Good things do come in threes - at least today

As I was telling you, I'm working on a fitness vacation called Soca Fitness Vacations. This one I'm creating on my own from start to finish.

Ok, so there is this saying that good things happen in threes. Who believes that mess anyway. I never really did. But today, I had three awesomely good things happen. So maybe I'm starting to believe this stuff.

1. I hired a "Communications Manager" that writes the most awesome press releases. The woman is brilliant. She delivered a draft to me today that blew me away. I usually write these press releases myself (like I do with everything else), but I have been wanting to hire her for a very, very long time. I finally jumped the gun so that I can work on other things while the professional handled the job. Pleased is the word that comes to mine. I can't wait to get the word out and get this ball rolling.
2. I received a reservation for Soca Fitness Vacations from...drum roll...LONDON! What a wonder. After inviting a yoga instructor who teaches at one of the most exclusive hotels in the Caribbbean to my fitness event, he asked to teach at mine. What!? I really, really never expected that. It was quite an honour, I must say. Hopefully we can work somethng out to mesh London and Barbados instructors. But, next thing I know, I'm getting reservations from London. I'm still shaking my head!
3. Tonight I spoke to my marketing and PR person. Yes, I hired another professional to help me reach my goal of making Soca Fitness Vacations into something bigger than just another one-time trip. From the first few sentences, I knew my girl and I would work well together. I knew I hired the right person. She's smart, intelligent, and she knows marketing and PR. I expect good things from this one.

So those are my three great happenings for the day. Next time something good happens, I'm expecting two others to follow it. ;) Time will tell.

Mag

Sandals Acquires Yet Another Property in Turks & Caicos

This man certainly goes for what he wants. Sandals just this past month acquired LaSource in Grenada, and now an adjacent property to the existing Beaches Turks & Caicos in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos. 

This new property will be called Key West Luxury Village at Beaches Turks & Caicos.

Key West Luxury Village at Beaches Turks & Caicos

BUTCH STEWART BUYS THE VERANDA RESORT IN TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS

Butch Stewart

Sat, Dec 01, 2012

After almost two years of negotiations, Jamaican hotel magnate Gordon “Butch” Stewart has finally bought The Veranda Resort & Residences, a five-star fully-inclusive property located on Grace Bay beach. The multi-million dollar sale to Sandals Resorts International by Faez Limited will become official on December 17th, 2012, officials told The SUN.

Mark Durliat, Chief Executive Officer, Grace Bay Resorts, said: “While the sale of this magnificent property was not anticipated so early in its establishment, we feel proud to have been the operators who established it as among the top five-star fully-inclusives in the Caribbean.

Our team will work hand-in-hand with Sandals Resorts International to provide a wonderful experience for all during the transition, and we remain grateful and indebted to our staff, without whom the success of The Veranda and its rapid growth over the past three years would not have been possible.”

Grace Bay Resorts, the developer and owner of the world-renowned Grace Bay Club, has managed The Veranda for the past three years since its opening in 2010, and will cease direct management and supervision of all operations, effective with the close of the sale.

The Veranda will be transitioned to Sandals Resorts International as an expansion of the award-winning Beaches Turks & Caicos Resort Villages & Spa and will honor all previous bookings. Officials said Grace Bay Resorts will work closely with the Sandals Resorts International staff at The Veranda over the next several weeks to ensure a seamless and successful transition during the holiday season.

Beaches Turks & Caicos

The Veranda, which is an $80million, five star fully-inclusive 123-room residence-style resort, is located right next to Beaches Resort and Spa, with only a beach access separating the two properties. Sitting on 11 acres and boasting 800 feet of beachfront, The Veranda is made up of one, two, three and four-bedroom cottages and 40 studios and has a total of 168 keys. It is built in the Key West/Caribbean style.

Earlier this year, The SUN broke the story that Stewart and Veranda owner Andre Serruys of Britain, held several meetings about the multi-million sale which would make Stewart the largest single owner of beachfront property in Providenciales and increase his majority percentage of hotel rooms in the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Veranda is an $80 million investment, but it was reportedly sold for around $100million.

With the integration of The Veranda into Beaches Resort, the Butch Stewart resort will have a total of 875 keys and over 1,100 bedrooms, mainly suites, making it the largest hotel on the Turks & Caicos Islands. 

Beaches Turks & Caicos employs around 1, 400 people and with the acquisition of The Veranda, that figure would go up to about 1,800 employees. It has one of the best beaches in the Caribbean and the third-rated barrier reef for scuba diving in the world. The hotel also boasts the largest water park in the Caribbean and with 16 restaurants, it has more restaurants than any resort in the Caribbean.

When Stewart first established operations in the Turks & Caicos he took over a small hotel of just 150 rooms with limited facilities. At that time, American Airlines was offering one flight a day from Miami. In order to expand, Stewart chartered five airplanes from Continental Airlines to help create additional airlift. These aircraft serviced key sites namely Boston, New York, Newark, Philadelphia and Atlanta and had the effect of putting the Turks & Caicos on the map as a top Caribbean destination.

Earlier this month, Butch Stewart’s Sandals Resorts International bought a four-star hotel that recently closed in the eastern Caribbean nation of Grenada.

Stewart says he will invest $100 million to convert the former La Source property of 100 rooms into a 265-room complex. It will be renamed Sandals LaSource Grenada Resort & Spa and it is scheduled to open in early 2013 and become the 14th Sandals resort in the Caribbean.

The resort is located on Pink Gin Beach and is currently closed. It was heavily damaged by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and didn't reopen until February 2008.

Source: The Sun

Old Memories

My family is great for stories. My Granny used to tell all kinds of stories, and so do my Mum and Dad. I'm actually planning on writing a book about old memories.

Granny used to tell stories about her parents in Haiti and growing up in the Dominican Republic. Funny stories, scary stories, and stories about how she got her name from the Grandmother she was not too fond of, but ended up with that Grandmother's name, which Granny didn't like too much. My Great Grandfather, Granny's Dad, was a horse trader, and would go from island to island trading horses.

Mum tells stories about growing up in the Dominican Republic and St. Lucia, and about her parents (Granny and my Grandfather) in St. Lucia and Barbados and their travels moving from one country to another and then finally settling in Barbados. She tells stories about going by boat from one island to the next and being so seasick that she could not get off at some of the ports. She also crack my kids up with stories about Ossie Moore, a funny character (true or not) in Barbados.

Dad tells stories about his parents, and Great Grandmother and how hard his Dad was on him while growing up in Barbados.

I contribute my stories to my kids about the difference between growing up in Barbados and the United States -- how things were so different in either place. Some memories are the best that any child can imagine, and some memories (especially moving to the Northeastern US in the dead of Winter) were a little daunting. All these stories are what my daughter Krystina would call: a collaboration of the United Nations.

What stories do you have about great family memories?