It was not all work and no entertainment for Anguilla’s Marketing Representatives in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Canada, Puerto Rico and Latin America who were recently at a series of tourism promotion meetings on the island. In between, they had opportunities to visit and sample some of Anguilla’s alluring accommodation properties, fine dining restaurants, world-class beaches and whatever else may be described as a “taste of paradise”.
One of the places where they visited, and dined on the powdery white sand beach, was The Beach House, an elegant 8-room ultra-luxurious estate at Meads Bay, one of three villas owned by British investor from Leicestershire, Mr. John Barker and family. His other villas are Indigo and Le Bleu at Little Harbour. A belonger of Anguilla, Mr. Barker is also the owner of an area of beach land in West End.
The Marketing Representatives were invited to a special party at The Beach House on the evening of July 30, following the end of a press conference at the Anguilla Tourist Board Office. The Beach House is certainly one of the places in Anguilla they can market with confidence when taking into account the high-end accommodation facilities which the island boasts about. The Marketing Representatives were welcomed at The Beach House by Ms. Allison Strand, Manager of the Property, and by Ms. Danielle Barker, daughter of the owners of the property, who assists with its marketing in the United Kingdom.
Among the gathering was Mr. Cardigan Connor, Parliamentary Secretary, Tourism, and Mrs. Donna Banks, Chairperson of the Anguilla Tourist Board. Speaking to The Anguillian, Mr. Connor lauded the uniqueness and loveliness of The Beach House which was built by Sunset Homes, a specialist tourism construction company owned by Mr. Ian (Sugar George) Edwards and Mrs. Janine Edwards. “The Beach House is of the highest quality,” Mr. Connor said. “It is not just about the property itself. It is the one behind the property as the owner. John Barker is someone who has a great passion for Anguilla. I have known John over the last twenty years and, in fact, when I came back to Anguilla from England for the development of cricket on the island, John actually assisted us with rollers and other things at the park, and also assisted – along with Jack Birkenshaw…– to take Omari Banks and Shaka Hodge to England. So here was someone who has invested in Anguilla – not just in property but in the development of Anguilla’s youth as well. For John to be able to have properties like The Beach House here, that is helping so much with our tourism industry, I cannot say too much about his contribution to Anguilla. It is properties of the highest quality, like this, that we want to showcase to the world.”
Mr. Connor noted that such upscale properties usually attract many famous and wealthy visitors who delight in high quality accommodation. “It is no secret that Justin Bieber [described as “a most famous performer in the world”] was here over the Christmas period last year. He was overly impressed and quite happy to let the world know that he was here at The Beach House. It shows that there are celebrities whose attention is being drawn to Anguilla, and then there are those who are financially secured in their own right, and are looking for accommodation of the highest quality – and this is what this property is all about.”
Ms. Danielle Barker said she had become passionate about her father’s villas, and Anguilla as a whole, and that The Beach House was put into operation in December 2015 while the other two villas had been operating a few years before. The majority of guests are from the United States but efforts are being made to improve marketing in the UK. “It is not just about the villas, but people coming to Anguilla and enjoying the island,” she observed. She described the three villas (the one at Maids Bay and the other two at Little Harbour) as being very different, luxurious and with their own unique characteristics.
Ms. Strand, the Manager, is delighted to be based in Anguilla and to have a hands-on relationship with the guests and to support the staff. She spoke with pride about the capabilities and warmth of the Anguillian workers. “The first thing that guests say is how incredible The Beach House is,” she stated. “The second thing they say is how beautiful Meads Bay is; and the last thing they say is how sad they are to say goodbye to the staff. They always tell us ‘the best thing about The Beach House is the staff’. We are very, very proud of all the people we work with; and this is not only our staff, but all of the other businesses as well. We could not offer the kind of services we do without working in partnership with all of the other companies, the Government and the Anguilla Tourist Board. That is the reason we are holding this party to say thank you very much to all the companies, and all the people of the island.”
