I love a long story. Even better is a good, long story which usually includes a few decades, painstaking effort, and unwavering vision in the luxury hospitality space. I usually can spot such a story when I step foot on a property, too. There’s something about the sheer remoteness or the meticulous caliber of amenities that conveys some ambitious (if not seemingly absurd) entrepreneur made a resort come to be. It’s rare to find these good, long stories at luxury properties, but I’ve found a handful across the 80+ countries I’ve been to including Three Camel’s Lodge in Mongolia, The Ranch at Rock Creek in Montana, and the Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort in Fiji. As of this June, I uncovered another: Secret Bay in Dominica.
Born and raised in Dominicia, Gregor Nassief was the grandson of a Lebanese couple who came upon Dominica nearly a century ago and never left. “They loved it so much,” Nassief told me one afternoon when I was visiting the property. At the age of 10, Nassief and his buddies would play at Secret Bay, running up and down the pristine, sandy beach and looking for crabs the size of grapefruit in the dense tropical forest just behind the beach. Years passed and Nassief left for New York City, building an international supply chain software company that spanned from Venezuela to Chile among most everywhere in Latin America. Despite his international life, Nassief was always connected to Dominica. “And then one day” as the famous phrase of good, long stories go, Nassief heard his father would agree to sell a fourth of an acre of land to him at Secret Bay. “I immediately got it,” he enthused. “Secret Bay was my favorite place in the world, a cherished part of my childhood.”
Nassief’s father-in-law, the renowned Venezuelan architect Fruto Vivas, designed the drawings for the villa on the quarter acre as a wedding gift in 2011. Three other small villas were built, two for the kids, and another for friends. “The rest is 17 years or so of history,” Nassief laughs. “Getting from one acre to five took more than ten years, but at least going from five to 50 acres happened a bit faster.”
Today, Secret Bay is comprised of 27 villas that dot the rolling cliffs of Secret Bay’s three beaches:Tibay Beach, Secret Beach, and Coconut Beach. In a few more years, the resort will expand to 42 villas along with the additions of another pool, restaurant, and spa. In total, only 7% of Secret’s Bay land will actually be developed, a notable figure as most luxury properties develop around 20-30% of their land at best. “We had a line in our contract with our developer team that said, if you cut down a single tree that isn’t approved by me or my wife, then there’s a $15,000 fee,”Nassief explained. Each villa was planned accordingly.
The result of such fastidious attention to fauna and flora is a resort that feels itself to be secret. I felt within the lush jungle of Secret Bay, tucked among the Sisserou parrots and native iguanas I would spot every day at the resort, if I looked closely enough. “That’s part of what we wanted,” Nassief added. “For guests to connect with nature and their loved ones at the level they wanted, whether just in the privacy of their villas or out and about on our beaches, at the bar, or at the rooftop restaurant.”
I was happy either way, in my villa or beyond. My villa, the Ti-Fey I, was superb. The sunsets from the private pool or outdoor shower were dazzling, and I appreciated the well stocked kitchenette on the bottom floor which also included a washer and dryer. (More luxury properties need to include in-suite options for laundry as active guests like to launder their own workout, ski, and water gear, for certain.) My villa host, Elina, was attentive and fetched fruit, drinks, bug spray, and reservations on demand via an iPhone within the villa.
A few times a day, I’d take the enchanting four-seat, open air funicular nearby my villa to the ground level of the resort. Bwa Denn, Secret Bay’s newer restaurant, is a must-do, now at the helm of Executive Chef, Aurelien Bulgheroni, who counts Bora Bora and Guadeloupe as previous island adventures. The cod fritters, lobster ravioli, and mahi mahi risotto were each excellent, and the open-air terrace level is framed majestically with lofty trees that face Secret Beach. Every night, I’d spot one or two iguanas scamper up to a branch, turning directly to the beach as the sun slid away on the ocean’s horizon. It’s like they knew the good, long story of this place and how remarkable it was, too. It’s like they were in on the secret of Secret Bay.
One of Secret Bay's 27 villas.
The lap pool at Secret Bay
The funicular at Secret Bay transports guests from the lofty hilltop accomodations.
An ariel view of Secret Bay.
