‘Sweet Paradise’ in Rio

The 35-year-old mastermind of the “resort”, Harrypersad Ragoonanan, said he decided to build the site after a disappointing experience. He was looking for a place to relax one day and went to the much talked of “Shark River.” He was not impressed and decided to create the type of environment people need to relax, along with all the necessary facilities.

That was two years ago. On Carnival Sunday, Ragoonanan’s Sweet Paradise, a family-run business, opened to the public. While there is still work to be done, Ragoonanan claimed he has already had a few thousand visitors.

“These people just heard of the resort by word of mouth and they came from as far as Siparia and Port-of-Spain,” Ragoonan said.

Those who visited claimed there was a huge traffic pile-up because many people flocked to the site.

At Sweet Paradise there are 12 ponds and two lakes for fishing, a play park for children, bathroom facilities, and a wildlife centre. However, Ragoonanan does not plan to stop there.

He intends to include a bar and a couple of restaurants on the compound and is also in the process of building a pool and a water slide. “I also have intentions to do a five-acre nature trail. In the middle of that I will build an auditorium to accommodate weddings and conferences,” he said.

“An entertainment centre is also part of my plan. This I will be doing with the curry duck and chutney competitions in mind.”

From the beautiful, breezy hill of the resort one can behold the most amazing view. Ponds, bamboo swaying in the wind, children playing in the park, people fishing and an old bridge which was the train route long ago, are just some of the things you can feast your eyes on. Twenty-three carat sheds also add to the ambience of the resort. The roofs of the sheds are designed to spin in order to block the sun from entering at different times of the day. They are all equipped with electricity and pipe-borne water. Ragoonanan’s aim is to build 50 of these sheds.

“Soon enough we will include paddle boats, jet skis, and pony rides for the children,” he revealed.

The highly ambitious owner, who many years ago started off by selling seedlings, added that all his plans would be put into action and completed within a year.

Ragoonanan plans to purchase more land as he expands and said that eventually the wildlife centre will be turned into a five-acre mini zoo.

One visitor said that the resort “is a nice place to come and relax and ease off the stress.” And this is exactly what Ragoonanan aims to achieve for visitors to the resort.

“I want to make people happy. Everybody keeps working and working and there is nowhere for them to relax. When I see the children playing in the park, people fishing, cooking and enjoying themselves, it makes me feel really good.”

Ragoonanan’s Sweet Paradise is opened from 7 am daily. The entrance fee is $5 for adults and $3 for children. Renting one of the sheds for the day costs $100.