Jungle Bay Journal ~ July 2006 |
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Greetings from Jungle Bay, Your Caribbean Home! Welcome to the first edition of the Jungle Bay Journal, an e-newsletter to keep you updated on all the exciting activities here at Jungle Bay Resort and Spa on the Nature Island of Dominica. Whether you are a past guest or you are just thinking of booking your first holiday with us, we want to keep in touch and encourage you to do the same. We welcome you to our unspoiled tropical Caribbean home. Come hike, kayak, do Yoga, enjoy a coconut oil massage in our spa
overlooking the Atlantic. Sip a cup of herbal tea and relax on the
balcony of your private cottage listening to the sounds of the rainforest
and enjoy the unique Caribbean cuisine in the Pavilion Restaurant.
Click here to read more about our First Year at
Jungle Bay
Escape Wedding (by Glenda) Jungle Bay’s Famous Carrot-Ginger Cake 
Ingredients:
Yield: two 9-Inch Cakes
Come visit Peggy's Lounge
Our First Year It is hard to believe that a year has come and gone since we opened Jungle Bay Resort and Spa to guests. Though our first year wasn't always a "Carib Basket full of sweet mangoes" it has been a rather delicious experience (sort of like Joanne's plantain in shredded coconut). After eight years of planning & construction we welcomed our first guests in March 2005 with trepidations!! (I can now admit, " yep, I was a bit nervous! " What if nobody came or they did not like our property or the water system failed with guests in house or, or whatever... anxiety, anxiety... . It is one thing to have a unique tourism concept in your head however things do not always evolve as they are envisioned. Fortunately, thanks to the support from many of you and probably some "dumb luck", things have gone rather smoothly since opening day! When we opened we experienced periods with few (sometimes no) guests however things eventually flowed and we enjoyed a relatively successful Winter season. Several major publications like the Wall Street Journal, Outside Magazine, Destination Weddings & Honeymoons Magazine and Islands Magazine featured us in articles on unique vacation spots and the Caribbean Tourism Organization, which is the official umbrella organization for Caribbean tourism, recognized Jungle Bay by naming us as a finalist in their selection of "Hotel of the Year" because of our sustainability, community links and sensitivity to the environment. Visit the media section of our website to see more articles we have been mentioned in. The initial slower periods were actually quite useful since they enabled us to train our staff and to fine tune the property along with other aspects of our operations. During the past year we relied heavily on the honest guest feedback we obtained from several of you to help us identify our shortcomings and to improve our dining experience, spa services, and other areas of our property and operation. Over the past year Jungle Bay has made significant progress in many aspects of our operations however the most significant area (the area I am most proud of) has been in the area of staff development. We have witnessed the miraculous transformation of 47 mostly displaced former banana farm workers, rural housewives and other "unemployable" rural misfits into a confident, cohesive, responsible, loyal fun bunch that leave our guests speechless... they are clearly our greatest asset. The first and last comments we hear from virtually all our guests are "we can't believe how genuine and nice the staff is...they make us feel at home...Joanne and the folks in the restaurant, Anthea and the housekeepers, Brother and the guides etc..etc". The secret is that the people from our surrounding communities are not familiar with the concept of "tourism" as we know it, instead the feel that our guests are visitors to their private homes so they go out of their way to ensure that you feel welcome. Many of you would be interested to know that we have introduced a comprehensive adult continuing education program that include computer training to our housekeepers and they are taking full advantage of it!!! As a result of initial success this program will be expanded to staff from all other departments in the near future. The coming year promises to be even more exciting for Jungle Bay. Glenda is heading to Florida for three months of advance training in spa services so expect some new moves the next time you visit our spa. We have ordered some semi-open, small safari trucks which will add to the outdoor feel of our excursions and have been expanding our activity schedule to allow our guests to explore more of Dominica's many sites and attractions. Laura is fine tuning our mountain biking & ocean kayaking excursions. We are expanding our water related tours (courtesy of your suggestions) and are introducing scuba diving and whale watching as add on options to our exciting "Jungle-Spa Adventure" package. We are paying special attention to our good service department. In addition to continuing to fine tune our dining menu with ongoing training from Master Chef Neil from Tortola we will improve the area of food delivery with the addition of Chad, a Canadian management assistant with lots of bar and restaurant experience. And this November/December we will formally open our gift shop and beach bar. We have hosted several groups this past year and next year is already booking up with retreats for various international groups focusing on Yoga, wellness, outdoor adventure, culture, corporate team building, and more. The past year has enabled us to get to know many of you in a very personal way and we feel privileged that you have chosen us as your new Caribbean vacation home. If you have not had the opportunity to vacation with us during our inaugural year and want to enjoy a vacation that is unique, adventurous and relaxing, please keep us in mind when you make your holiday plans. We will be honored to show you all that Jungle Bay and Dominica has to offer. And to our returning "members", the next time you visit your Caribbean home you will see lots of progress (thanks to your suggestions and comments)... but don't worry, we will never loose our charm! Sincerely, Sam Raphael Jungle Bay Resort and Spa Dominica, W.I. www.junglebaydominica.com top of page |
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On
June 22 Jungle Bay employees initiated their Community Grant program
with two $1000 grants to selected charities. The recipients of the
first grants were the House of Hope center for orphans in the nearby
village of Delices and the Petit Savanne Village Council to assist
in providing running water to an under served section of the village
populated by a high percentage of elderly and disabled persons. Jungle
Bay has agreed to match its employee grants with identical contributions.
This matching fund arrangement will result the doubling of these grants
to $2000 each. Jungle Bay's employees recognize the importance of
giving back to their communities and therefore have all voluntarily
agreed to contribute 10% of the tips and gratuities they receive from
guests to community charities. The second round of community grants
will be issued later this summer. Jungle Bay's management and guests
are extremely proud of the generosity of our staff and their commitment
to the development of their communities. 
Congratulations
to Giuliana and Roberto, the first couple from Italy to tie the knot
with us in Dominica. 
Jungle
Bay led a group of over fifty hikers on a "Coast to Coast challenge
hike" which was designed to increase awareness among Dominicans
on the need to protect marine mammals. The hike was part of an ongoing
public relations initiative to convince the government to abandon
the practice of voting with pro-whaling Japan at the annual International
Whaling Commission convention. Small aid-dependent Caribbean islands
along with some landlocked impoverished African countries have engaged
in the practice of virtually selling their IWC vote to Japan in exchange
for foreign assistance projects. Jungle Bay is part of a growing movement
that opposes this practice and wants Dominica to play a leading role
in the preservation of whales, which we think is more consistent with
our "Nature Island" image. This year's IWC convention was
held on the Caribbean of St. Kitts. Unfortunately the protection of
whales is now threatened as the vote went in favor of whaling by one
vote. 
