Peter Island Resort: Coming Home

My wife and I are back on Peter Island Resort in the British Virgin Islands this week. Peter Island holds a special place in our lives because it's our first home as a couple and my first international posting as a hotelier. Our eldest daughter called Peter Island her home the first year and a half of her life. I was promoted to the Director of Food and Beverage post here by Amway Hotel Corporation in 1993. We lived on Peter Island for almost three years; returning to Michigan in 1996 to help manage the resort from the corporate office until 2000. 

Peter Island is located four miles across the Sir Francis Drake channel from Road Town, Tortola, the capital of the British Virgin Islands. A Norwegian shipping company developed this 1,800 acre private island into a resort in 1971. They built eight A-frame buildings with thirty two rooms, Tradewinds restaurant, and a marina on Sprat Bay. In 1979, entrepreneurs Jay Van Andel and Rich DeVos, purchased the island after falling in love with the location during one of their yachting excursions in the crystal waters of the BVI's. 

The resort evolved into a full scale luxury resort with the addition of twenty beachfront rooms, a beach restaurant, three villas, a world class spa and numerous water sports and fitness facilities. VAE of Grand Rapids, Michigan, is now the sole owner of the resort.

I must admit that the resort has never looked better. The lush gardens are in full bloom and continue to provide resort guests with an idyllic escape from the realities of city living. The five beaches are as perfect as I remember them. The new Falcon's Nest Villa is unmatched in scale, design and amenities in the Caribbean. But most of all, the staff who took good care of my family during our stint on the resort, welcomed us back with open arms. It's nice to be home again.

The Red Pool

WHERE AM I ?

The winner gets a jdub iMix CD!

The 5inch Hotel Amenity

Okay, I know what you were thinking. Stop it now. Check out the latest amenity gift JW Marriott Grand Rapids hotel guests may purchase for that special friend or that hip, baby boomer, college friend visiting GR for the first time. Or, why not just buy it because it's simply cool. Let me introduce you to the "jdub" amenity package which includes jdub caps, a JW Griffin key chain and your choice of  a JW disc on very fashionable 5inch.com CD, and an iTunes gift card to burn your fave JW iMixes onto your 5inch CD. Very jdub I must say.

You may also purchase any of the JW Mix collection on Apple's iTunes by going to ilovethejw.com or to iTunes directly. The JW Mix collection continues to grow. Here are the 9 iMixes available so far:

JW Mix: The Treadmill Jam - for that on the road workout.

JW Mix: The Drakkar Noir Mix - re-live your parachute pant days with a splash of Drakkar!

JW MIx: Global Lounge - shake to the coolest Global sounds from Mumbai to Paris.

JW Mix: Weights Before Dates - for the hardcore gym rat.

JW Mix: Rocker Workout - bang your head to the big hair bands.

JW Mix: The Preppy Mix - don your Ralph Lauren polo and Top-siders and shake to 80's.

JW Mix: The Love Package - the perfect accopaniment to your romantic jdub getaway.

JW Mix: Mixology Lounge - chill to the tunes played at jdub's Mixology Lounge.

JW Mix: Holiday Chillout - not your typical Holiday mix. 

Solace Magazine - Forming the Future

I love sexy magazines about design, architecture, fashion, food, travel and business. And believe me when I tell you that my wife is about ready to throw my collection of half-read magazines scattered all over the house out the window. Magazines on my  night stand, on the dining table, in our laundry room, on my desk in the basement, in the back basement bookshelf, in my closet, in the guest bathroom. Add to that the magazines in my "murse" and in my car door compartment - I just love 'em all! Now, I can also tell you that I have only finished one book this year and that's fine by me. Looking at black text just doesn't suit me. I'm a scanner of anything beautiful. I need color, pictures, and squiggly lines all over the place.

Do you remember how it felt to show off your first car to everyone you knew? Well, I had a similar sensation after I received my copy of the Spring/Summer issue of Solace Magazine this afternoon (and I'm not exaggerating, either). Solace is a beautifully designed magazine published by Amway Hotel Collection under the leadership of our Corporate Director of Marketing, Chad Leroux, and the phenomenal designers at Plenty Creative in Grand Rapids. And this latest issue redefines the magazine as a truly world-class magazine. Eighty-eight pages of glossy layouts filled with fascinating features on the "greening" of West Michigan, the people who are making it happen and a convincing pull-out section on why the future is landing in West Michigan RIGHT NOW. 

The beauty of this magazine is it doesn't scream "hotel advertising" like most branded hotel magazines. In fact, I would categorize this pub as a true representation on what the region is all about and what it is slowly, but steadily, transforming itself. From a former manufacturing state into a creative oasis for medical research, green initiatives and an art mecca for mid-size cities. It's an exciting time in West Michigan and the latest issue of Solace Magazine puts a much deserved exclamation point to the region's rebirth.

As I write this entry, my copy of Solace Mag is proudly displayed on my coffee table in the living room alongside Metropolis, Surface, Dwell, Travel and Leisure and Saveur magazines, to name a few. Not bad for "little 'ol GR." Not bad, at all.

The Lumber Baron at The Amway Grand Plaza

The Lumber Baron inside the Pantlind Lobby at the Amway Grand Plaza is still one of my favorite lounges in the country. Cocktails simply taste better when you're inside this very classy joint. Floor to ceiling mahogany wood, original Hollywood Studio photos of famed actors and singers, impressionist Mathias Alten paintings, soft leather seating, an antique French fireplace and, of course, a magnificent selection of wines and liquor. 

The original Lumber Baron Bar was the site of the trilateral summit between US President Ronald Reagan, Mexican President Jose Lopez Portillo and Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau in 1981. The management of Amway Hotel Corporation closed down the Lumber Baron in 1996 to make way for it's GP Sports Restaurant. AHC donated the original Lumber Baron furnishings to Grand Valley State University. The new and more refined Lumber Baron opened a few years later. Just like it's older dining sibling, The 1913 Room, the Lumber Baron remains one of those bastions of timeless design and architecture worth appreciating (and enjoying with a glass of wine) during one's lifetime.

   

The Boston Marathon

Today marked the 112th running of the Boston Marathon. For the 26th year in a row, a non-American won the famed race. Deriba Merga of Ethiopia emerged as the victor with a time of 2:08:42. American Ryan Hall came in at 3rd with a time of 2:09:40. In the closest women's division finish, Salina Kosgei of Kenya, edged out Dire Tune of Ethiopia by a mere second and 3rd placer Karla Goucher of the US by less than 9 seconds. 

There are two reasons why I've decided to write about the Boston Marathon. 

First, Grand Rapids is hosting it's 5th Grand Rapids Marathon on October 17 and 18, 2009. The 2009 Metro Health Grand Rapids Marathon has seen a 20% increase in participation every year since 2004. The renaissance happening in downtown Grand Rapids with the development of the Medical Mile, the Grand Rapids Art Museum, the JW Marriott, the new Urban Institute of Contemporary Arts (UICA) and the numerous downtown restaurants and bars, the city is primed to continue to host bigger and better events downtown. It would be quite a coup if Grand Rapids could eventually be one of the better marathon venues in the world. The creation of the West Michigan Sports Commission in 2007 is helping pave the way into making this city into a very marketable sports destination for both professional and amateur events.

Secondly, it has been twenty three years since an American has won the Boston Marathon. Grand Rapid's own, Greg Meyer, won it in 1983 with a time of 2:09:00. It amazes me that only 18 seconds separates Greg Meyer's time in 1983 from Deriba Merga's time today. 

On a more personal note, see the picture of the Brooks running shoe above, that's a gift from Mr. Meyer himself (Greg, do notice that I've actually "slightly" worn the shoes). Before you make any assumptions about my running skills, let me stop you there because I hate to run, and even if I did, my chances of beating Greg Meyer's record is the equivalent of Charles Barkley matching up with Tiger Woods to win The Masters. Nada. Greg moved back to Grand Rapids last year take on the Foundation job at Aquinas College. He was formerly at the University of Michigan Foundation in Ann Arbor.  Greg is also the poster athlete and organizer for Michigan's largest and most successful running event, the Fifth Third River Bank Run held every year in May.

I actually ran the River Bank Run in 2007 - achieving the two personal goals I set for myself: no stopping and finish my first race(and so far my only) under the alloted time so my name could be officially published in the results. I admit, it was only a 5K and I made the cut-off time by seconds! But, I did it. 

The Blue Lake

WHERE AM I ?