Resorts partnering with private jet companies has been a trend since last year with the increased COVID emphasis on privacy and personal space. But a resort dispatching its own fleet of jets to ferry guests in from key U.S. cities is something new. It will become a reality when Aurora Anguilla Resort & Golf Club opens on that Caribbean island in November.
The resort itself is a transformation of the former Resorts & Residences by CuisinArt and that resort’s distinctive architecture will remain the same: like some other resorts on the island, a fanciful, whitewashed, geometric design that wouldn’t look out of place in Greece’s Cyclades. Situated on 300 acres fronting Rendezvous Bay, that resort first welcomed guests 22 years ago and was redesigned following a post-hurricane Irma closure, reopening in 2018. Now under new owners Olympus Ventures; the interiors of the common rooms and 178 suites will be redone in what promises to be a more authentic island design: more natural materials but with splashes of color ranging from the orange of sunrise to the turquoise of the vividly colored water surrounding the island.
Another key area undergoing redesign is the Aurora International Golf Club, the only course on the island; Greg Norman Golf Course Design, the company that created it, is remastering the newly challenging holes of the 18 hole course. The Golf Club will also be expanded with new locker rooms, spacious practice facilities, spaces for treatment of golfers who have overexerted/injured themselves and a new restaurant. For those who want to edge into golf gently or don’t have time for the full 18 holes, Greg Norman is also designing a short nine hole course.
Anguilla has long had a reputation as a culinary destination-not always a given on Caribbean islands-and the plans for the seven restaurants and bars are in line to further that view. The chef Abram Bissell, who grew up in a small fishing village in the Florida Keys, has a natural affinity for utilizing ingredients caught in the waters around the island along with other products grown or raised locally and has immersed himself in local culture and dishes. But he also has the sophistication from his years as Executive Sous Chef, Chef de Cuisine and Executive Chef, respectively, at New York’s esteemed restaurants Eleven Madison Park, The NoMad and The Modern. The resulting menus should be a fusion of his past new American focus, the traditional flavors of the island and the extensive produce supply from the resort’s Hydroponic Farm and Orchard. Fans of bread and hot sauce will also be in luck due to the resort’s emphasis on a bread baking program and bakery and a hot sauce program reflecting the region’s various spices.
Taken together, the aim is to combine excellence and local color. “Everything we are creating has been guided by a commitment to honoring our incredible natural surroundings setting the stage for truly singular experiences” explains Simon A. Fricker, the resort’s Managing Director. “Our goal is to bring Anguilla to life in new, exciting and transformative ways for today’s luxury traveler.” They have the elements; how well they succeed will be visible later this year.
