the Harbor Island model. No cruise ships need apply.
5. The Mass Market Glitterati Model:
This is the one model that does not make sense to me. It is as this thread says - South Beach Meets St Barts. On the one hand, I see where it is going. Now that Hollywood and Big Money have discovered you, take your game up a notch. On Anguilla, you had Malliouhana, Cuisinart and Cap Juluca to tend to that. And clearly The Glitterati have seen this and responded. As Anguilla likes to advertise "Stars go to St Barts to be seen and Anguilla to escape". But now they are going to put Anguilla on the map. Big resorts, lotsa people, etc. And with less of a villa market, I wonder if Anguilla will quickly chase away the peace-seeking Big Money folks who go there now. And can you make a go of it with High End Mass Market? Perhaps.
The Caribbean in general seems to be on a big growing spree. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15641
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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Quote:
The Caribbean in general seems to be on a big growing spree. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.
a blind man can see how it will all "shake out".....give me an example where big development money DIDN"T win out in the end.......and then give me examples of where it did win out.....then look at the numbers and calculate your odds....
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Lauren
Reged: 10/10/02
Posts: 1332
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The Hurricane Element, if it continues the apparent upswing...could be the only thing that destroys the caribbean development gurus.
In this vein, it will also be interesting to see if the Federal government will strive to rebuild New Orleans quickly. Got to get those strip bars open fast. What if NOLA gets hit again hard this year? And everything goes?
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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Quote:
Quote:
The Caribbean in general seems to be on a big growing spree. It will be interesting to see how it all shakes out.
a blind man can see how it will all "shake out".....give me an example where big development money DIDN"T win out in the end.......and then give me examples of where it did win out.....then look at the numbers and calculate your odds....
I can name a variety of places where Big Money Development did a great job. The list, not inclusive, would include:
1. Mustique
2. Several BVI - particularly Virgin Gorda which hosts three nice and reasonably sizeable resorts
3. St Barts - we can say there is no Big Money on the island but that is utterly false. The aggregate villa pricetag on that island is clearly in the high millions, if not billions.
Those are three quickies. "Money" can indeed mean "ruination" if you want a truly authentic caribbean experience. Few/none of us opt to stay in un-airconditioned stick-shacks or cinderblock buildings on the beach, trying to catch today's sustenance by rod and reel. I know some of us have done that in the past. But it aint us now. Of course, money just thrown at an island with no plan can also mean too much too soon. And that is a real danger.
Authentic? Old School?
Heck, we cant even get on a jet airplane to go to St Barts withoug getting our latest internet updates before leaving.
I dont know if there is any one best model. I think people need to be careful that they have chosen the right model for them. For instance, I think Nevis is probably doing it right. They are attracting mid-sized, very high end resorts to their island in a somewhat small number. The several hundred rooms they will add will not necessarily overwelm Nisbet Beach Plantation or the other small, boutique hotels on the island. And the islanders should be able to absorb these rooms without importing a lot of extra labor.
I am a bit curious about some of the things Anguilla has planned, including an enormous project over the next ten years. It may turn out to be The Place in a decade - South Beach On Anguilla. If so, props to them for shaping their own destiny.
I think St Croix's plans are smart - playing to their strengths (budget deal for the middle class) without trying to be something they aren't. It wont be as Glitterati as Anguilla or Nevis, but it doesn't have to be.
Oh well, no one forces us to go there. So we pay our money and take our chances.
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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The Hurricane Element, if it continues the apparent upswing...could be the only thing that destroys the caribbean development gurus.
In this vein, it will also be interesting to see if the Federal government will strive to rebuild New Orleans quickly. Got to get those strip bars open fast. What if NOLA gets hit again hard this year? And everything goes?
Most Big Money can plan and work around hurricanes. While St Croix was wiped out by Hugo (over twelve hours of two hundred mile an hour winds) The Bucanner closed up, cleaned up and opened up as grand as ever.
You plan for it, build for it, and then clean it all up.
Look at some of the villas on St Barts - particularly the "case" model places such as La Baleine and such. Those things are fortresses that would probably last through almost anything that could come their way short of Cumbe Vieja.
So long as millions and millions of americans want to recapitulate our amphibian ways and sojourn back to the sea, there will be people who will accomodate us.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15641
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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space and time wont permit to put my list together.... you know as well as I do it would be far longer then the other list.....Nassau...St Thomas ... Key West....Cape Cod...St Martin....etc...use your imagination.....but hey....whatever keeps the sheep happy I suppose is what should transpire.....Anguilla will be one happy island I'm sure....
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15641
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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Quote:
I am a bit curious about some of the things Anguilla has planned, including an enormous project over the next ten years. It may turn out to be The Place in a decade - South Beach On Anguilla. If so, props to them for shaping their own destiny.
please, please tell me you dont honestly believe that the people who live and work in Angulla actually have anything to say about their "destiny"......God I hope you dont believe that.....this is the destiny of a few on the island and whatever bank is backing it, and a few off the island who could care less about the native working mans "destiny"...I can live with the Polyanna...but naive is a whole different story...LOL
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Petri
Reged: 01/19/04
Posts: 1258
Loc: Helsinki, Finland
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Quote:
Nevis, for instance, has just approved two more five star hotels to share Pinney Beach with the Four Seasons. So long as these are a couple hundred rooms or so, that should not be too big a deal.
That's really a pity considering what Nevis is. It was quite perfect before, at the upper end Four Season to employ half of the island the few old sugar mill hotels to cater the people who actually want to see something else than the Four Season.
Quote:
3. The St Martin Model:
Bring 'em en. Plane, boat, ship, whatever. We want 'em and we will build accomodations for them. Clearly this brings a lot of money to your shores. But it also brings relatively uncontrolled growth, guest workers and a loss of identity.
Just curious, anyone know what the locals from both side of the island think about the situation?
We've stayed in St. Martin shortly over our trips a few times and always in Grand Case. The difference between the French and Dutch is so noticeable that we try to stay away from the Dutch side as much as we can.
We visit Capri a week ago. It's quite an interesting place compared to the Caribbean islands. Flying to Rome and my rail to Naples, taxi to the harbour and the hydrofoil to the island is like going through SXM -- not pleasant but doable considering the ultimate destination.
The island is full of high scale shops, quite a few expensive and high quality hotels. A lot of small, family run services from restaurants to boats to cater the tourists, and the high volume tourist equivalents as well. During the day the island is full of day visitors from cruise ships and the continent, in the evening the crowd changes 100% and everything is very classy and nice.
Petri
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15641
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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Capri is definetly a split personality island for sure..thank goodess it has no beaches..did you do the Blue Grotto??
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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First of all, there is no denying that just throwing money at something without a well thought out plan is bound to disaster. As such, there are plenty of places that have been overbuilt and ruined. Yep, no doubt. And for all the reasons you would name. D'accord.
As to what the Anguillans do or dont control concerning their destiny, if they are the people who choose their leaders and the leaders make such decisions, then they are the people choosing their destiny.
In my lifetime, the Isle Of Palms has grown from a sleepy little nowhere into a fantastic beach community. Almost fully developed, it is not overdeveloped. It now retains almost all of the charm of its former day and still has a convenient and modern service infrastructure - perhaps the best of all worlds.
Yet, right next door is Sullivan's Island who may have even kicked that game up a notch. SI has adopted some of the most stringent laws known to man about rentals and such in trying to preserve its old and quiet ways. So it ends up with VERY high end and Big Money places, devoid of a lot of crowds and renters.
These two islands have had BILLIONS pumped into them over the last 20 years. And they are grander than ever. Not only have they not been ruined, they have improved.
Smart People often do Smart Things. Hopefully the islanders are Smart People. The folks in St Barts appear to be. I think the folks in St Croix - warts and all - have some good ideas. Everyone else will have to play their cards the way they see fit.
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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Quote:
please, please tell me you dont honestly believe that the people who live and work in Angulla actually have anything to say about their "destiny"......God I hope you dont believe that.....this is the destiny of a few on the island and whatever bank is backing it, and a few off the island who could care less about the native working mans "destiny"...I can live with the Polyanna...but naive is a whole different story...LOL
SOMEBODY has to vote for the people who approve things. As I pointed out in this thread, the people of Sullivan's Island South Carolina voted to close their island down in some ways. It was a conscious choice they made to preserve their lifestyles - and property values have exploded because of it.
St Barts has eschewed casinos, big resorts, etc. So they have pursued a path that required thought and political will - with political will usually the result of pressure from the masses.
If a people can vote in free and unfettered elections and they choose guys who will sell them out to some bank oversees, then they are getting what they voted for.
The people of St Barts have not voted for that. Nor did the people of Sullivan's Island. Nor have the people of the BVI, who have some of the meanest real estate laws on the books.
Smart is as Smart does. And when I see Smart around me, it is not "polyanna" to assume that other people could also be Smart.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15641
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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I need about ten thousand customers like you in my shops.... LOL
I lived down there..I know how the politcal process works...and it doesn work anything at all like you are describing in Utobiaville
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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Quote:
I need about ten thousand customers like you in my shops.... LOL
I lived down there..I know how the politcal process works...and it doesn work anything at all like you are describing in Utobiaville
I can only refer you to places that have done it correctly. The fact that such places do indeed exist proves that such places do indeed exist.
I really cant offer any better evidence. Nor do I need to do so.
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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This does NOT mean that everyone will do The Smart Thing. History shows Common Sense to be one of the least common human traits.
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15641
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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and on that we totally agree...so lets stop here on common ground...
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Mike R
Reged: 05/26/03
Posts: 15641
Loc: Stinson Lake - New Hampshire
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and I agree that places exist who have "nailed it"..I never disagreed with that....but they are very much the exception...not the rule..thats all I'm saying
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karma is a beautiful thing at times
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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Quote:
and on that we totally agree...so lets stop here on common ground...
Nah. Our quest is not to show everyone how to do The Right Thing. Even if we had all the answers (which I doubt we do) most people would ignore us.
Our quest is quite simple: In the Buffet Line Of Life, try a little of several things and then go back for extra helpings of the stuff you like.
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LindaP
Reged: 03/15/03
Posts: 208
Loc: Albany, NY
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we've been to Anguilla about 5 times, before we discovered ST Barths(although we went there last year on the way to SBs)....I am afraid for the smaller places, like Gwens, Bankies, and the family-owned hotels.....it is a shame that they are allowing big glitzy hotels.
Petri, I agree what you said about Capri, we loved it there, and it is on my favorite list....the food, view, people....we stayed at the Luna Hotel, a smaller place, beautiful!!!!!
Also, Mustique has escaped the radar of the build-it-bigger crowd. I also loved it there, due to the seculsion, people, and beaches.
So, we can only hope SBs will stay in its own little time warp.
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Island Visitor
Reged: 12/19/02
Posts: 10396
Loc: Retraité
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Mustique will always escape The Corporate Imperative because the entire island is owned and has been developed by one corporation who planned it from day one.
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Petri
Reged: 01/19/04
Posts: 1258
Loc: Helsinki, Finland
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Quote:
Capri is definetly a split personality island for sure..thank goodess it has no beaches..did you do the Blue Grotto??
We didn't. We went for lunch nearby one day, the sea was too rough and it was closed for boats and some serious swimmers didn't get in either.
We rent Giovanni's boat (http://www.aprea.it/, highly recommended over the people standing at the harbour, highlight of our trip, very flexible, good contacts, nice stories how things work) and he didn't recommend the boat trip - too short, just expensive tourist trap. He recommended swimming there when it closes for boats in the evening. We did swimming at the "green" grotto instead.
I think Anema e Core is much more important place to visit than Blue Grotto ;-)
LindaP: We stayed at the Luna as well. Very nice place indeed. Excellent location, on the coast with excellent view, walking distance from the Quisi terrace. From our trip I would put Luna, Quisi and Punta Tragara on the list for best places to stay.
We also considered the Garden Suite at Villa Le Scala for four but afterwards I'm glad we didn't choose it. It's probably a very nice place to stay at but unless you want to stay most of the time at the villa, not very exciting location. The daytime tourists are just blocking the street next to it. I also doubt Anacapri can beat Capri for the evenings.
Aurora was by far the best place we ate at, La Capannina was pretty much a rip-off. Le Grottelle is also worth the walk. Don't look at the menu, ask what's fresh today.
Petri
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