On Monday, March 5, a red ribbon, held across part of Meads Bay – one of Anguilla’s world class beaches – by Government officials and private sector investors, and cut by a child, marked the formal commencement of Tranquility Beach Anguilla, a project of luxury signature suites now under construction. The event was witnessed by a large number of invited guests.
It was the groundbreaking ceremony for the project which already has a first phase of three buildings in progress with six one-bedroom condos in each building (totalling 18 units). A similar number of suites will form the second phase later on, and there is further land space nearby for additional expansion in course of time.
Tranquility Beach Anguilla, a US$10 million investment, is a joint undertaking by Mr. Ian (Sugar George) Edwards, Managing Director of the global award-winning Sunset Homes, and Mr. Neil Freeman, Chairman and CEO of Aries Capital, a long-time villa developer and resident in Anguilla – along with his wife, Mrs. Wendy Freeman.
Mrs. Janine Edwards, Sunset Homes’ Director of Marketing and Administration, set the stage for the ceremony in her welcome address. “Anguilla’s tourism is no longer business as usual. No longer simply about our enviable weather, fabulous beaches and first-class cuisine,” she stated in part. “The tourism experience is a powerful force that connects us all as humans, sharing the planet and the beautiful experiences that our different locations and lives offer. What has struck us, so profoundly and repeatedly, is the rich personal bond that visitors feel with Anguillians and Anguilla – and mutually the connection and friendship that Anguillians feel with our guests.”
Mrs. Edwards continued: “At Tranquility Beach Anguilla, we are offering vacation and ownership opportunities to enjoy modern luxury condo accommodation with all the comforts and convenience of living life to the fullest. We are offering all this in one of the best locations in the world, where you can walk barefoot on the sand to have dinner at a different restaurant. What we are offering, even more than this, is an opportunity for our guests to live life to its fullest.
“Sunset Homes and Aires Capital are pleased to join hands to continue to invest in Anguilla adding to and creating more Anguilla experiences; more Anguilla good times; and more Anguilla memories that will stay with you.”
Mr. Freeman was delighted that the basements of the three buildings were in place. He hoped that when completed he and Mr. Edwards, his partner, will be able “to find some buyers, residents and renters to occupy the space.” In his thank you remarks, he said in part: “I have to thank my wonderful partners, Ian (Sugar George) and Janine Edwards of Sunset Homes and their team. You not only have the passion of hard work, dedication and creativity, but your trust. We have very different skillsets and together we will make everything better.
“We are going to try and do something that some people have done and some have not been able to do on the island. We are going to make a success of a development which gets built, people get what they paid for and guests have memories.” Mr. Freeman also thanked the Anguilla Government, Chief Minister Banks, Governor Tim Foy and others for their support.
Governor Foy said it was fantastic for him to be associated with, and to be involved in, a ground-breaking for such a project and that Sugar George and Mr. Freeman could give themselves a lot of credit for the project. “It takes commitment and vision to actually turn an idea into a reality,” he observed. “In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, it is quite important to remember that we are very grateful to all of our investors who stuck with Anguilla. That is very important not just for the people here, who are associated with this particular development, but also for other investors who will come along and see that it is worthwhile investing in Anguilla.”
The Governor added that with Tranquility Beach Anguilla, and other developments taking place on the island, “we are well on our way to recovery. We are far ahead of other jurisdictions. Our investors, employers and businesses have stood with us and we have a remarkably strong Government that knows how to lead…”
Chief Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, Mr. Victor Banks, commended Mr. and Mrs. Edwards, in particular, for their vision for the project and attracting other investors as well. “I have always said, to a number of my colleagues and friends, that sometimes it seems as if one of the biggest crimes you can commit in Anguilla is to appear to be successful – and it is time for us to bring that kind of approach to an end,” he stressed. “I want to congratulate and support Mr. and Mrs. Edwards for their success. Anguilla will do well when we have successful people.”
Mr. Banks was pleased that Mr. and Mrs. Freeman had supported the Edwards in realising their vision for the project. “Neil and Wendy Freeman have been coming to Anguilla for over 20 years as visito
rs and were encouraged to be investors by buying a home and later investing in villa development,” he commented. “Now, with the encouragement of one of own developers, they have decided to partic
ipate in this venture, Tranquility Beach Anguilla. It is an investment we all need to be proud of.
“There was supposed to be a multi-million dollar development adjacent to this area – the former Viceroy property – and it has lain in languish for a long time. We now have an opportunity to develop this site and the surrounding land going forward. This is only the beginning and I want to wish the partners every success.”
Chief Minister Banks went on: “We are here today at a groundbreaking ceremony. A typical Ian didn’t want to have a groundbreaking with a gold shovel without something to represent that he was serious.
There have been a lot of golden shovels but the projects never got off the ground. I am confident that this one is not going to get off the ground. It is already off the ground.
“Another element of this project is that it is a shared project with Anguillian builders, contractors and entrepreneurs. The project is modelled to ensure that a number of persons benefit from the work here, and I think that is a good thing. We have to continue to ensure that Anguillians share in the investment that comes to Anguilla. We [the Government] invested in it as well. We gave upfront concessions to ensure that investors are encouraged to be here because we are in a competitive world, and in the region it is even more competitive for the investment we need so we have to put ourselves on the cutting edge of competitiveness.”
Mr. Edwards spoke about his success in convincing investors that Anguilla and the rest of the Caribbean were safe places in which to invest. “We are resilient, we rebuild and rebound,” he said, speaking about overcoming hurricanes. He was grateful to the Government and people of Anguilla, all departments and service providers for their support, and to the investors who had faith in coming on board with his project. “This is a good opportunity for the whole of Anguilla, and for all of us who will benefit from this investment,” he stated.
Mr. Edwards went on: “I would say that Meads Bay is probably the best beach in the world. That is why Four Seasons is at one end and Malliouhana-Auberge is at the other, with Tranquility Beach Anguilla in the middle. Our first phase contemporary design will be 18 one-bedroom condo units followed by another 18, and those will be professionally run as a small boutique hotel. There are another 10-12 acres that we own as well, and we are looking at many other opportunities and possibilities in terms of developing this.”
He added: “If you look to my left you will see that our basement walls have been poured. As the Chief Minister said, we do not like to do golden shovel groundbreakings. We actually like to have something that the people can see. We are also working on the ground floor decking and I strongly believe that, and we do have the finance to do the whole thing. That’s one of the things I can stand here and proudly say. We are not waiting on anybody. Next year, 2019, in the fall or so, we will be back here to welcome our first guests to Tranquility Beach Anguilla.”
Other persons who participated in the ceremony were Ms. Patricia Bygrave who chaired the proceedings, and Pastor Philip Gumbs who delivered the invocation. The ribbon was cut by Kieron Edwards, the young son of Mr. and Mrs. Edwards.
