Any Brac news?

[caymaniac]

Just wondering what is happening on the Brac, are they having any diving in April? Is the Brac Reef going to open?

 

[South4Scuba]

The last word I got about The Brac was last week from Bay Adventures. They said they are not booking any trips before August 2009. On the BRBR web site Brac Reef Trudy says that the resort will open again in Late 2009. I assume that means more like October to December time frame.

We just booked a trip to Little Cayman Beach Resort. We love diving at the sister islands of Cayman. Just to celebrate we plan to book a trip to Cayman Brac as soon as it opens again.



S4S

 

[mimicrume]

Hi! I am the new PR contact for Brac Reef Resort and we're set to reopen in Late 2009.

We are so excited to announce that Brac Reef Resort on Cayman Brac is being completely revamped with all new rooms, new restaurant, new bar, same great family service and same AMAZING diving.

Our website is being completely revamped too, visit us at www DOT BracReef DOT com
Reservations are being accepted now for late 2009, please email BracReef at FORMOSite dot com

Bubbles away!

Mimi Crume
Formo
646 291 8765
Mimi at FORMOsite dot com

 

[bcaderunr]

Sorry to say, but it looks as if your web site won't be ready until late 2009 either!

 

[Scuba Monster]

Hi! I am the new PR contact for Brac Reef Resort and we're set to reopen in Late 2009.

We are so excited to announce that Brac Reef Resort on Cayman Brac is being completely revamped with all new rooms, new restaurant, new bar, same great family service and same AMAZING diving.

Our website is being completely revamped too, visit us at www DOT BracReef DOT com
Reservations are being accepted now for late 2009, please email BracReef at FORMOSite dot com

Bubbles away!

Mimi Crume
Formo
646 291 8765
Mimi at FORMOsite dot com

Hi! Welcome to SB! We stayed at BRR a week before the hurricane and love it! I posted a nice trip report on SB about the resort after we returned and found out after posting that Paloma hit. Glad to hear you are moving forward. We will be back sometime in the near future ... just so many places to see and dive. Thanks for the update - keep the updates coming.

SM

 

[-hh]

On the BRBR web site Brac Reef Trudy says that the resort will open again in Late 2009. I assume that means more like October to December time frame.

We saw Trudy at the BTS dive show this past weekend. It does seem that BRBR is coming along more slowly than I expected. She did say that the diveshop's nearly ready, so hopefully, the Reef Divers gang will be able to start to run a few boats based on guests staying elsewhere on the island.

For elsewhere, IIRC, the new hotel is going to be named "Alexander's"...supposedly an APRIL opening is expected...?

In the meantime, the Divi Resorts Representative at BTS had nothing to offer on the hotel, and for the Timeshares, he tried to blame it all on Cayman Power & Light in not restoring their electrical power, supposedly because P&L has been "Too Busy" restoring power on Little Cayman.

What a whopper of a lie.

The truth is that ongoing business enterprises received higher priority than the general residential population, with the provision that anyone in violation of Electrical Code won't have their power restored until they conform to Code.

...which is the how & why the Divi hotel currently has power, for the workers that have been staying there (including those that were arrested last month in a Drug Bust).

Divi never ceases to amaze. I'm ashamed to have even a customer affiliation with them.


-hh

 

[caymaniac]

For elsewhere, IIRC, the new hotel is going to be named "Alexander's"...supposedly an APRIL opening is expected...?

In the meantime, the Divi Resorts Representative at BTS had nothing to offer on the hotel, and for the Timeshares, he tried to blame it all on Cayman Power & Light in not restoring their electrical power, supposedly because P&L has been "Too Busy" restoring power on Little Cayman.

What a whopper of a lie.

The truth is that ongoing business enterprises received higher priority than the general residential population, with the provision that anyone in violation of Electrical Code won't have their power restored until they conform to Code.

...which is the how & why the Divi hotel currently has power, for the workers that have been staying there (including those that were arrested last month in a Drug Bust).

Divi never ceases to amaze. I'm ashamed to have even a customer affiliation with them.


-hh

Hi Hugh. I'm in the same boat as you with the Divi. I'm upset with the way things have progressed as no owners have much power over the Divi. I didn't see anything in the contract about letting housing contractors stay in the units when we should be able to use the condo. of course this isn't the first breach that's happened:shocked2:


What is the story about the Alexander? I haven't heard anything about it before until you mentioned it.

 

[knotical]

I didn't see anything in the contract about letting housing contractors stay in the units when we should be able to use the condo.

I'm another Divi holdout. I think the workers are staying in the hotel portion, not the timeshares.

From a 16 Feb Headline News article from CaymanNews Service:

The Divi Tiara Beach Resort, located in the south west of the island, closed down in September 2006 and has been unoccupied since then until a contract between government and the Divi Corporation, made shortly after Hurricane Paloma hit the island 8 November, allowed workers helping with the clean-up operation to stay in the two eastern blocks of the resort.

 

[knotical]

What is the story about the Alexander? I haven't heard anything about it before until you mentioned it.

From: Cayman Islands - Cay Compass News Online - Brac tourism returns next month

Mr. Kirkconnell said . . . developer Cleveland Dilbert's hotel, The Alexander Hotel, is due to open in a few weeks time.

and

The 20,000 square feet development with 33 bedrooms is overlooking Salt Water Pond in the south western end of the island.

 

[-hh]

I'm another Divi holdout. I think the workers are staying in the hotel portion, not the timeshares.

Yes, the workers are in the hotel ... and since the Tiara only has one electrical power utility pickup for the entire property (Hotel + Timeshares; its over near the diveshop), it only adds more "mystery" to the utter lack of credibility from anything said by a Divi Resorts spokesman.

Continuing on the Divi Tiara for a moment, I've since heard that they've come in and have torn down one of the blocks of rooms. For those who are familiar with the complex, this was the "Standards" rooms ... the long, two story building that was near the diveshop and tennis court.

And insofar as the timeshares, the building that was rennovated first (East) but which was in violation of local building costs is reportedly in bad shape - - a direct consequence. The second building (west) was initially much better off, but there's apparently been little-to-no effort made to bother to secure the property from subsequent damage (normal rain, etc)...another management & leadership failure, courtesy of Divi Resorts.

For the Alexander, this is Cleveland Dilbert's hotel (per the articles already posted). Its continuing to get closer and the latest word I've had is that he's installing really cheap furniture. His target audience seems to be local weekend Caymanian visitors coming over from Grand ... although I'd not be too surprised if it ends up having a good number of monthly apartment rentals, since many of the units have small kitchenettes. What it will do for the Brac in the near term is to provide some pressure on the Government to "open" the island to outside visitors.

The Alexander is located on the east side of the north end of the cross-island road that you would take to get to/from the airport to either of the hotels (Divi or BRBR).


This puts it right next to the big 'salt pond' that's behind the Coral Isle bar. Reportedly, they were asking the Government for permission to blast an inlet to the sea to make the salt pond into a navigable lagoon, but this was declined reportedly due to environmental reasons. They have, however, gotten permission to install some pipes which now allow water exchange. This was probably done under the justification of flood control, but depending on how it was done, it may also change the bracish pool's environment and wildlife (IIRC, some Cayman whistling ducks {endangered species} were sometimes seen here).

This URL might work to take you to a Google Map with the Alexander's location marked on it...I was able to create it, but not test it.


-hh