Mayaro’s got the groove

About ten years ago, Mayaro was one of the most under developed, hard to reach places in the country. But over the past few years the county has been given a drastic facelift, making it an attractive hide-away and one of the highest priced real estate areas in the country. Hotels, guest houses and restaurants have been springing up on the beach front attracting a bandwagon of locals to Mayaro. Ten years ago, the quality of the hotels was poor. The toilets were un-tiled and out doors, the bathrooms were un-tiled and unkempt. Many were run down houses without the proper amenities that were rented out to large families. There was also a high level of petty theft and vandalism. Yet Mayaro has always been one of the most beautiful and well-kept beaches in the country. The shore line stretches for about 22 miles, making it a potential source for development. A fact that did not go unnoticed by local entrepreneurs. The area has now turned into a lucrative “local tourist” getaway, with more hotels on the way. According to Sabrina Rahamut, owner of Rahamut Real Estate Services, the price of real estate in Mayaro has increased to $100 a square foot from about $20 ten years ago, especially in areas like Sand Sucker Road and Frontin Road.

She added that a new five star hotel was set to come on stream in the upcoming year and this will push property value up even higher. “Initially, the property value increased because of the number of expatriates flocking into the area. Large houses were built to accommodate them, all of a higher quality than the area was used too,” said Rahamut. This is evident from the large number of modern houses hugging beach front areas like Church Road. These bright, busy homes create a stark contrast to the older, abandoned houses woven in between them. Apart from putting up large houses on the beach front, energy companies like bpTT have made commendable efforts to improve the standard of living of the residents in Mayaro. The companies established a $7.2 million fund to stimulate sustainable and economic development. Rahamut added that Mayaro has become very niche marketed. The locals visiting the area are usually from the adjoining southern towns like Princes Town, Tableland, Rio Claro, Siparia and San Fernando. She said rarely will you get people from North vacationing in Mayaro. But, Vishnu Jaimungal, owner of Harry’s Guest House, also known as the Seagull, said Mayaro has turned itself into a blossoming “local tourist” spot. Local tourists, he explained, mean locals from other parts of the island coming to Mayaro to vacation and sight see. While he felt that two years ago the area was more alive, he agreed that businessmen are waging battles for beach front property to develop. The Seagull has been in operation for the last 20 years and Jaimungal said he has seen Mayaro come full circle.

He said the only chink in the armour, is the fact that Mayaro residents loseout on the area’s progress since most of the labor needed, is brought in from other parts of the country, to service both the tourist and the energy sector. He said some residents feel they are not getting their right share in the developments in terms of employment and benefits. “Mayaro does not have an exceptionally skilled labor force and companies and hoteliers look outside for their labour supply. Obviously this has caused some tension among residents,” said Jaimungal. Also, families vacationing tend to bring all their food items and necessities from home and rarely patronise the market or the small groceries, unless it is an emergency. “It is easier to make food and bring it. It is not like we are going to Miami,” said a mother of two. However, Jaimungal still feels the beach has seen better times over past two years.He said that while you can see a great leap in development in the area, he feels that recently there has been a dip in the number of people coming to Mayaro. “People have been afraid to leave their homes because of crime, which is understandable,” said Jaimungal. But he added this has not hindered hoteliers, restaurant owners and other businessmen from setting up shop on the beach front. Even party planners capitalise on the crowds in the area, awakening the night life on the beach.

Within the last year alone, said Jaimungal, there has been tremendous infra-structural development. “Huge groceries have opened stifling the smaller shops, there have been improvements to the hospital and new restaurants have opened also. Imagine KFC opened here only three months ago,” said Jaimungal. All this has gone up around the hustle and bustle of the famous Mayaro market. But again, he noted the area is not a haven for those looking for a place of luxury and pampering. He said people should not come expecting to find top class, five star hotels and restaurants. The area has not reached this stage yet. Right now, the beach front is peppered with guest houses that cater to families and couples. They have access to every amenity but in a quiet, homey setting. “The attraction is the natural, clean beauty of the beach front and businessmen can see this clearly, this is why so many people want to take a piece of the pie,” said Jaimungal.

Rasheed Hosein, owner of Rash Beach Resort, who has been in the hotel business for the past seven years notes that there has been an unmistakable rise in the price of real estate. “Seven years ago, you could get 2 lots of land for $120,000, but now beach front property like mine goes for $300,000,” said Hosein. Hosein has one of the most colourful beach front properties. Because of the limited space, all his expansion efforts have been upward. He said it is extremely difficult to get people to sell their property and this hinders many hoteliers from expanding their businesses. He added that this has not stopped businessmen from grabbing what is available and the land is becoming very scarce on the beach front. He said Mayaro has suddenly appeared on the list of places to visit when tourists come to Trinidad, especially with the recent popularity the area gained with the filming of the local movie Secrets of the Shell. “The movie was filmed in our hotel and this has drawn a lot of curious people to the area,” said Hosein, proudly. But with all the progress that is being made in the area, Hosein said development is still hindered by the reluctance of the government and TIDCO to assist the hoteliers to market Mayaro as a tourist destination. “If we could get the government to market Mayaro, they way they market Tobago, we would be able to turn the area into a lucrative tourist attraction. We have everything in place, we just need a little help,” said Hosein. But the improvements made by the hotel owners have made a huge impact on families who have been vacationing in Mayaro for more than ten years.

“We have been coming to spend July and August vacations in Mayaro, since my kids were babies, that’s over 20 years. And it has been a great pleasure to see the changes made to the area,” said one vacationer, staying at Rash Resort. “They expected to find dirty bathrooms and rundown houses, no hot water and no air conditioning. But now that things have improved, we can come again as a family,” the vacationer added. Hosein added that hotel owners, like him, felt they were given the short end of the stick by the government and TIDCO. He said they approached TIDCO to include the resorts on their web-site to increase awareness, but the tourist organisation was not as accommodating as they expected. However, he added that through the local county council office, the area hasbeen given great consideration, especially with improving drainage and having extra security on the beach front.