A brief look at Barbuda’s prosperous past via hotels you might have heard about, or even stayed at.
is situated on the edge of the village on River road and was built in the 1970’s to become one of the first locally owned hotels. Successive owners failed to make it work and it remains derelict. In the Hurricane Irma aftermath it was used to contain the dogs that were left behind on Barbuda after evacuation.
(at River) was demolished in 2016 and the land cleared, as the lease is rumored to have been given to Maria Browne, the wife of Prime Minister Gaston Browne. No other work has since been done on the project.
was once a busy hotel with strong links to the community, employing many and setting up the Coco Point Trust Fund to benefit the educational development of the people of Barbuda. After Hurricane Irma it was destroyed and abandoned by the owners, but since then the lease has been bought by Discovery Land Company, operating as Peace Love and Happiness (PLH) and now as the Barbuda Ocean Club.
was once a very successful luxury hotel, attracting international celebrities and famously, Princess Diana. This world class public beach between K Club and Coco Point (still called Access by locals) was renamed Princess Diana beach as a tribute to her love for Barbuda. It was intended for re-development by Robert de Niro with James Packer under the name Paradise Found but is subject to legal action by Barbudans who are contesting the manner in which they had obtained consent for the project, which included demands for hundreds of acres acres of extra land on an already huge site. De Niro has since asked to be removed from the case and it is now operating as Nobu Barbuda.
at Low Bay was supposed to be sold by auction in 2015, is apparently still for sale; and is guarded by noisy, angry dogs.
“Barbuda is a place that is near and dear to my heart,” said Mike Branker, who was introduced to the island more than 50 years ago by his grandfather. “This auction is a wonderful opportunity. There aren’t many chances to own beachfront properties like this, not only in the Caribbean, but in the entire world. This is a one-of-a-kind-opportunity to own what can only be described as a piece of natural beauty.”
Shame it doesn’t look like that now.
had a chequered history, sometimes a busy hotel very popular with Italian guests, at other times empty. The buildings and lovely full size pool are no longer there. This lease was also sold to Discovery Land Company (PLH) who demolished it all and are trying to build a golf course and villas on this wetland.
a popular, locally owned small resort, this was completely destroyed by Hurricane Irma
