The Crane Resorts And Residences

Imagine waking up, throwing open your balcony doors which recede into pockets to offer a full vista of the outdoors, and stepping out into your private garden….while at it, why not have a coffee in your private dining gazebo, or dip into your private pool for a swim?

In December 2009, as persons were well into the festive season, The Crane too was celebrating as the resort opened 18 new Residences in the Park. These fabulous suites feature the same finishes as the Crane residences on the sea, and many offer the added benefit of private gardens with inset private pools and hot tubs or private roof terraces, all at a fantastic value for either vacation stays or property ownership.

Residences in the Park offer one and two bedroom suites, all of which feature  handcrafted king-size four poster beds and mahogany furnishings; floor-to-ceiling cedar doors with adjustable louvered shutters; traditional Barbadian coral stone walls; air conditioning; fully equipped kitchen with fridge freezer, ice dispenser, oven, stove, microwave, dishwasher and washer dryer; flat-screen TV’s and complimentary Internet access.

Check out some photos of the units:

Living Room Area of the 2 Bedroom Ground Floor Park Apartment

Living Room Area of a 1 Bedroom Deluxe Park Apartment

Master Bedroom of the Park Residences

Exterior Shot of the 2 Bedroom Ground Floor Park Apartment

Roof Top View of a 1 Bedroom Deluxe Penthouse Park Apartment

For hundreds of years, The Crane was known as “the place to be” in Barbados on what is affectionately termed “Old Year’s Night” by Barbadians.  In 2009, The Crane brought back this tradition with a roaring comeback in the new Village with its Village Masquerade party.  A fantastic mix of Crane members, visiting guests, local doctors, lawyers, politicians, business executives and well known professionals – old and young - were among those ushering in 2010 at the exclusive street party. Guests mingled and danced the night away to the melodious sounds of “The Soul of Barbados” Virtuosity and the presence of a spectacular blue moon.

At the stroke of midnight, the pleased diners as well as those who just came to party joined the band in the town square for the 2010 countdown. Lead singer of Virtuosity Kim Derrick, belted Happy New Year to the attendees which was followed by the customary ‘Auld Lang Syne’ as guests exchanged hugs, kisses and well wishes for 2010. An array of balloons and confetti showered the village from different angles and the party continued for a couple hours as the patrons truly enjoyed the band’s mixture of pop, reggae and calypso music from the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s.

Hotel Manager and Coordinator of the Village Masquerade, Paul Collymore said the party was a significant event for The Crane, as it was the first time in several years that the luxurious resort had hosted a major Old Years night event.   “We are bringing back the tradition of New Year’s Eve at The Crane and this year was a great start to what we expect to do in the future. We had around 400 persons here for the comeback party and they fully enjoyed a good night out. The reports have been favourable and we are looking forward to a fantastic 2010,” said Collymore.

Newlyweds - Mr. & Mrs. Schlosser

To check out more of our Old Year’s Night photos visit,

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Crane/141437243877?v=photos#/album.php?aid=138302&id=141437243877

The Crane is proud to be the official hotel sponsor of the Barbados Jazz Festival in January 2010, for the fourth consecutive year. This year’s Jazz Festival runs from January 11th - 17th 2010 and features performers such as Robin Thicke, Babyface, Smokey Robinson, Warren Hill, Lalah Hathaway, Elio Villafranca, Etienne Charles and many more.

The resort this year will be the host of the cocktail and dinner show scheduled for Thursday, January 14th 2010 and the performer for the night will be renowned pianist, Elio Villafranca who will present Cuban Classics.

For more information on the Barbados Jazz Festival, visit

http://www.barbadosjazzfestival.com/

In the November edition of New York Resident, journalist Pamela Jacobs did an amazing job of featuring The Crane under the head “Celebrating Life the Barbados Way”

In this article, the writer creatively and quite adequately covered The Crane and by extension the warm hospitality and beauty of the island Barbados.

It is definately a must read for those interested in visiting Barbados and more specifically The Crane. For a full read of this article, check out http://74.54.115.114/node/1378

The Crane was also briefly featured in the Los Angeles Times, Travel Magazine in an article entitled “Barbados makes the belly happy”. Follow the link to check it out, http://travel.latimes.com/articles/la-trw-barbados1-2009nov01?page=2

Adding to its existing off-property sales centre in Cave Shepherd, Bridgetown, The Crane has opened a second outlet on the South Coast at which customers can learn about the property’s vacation ownership options; make booking inquiries for the property; or book an “Experience The Crane” day package and see the newly completing Crane Village.  The Crane’s sales director, Kim Goddard, who recently returned to The Crane after expanding her market knowledge working with Altman Real Estate and Royal Westmoreland for the past two and a half years, notes “the presence of The Crane in our Cave Shepherd outlets is raising awareness of the fantastic product offering at the resort.” 

Kim Goddard, Director of Sales

The Residences in the Park, both one and two bedroom floor plans, are ready to view and occupancy opens in December 2009. With the Park, The Crane has created the most beautiful floor plans yet at an extremely attractive price point.  With all the advantages of the stunning gardens, water features and private swimming pools and outdoor dining, enhanced rental pool returns; superb floor plans, privacy, quiet and enhanced residential feel these residences offer an ownership opportunity not to be missed.  For more information on the Park Residences, contact property@thecrane.com.

Park Residences

The Crane Village is open and full of life, offering visitors and Barbadians the “best of street life without the traffic.” Visitors are encouraged to come and see this authentic heritage Village, complete with traditional Bajan architecture, old-fashioned gas lanterns, and a fabulous mix of retail shopping, dining and services.  Lifestyle choices in The Village include duty-free shopping, the General Store, the brand new Aweipo fine art gallery, a fantastic new bar, Bar 1887, named for the year The Crane first opened, and two restaurants coming in 2010.

The verandah of Bar 1887

The Crane is very pleased to be prominently featured in the upcoming Caribbean Travel and Life/Travel Channel series on the “Affordable Caribbean!” 

The microsite is now live–check out some sneak-peak webisodes: http://www.caribbeantravelmag.com/affordablecaribbean/

Get ready, because the show is about to start!  The first episode, Barbados, will air July 25 & 26 at 8:00 a.m. EST.

We invite our members and guests to tune in to this special feature which showcases our special piece of paradise.

New Executive Chef L'Azure - Michael Hinds

The Crane, renowned for its historic charm and pristine beaches, is excited to introduce its newest addition to the culinary team – L’Azure’s Executive Chef Michael Hinds.  Prior to joining The Crane, Hinds served as executive chef and director at Aqua Restaurant & Lounge.

One of Michael's mouth watering creations - Herb Crusted Lamb.

Crane celebrated in “Top 10 of the Best Fractional Homes”

In the May 2009 issue of Homes Overseas, the UK’s leading international property magazine since 1965, The Crane was named in the Top 10 of the Best Fractional Homes worldwide by George Sell, a writer for the magazine who focuses on fractional ownership. 

Village Happenings

The Crane recently celebrated the opening of two more shops in the retail Village with the opening of Barbados’ oldest retailer Cave Shepherd, along with our own mini-General  Store – a preview of the larger General Store soon to come.

Local tour operators and ground handlers joined guests and managers for a cocktail party to celebrate the new Cave Shepherd store, which features the “On the Beach” brand of resort and surf wear, Pages bookstore offering books and magazines for the guests’ reading pleasure, and duty-free shopping featuring liquor, perfumes, and souvenirs.

Shortly thereafter the resort was pleased to open our very own mini corner store, where guests have been shopping for conveniences including wines, snacks, and digging into the ever-popular ice cream freezer!

In addition, The Village now features a lovely conference and event area called The Town Hall, ideal for meetings, banquets and wedding receptions.

Coming soon to the Village – opening in June - will be Dingolay, a casual wear boutique, and Tamarind Seed, a craft store featuring the best of Barbadian and Caribbean art and craft. 

Throughout the summer and fall, additional openings will include Ozone Health and Fitness Centre, D’Onofrio’s Italian Restaurant and Pizza Terrace, The Village Café and Bar 1887.

Introducing….

Look out for our daytime Duty Manager, Carolyn Johnson, when you are next on property.  A transplanted Canadian who has long called Barbados home, she is on hand walking the property and checking rooms and will be happy to have a chat with you during your visit to assist with any queries or concerns you may have.

Steel Pan in the Crane Village

This week The Crane unveiled the first opening in the new Village retail shopping and dining area, with a celebratory cocktail party for members, in-house guests, and Barbados’ Minister of Tourism, the Hon. Richard Sealy.

The party truly sparkled, with live steel pan music complementing the shiny jewels on display in the brand-new Colombian Emeralds store. A live fish cake station completed the Bajan village street feel, as guests mingled against the backdrop of the heritage architecture of an 18^th century Barbadian town.

Crane guests enjoying The Village celebration

With a phased opening over the next several months, the 55,000 square-foot Crane Village is expected to become the new heart of the resort community.

The next stage of opening, within a few weeks, will reveal a 3,000 sq. ft Duty Free shopping centre in partnership with Duty Free Caribbean (Cave Sheperd, Pages Bookstore, and Ganzee) followed closely by The Town Hall, a state-of-the-art conference facility.

The Town Hall meeting and function space will offer a spectacular venue for conferences, receptions and private functions, featuring a view of the iconic Crane pool. This area will accommodate up to 150 guests, banquet-style.

Along with duty-free shopping, the Village will also feature resort wear at Dingolay, Barbadian art and crafts at Tamarind Seed, resort keepsakes at the Crane Signature Shop and a selection of fresh food, wine and convenience items at The General Store.

Later in the year, guests will also benefit from the variety of dining and entertainment options, such as D’Onofrio’s for Southern Italian fare, Pizza Terrace with al fresco dining, The Village Café for fresh bread and coffee, and Bar 1887 featuring Rum Shop Happy Hour with authentic Bajan Tapas.

Guests strolling through the cobble stone streets will notice the grandeur of Barbadian design captured throughout The Village, featuring elements of historical architecture, steep gable roofs, wooden shutters and ornate fretwork integrated with fine mahogany features, distinctive lime stonewalls and typical breezy verandahs; all surrounded by beautiful landscaped gardens.

Barbados' Minister of Tourism Richard Sealy and The Crane's Paul Doyle check out Colombian Emeralds