[dropcap]D[/dropcap]erek Walcott’s fistfight with John Compton over what the poet considered the desecration of the immaculate land between the Pitons is frequently referenced for reports on new tourist accommodations on “the people’s land”, whether beaches, mangroves or seabed. In the last lines of a protest poem entitled Litany to the Pitons, Derek Walcott wrote specially for this newspaper:
They sold me/they sold you when they sold the Pitons/ May the next generation curse a government/So blind it handed over a nation/ Sealed, delivered and signed.
Well, that “next generation” is here — some ownership changes and controversies later. Walcott wasn’t the only protestor. There were also journalists, fuming locals and other renowned artists and environmentalists who subscribed to his notion that the particular hotel project could only have been conceived by “minds incapable of metaphor”.
The hotel Jalousie, located between the Pitons, is now known as Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort. The five-star property has managed to remain largely unaffected by the negative publicity of years past. The hotel glows in the sunshine reviews afforded it by respected travel writers and publications such as The Telegraph in the UK. By the Ministry of Tourism’s measure, Sugar Beach has been able to report high occupancy rates due to the benefits of being marketed as a resort that sits caressed by a UNESCO World Heritage site: the Pitons. So, some would say, “Let the past bury the past.” The nearby beach, still named Jalousie, remains another matter.
Once again the “hotel on sacred land” has become, as they say, the talk of some visitors and residents of Soufriere. Sugar Beach’s shuttle service from the Sugar Beach entrance gate to Jalousie Beach has suddenly risen to US$50 for non-resident visitors, to the disappointment and dismay of some visitors.
One complained this week to the STAR: “They always used to provide a free shuttle service but over the last few years changes have taken place. Would-be visitors wishing to relax at Jalousie Beach are required to cough up US$50. The gate man actually grills you at the entrance.”
This local woman had guests for a few days to whom she had recommended sparkling sea waters and a base view of Petit Piton via the Jalousie beach. However, when they arrived at Sugar Beach gate they were asked to pay the fee, much to their surprise. She claims that many other guesthouse owners have similar complaints.
The Press Relations Manager for Sugar Beach, a Viceroy Resort, Molly McDaniel, acknowledged the recent implementation of a US$50 fee. She maintained that it is not a device to discourage visitors who are not hotel guests. She said: “We will never, ever try to stop anybody from visiting the beach. The gate fees are only to support the hotel facilities that the hotel pays to run and upkeep.” By which she meant the shuttle service and car park.
McDaniel says that the resort is usually at 90% occupancy and that guests pay thousands of dollars per night to stay there. Therefore the shuttle service is usually busy and it would be unfair to hotel guests if they had to wait twenty to thirty minutes to use a service they have already paid for, while non-patrons hop on for free. “These vehicles and the car park need maintenance and upkeep. The $50 fee helps pay for that.”
Non-resident visitors are given the opportunity to redeem the fee at Sugar Beach restaurant and bar. However, locals describe the prices at the restaurant as extortionate and unaffordable. One woman said: “I, for one, certainly would not be able to afford to visit their facilities Last time I did, my friend was charged EC$54 for a pot of tea for two and a local juice.”
Visitors are not permitted to drive their own vehicles through the resort in order to reach the beach but are free to take the 20-minute walk; the road to the beach is strictly for private vehicular traffic. To further redeem Sugar Beach, McDaniel said that visitors are entitled to use complimentary sun loungers for which other hotels would charge up to US$75. The resort claims that its only jurisdiction is to levy for its own properties but not the beach itself.
We were unable to confirm local complaints that plans are afoot to prevent cruisers, catamarans and day-trippers from entering Jalousie beach by sea.
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