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On the Road: Caneel Bay, U.S. Virgin Islands
My first act after arriving at Caneel Bay, the top-ranked Caribbean tennis resort in our 2006 reader poll, was not to head for the tennis courts but to the water sports shop to pick up a mask, fins, and snorkel. After a three-hour flight to St. 
Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands and half-hour ferry boat ride to the resort dock on St. John, I could not resist the urge to plunge into the shallow waters off one of Caneel's seven to-die-for beaches. The tennis could come later.
Acting on the advice of the water sports attendant I headed over to Scott Beach, a long scallop of white sand a five-minute walk away in the next cove to the north. The path took me past two deer grazing on the resort's lawns but wary enough to scurry off as I passed by. Arriving at the beach, I spotted a few couples on lounge chairs but no one in the water. Donning my snorkel gear, I made my way slowly toward a rocky point, first crossing an area of seagrass and scattering a school of silvery baitfish.
Over the next 45 minutes, it wasn't the coral that drew my attention—much of it had been battered by hurricanes and was only recovering in patches—but the diversity and abundance of the reef life. This is an underwater national park, after all, its inhabitants protected from all but their natural predators. Spotlight parrotfish chipped away at coral polyps. Boxy trunkfish, their fins fluttering as fast as hummingbird wings, motored through the water like slow barges. Pincushions of long black spines protruded protectively from clusters of sea urchins. An octopus the color and pattern of a coral outcrop moved slightly as I passed over or I probably would never have seen it. A small ray lifted off the bottom, trailing sand as it glided away. A small but menacing looking barracuda hung motionless, waiting for prey, 
just off the sea floor. And all around there was a menagerie of colorful species: yellow damselfish, striped sergeant majors, blue and yellow wrasses, Christmas tree anemones that disappear by withdrawing into the coral if you pass too close, delicate purple sea fans, big-eyed squirrelfish, and dozens more I could marvel at but not identify.
Caneel Bay traces its origins to the visionary Laurance Rockefeller. He opened this luxury retreat in 1955 on a 170-acre peninsula and former sugar plantation graced by seven beaches. He then ensured that the land around it would remain forever undeveloped by donating it to the conservation-oriented Jackson Hole Preserve. That foundation in turn helped establish St. John National Park, which comprises some two-thirds of the island and its offshore waters. More than 50 years later, Caneel Bay remains special as much for what you do not see as for what you do: there isn't a highrise hotel or condominium visible anywhere along any of its beaches. Except for a few houses high on the wooded mountain slopes (country-and-western star Kenny Chesney's among them), what you see at Caneel are the stone ruins of the original sugar plantation, unassuming one- and two-story wood-and-stone clusters of rooms mostly hidden behind foliage, and hundreds of species of subtropical trees, flowers, and shrubs.
With just 165 rooms and the allure of those seven beaches, Caneel could easily have done what so many Caribbean resorts do and treated tennis as a perfunctory amenity. Instead, it laid out a total of 11 hard and artificial grass courts—a very large complex by Caribbean standards. Peter Burwash International has provided the tennis expertise for as long as I've been coming here. For the last couple of years, their man on site has been former college player Patrick Alle, who joined PBI in 2003 after a career in finance.
When I visited in May, the bank of seven terraced hard courts had just been resurfaced and painted in U.S. Open blue. Flamboyant trees had dropped some of their flame-orange petals on the lawns just outside the court complex, which was otherwise bordered by red hibiscus and yellow-trumpet-flower hedges. It was midafternoon and the courts were empty. I found Alle blowing the leaves off courts two and three.
Alle seems to have a deep and personal investment in the quality of tennis players' experiences. The pro shop, though tiny, has a good selection of clothing and accessories as well as Wilson racquets—a change from when Alle arrived. The covered patio outside has a chest of ice, filtered water, oversize cups, and, in the mornings, a complimentary Continental breakfast that draws players and non-players alike. Alle strives to make these courts a gathering place.
"At Caneel the guests have a sense of entitlement or ownership because they've been coming here so often," he notes. "I really, really hammer that if someone comes down and inquires about tennis we'll get them a hitting partner. I go out of my way to tailor a experience to what you want." As we talked, guests and members began to arrive, taking advantage of the cooler temperatures in the late afternoon—though with year-round temperatures in the 80s and today's cloud cover, it would have been possible to play comfortably even at midday.
Caneel Trivia |
Unlike many resorts, Caneel welcomes locals, and that both provides a strong roster of potential opponents for guests looking for matches and ensures a decent turnout for the twice weekly complimentary round robins. You'll also find a couple of drill sessions on the weekly roster: "They aren't quite cardio tennis by name," notes Alle, "but they have that high-energy workout." When it comes to instruction, many guests opt for private lessons, which come with an unusual guarantee, according to Alle: "If the guest or I don't feel I've helped them improve, the lesson is free." During the busy year-end holidays, Alle has five or more pros on staff. During the resort of the year, it's two.
As it happens the Tuesday round robin I participated in was atypical: as a thank you, Alle had invited all the locals who'd made themselves available to guests over the past season to a free round robin that included a drawing for gifts like dinners in town, a new Wilson racquet, or a free private lesson. More than 30 turned out, including numerous guests, making for a festive two hours of social but competitive tennis.
Tennis at Caneel benefits from not having to compete with golf—there isn't a single course on St. John, though arrangements can be made to play on St. Thomas. But its rank as the top tennis resort in the Caribbean can be traced directly to Patrick Alle and his determination to take excellent care of anyone who wields—or wants to wield—a tennis racquet.
At the same time, Caneel did not beat out its Caribbean rivals on the basis of what happens on the court alone. Having seven beaches lined with trees, flowers and unobtrusive lodging gives you a feeling of having totally escaped. Only the main Caneel beach pulses with activity, primarily because that's where the beachfront restaurants and watersports toys are located and because its calm, shallow waters make it ideal for families. Go almost anywhere else—including Honeymoon beach which does not even have any lodging—and you'll swear there's scarcely anyone but you staying at the resort. And the water aside, there are other diversions. Hiking trails leave from the edge of the property up into the mountains behind. There's a small fitness center on a hillside above the tennis courts, and four massage rooms at courtside—not the happiest location since you may hear people coming and going or the thwock-thwock of tennis balls, though the massage I had was one of the best ever, given by a woman named Judit who was knowledgeable about the needs of a tennis player.
In lieu of a spa—though there are long range plans for adding one—Caneel Bay has the Self Centre, a facility founded and run by Deepak Chopra acolyte Jan Kinder. It offers such wellness treatments as shamanic healing, vibrational sound therapy, and astrology consultations. Kinder and her staff also stage yoga, Pilates, and breath walking classes, the last a discipline that marries walking with specialized breathing and sensory awareness to induce a different physical or psychological states, from calm to energized.
The resort has been managed by Rosewood Hotels & Resorts since 1993; however, they've remained true to Rockefeller's vision. The rooms, though currently undergoing refurbishment, still do not have phones or televisions—though they do now have air conditioning. There are several restaurants, including one in the ruins of a 1732 sugar mill. Free shuttles provide transportation around the resort for those who prefer not to walk. And local taxis are always available for those who want to go into the nearby town of Cruz Bay to shop or try local restaurants. Through Nov. 16, rates in a courtside room start at $350/night. To see how other tennis vacationers rate Caneel Bay, see Caneel Vacationer Reviews. For more about the resort, visit Caneel's web site.
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