Above: Couples Barbados

By the Caribbean Journal staff

The new Couples Resort has held its official opening ceremony in Barbados.

The 280-room property is located at the former Almond Casuarina Beach Resort. The company concluded its deal to lease the property in January 2013.

The resort has undergone a series of upgrades since then, including a new decor, new amenities, a new pool and jacuzzi, a new spa and a new piano bar and lounge, among other additions.

It is located on a 10-acre site on the southern coast of the island, and includes three gourmet restaurants, five bars and tennis courts, among other amenities.

“This renewed entity, located in the heart of Barbados’ south coast, brings diversity to our room stock at a time when we are also trying to bring diversity to our tourism product offering as a destination,” Barbados Tourism Minister Richard Sealy said at the opening last week.

“I want to congratulate you for bringing another opportunity for visitors to experience the whole high-end all-inclusive [product] that we have on offer,” he said at the opening.

It is the first Couples Resorts property outside of Jamaica.

“In a nutshell, Couples Barbados is a visitor’s paradise, with strong emphasis on romance,” the Minister said. “This is the first to be found outside of Jamaica and I need to publicly thank the Issa family for having the confidence in terms of moving away from Jamaica [and] making Barbados their first port of call by way of investment.”

He said he thought the Ministry could work together with Couples to “aggressively market Couples Barbados in our traditional and emerging markets.”