On his swing through Los Angeles, TravelAge West spoke with David Lyon, director of sales & marketing, CuisinArt Resort & Spa, about the Anguilla resort’s six, new stand alone villas, the first ever at the 96-room and suite resort.
“These aren’t private residences,” said Lyon. “They’re part of the resort’s inventory.”
The first three villas debuted in February. These are three-bedroom Beachfront Villas with a private pool, terrace and sea views from the master bedroom. The second set of villas — five-bedroom Garden Villas, which can also be booked as two- or three-bedroom accommodations — are set to debut this month.
All villas have living and dining space with wall-mounted flat screened televisions, a built-in wet bar and entertainment center with internet access and a fully-equipped kitchen. The master bedroom suite and guest bedrooms each have their own baths. Master bedrooms also have their own solariums and each villa has its own private pool.
The summer rate for the five-bedroom Garden Villas is $3,200 (it can also be booked as Three-Bedroom Garden with pool for $2,300 or Two-Bedroom Garden for $1,225). The three-bedroom beachfront villas go for $2,800 per night during the summer.
The five-star CuisinArt Resort & Spa is a member of The Leading Small Hotels of the World. It’s located on the shores of Anguilla’s Rendezvous Bay and really stands out due to its stunning Greek-style architecture reminiscent of the whitewashed villas of Mykonos. Lyons noted that 15 percent of the resort’s guests come from the west coast, with five percent of these arriving from California. He describes CuisinArt as being a low-profile resort and beach experience that while family-friendly is primarily for couples.
“We don’t have a kid’s camp, instead we cater to families who want to stick together and share activities,” said Lyons.
The new villas aren’t the only news for the top-rated resort. Earlier this year CuisinArt Resort & Spa reopened its Venus Spa & Fitness Center after a $10 million expansion that tripled the size of the spa facility to 27,000 square feet and increased the number of treatment rooms from five to 16, including a VIP suite. “Our spa director, Kathy Eggleston, saw the need for a relaxation area with sea views,” said Lyons. “We also built a Men’s Club Room in the spa, which has dark, masculine decor.”
The resort’s new aqua therapy pool — also referred to as the Healing Waters Pool — has hydrotherapy jets that release mineral-enriched saltwater known for its healing properties. The resort supplies the waters for the pool from its own on-property saltwater wells.
“Saltwater is usually piped in 600 feet from shore but there were issues with the Anguilla government about pumping from the coral reef,” explained Lyons.
Another nice touch at the resort is its hydroponic farm, which provides more than produce for CuisinArt’s restaurants. Cucumbers and aloe from the hydroponic farm are utilized in a variety of the spa’s treatments.
According to Lyons, Anguilla is a step back into the old Caribbean and a culinary destination with over 100 restaurants.
“In a seven-night stay, we’d like guests to dine at Santorini, our main restaurant,” he said.
The AAA Four Diamond Santorini Restaurant offers a choice of indoor or al fresco dining on the terrace. Lyons notes that once a month the restaurant has a presentation in which specific foods are matched with wines from the resort’s 3,600 bottle wine cellar.
“Our policy is to restrict children under 11 after 7:00 p.m. from Santorini,” said Lyons. “Although our staff will make exceptions and within a day or so they know, which kids will be well-behaved in the restaurant.”
Lyons generously gave his recommendations for restaurants on Anguilla.
“My favorite is Veya Restaurant, an India-Caribbean fusion restaurant that opened a couple of years ago; and Blanchards, a traditional restaurant that everyone on the island knows.”
www.cuisinartresort.com
