Calabash Cabana Beach Resort: an affordable getaway in the Cinderella County

Mar 31, 2024 News

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O’ Beautiful Guyana!

By Davina Bagot

Kaieteur News – Guyana’s Pomeroon-Essequibo, Region Two, popularly known as the Cinderella County is as magical as its name, and for more than one reason. From bountiful natural resources, to the blissful ambience and hospitality, the Essequibo is overflowing with activities to keep one entertained.

If you were looking to add something special to your list of things to do when in Essequibo, then be sure to enlist a visit to the breathtaking Calabash Cabana Beach Resort.

Tucked away in the cozy ‘Capoey’ Village, the Calabash Cabana Beach Resort offers affordable visits and unforgettable moments with loved ones. The resort boasts a refreshing and relaxing beach with benabs and a boardwalk with a deck overlooking the serene waters of the lake. Visitors can enjoy activities such kayaking, rafting and volleyball at the resort.

The venue is open for day visits and can also be rented to host special occasions such as weddings and parties.

Amanda Edwards, the owner of this paradise, in an interview with The Waterfalls said the resort was launched since August 2014. Though she has a full time 9-5 job in Georgetown, the young entrepreneur is dedicated to delivering an unforgettable experience for guests.

To enter the resort, a small fee of $300 is attached per person, and an additional charge to use the deck, while kayak and water raft rentals are $1000 and $1500 per hour respectively. Visitors can pack their own baskets and food bags or stack their coolers, since Calabash Cabana Beach Resort presently does not offer catering, except for snacks and some beverages. Music is also permitted at “moderate levels”.

Directions

If you are planning a trip, this Easter weekend, here’s how you can find the resort. For those residing outside of Region Two, you will need to take a speed boat or ferry to the Supenaam Stelling. Once there, you can take a taxi that will take you straight to the resort which is an approximate 30-40 minutes drive.

Meanwhile, if you take the ferry with your own vehicle, then you drive on the main public road until you see the Queenstown village signboard, approximately 3-5 minutes after there, is the Capoey sign board on the left-hand side. You make a left turn into the road by the sign board and drive for approximately 10 minutes from the main access road. The resort sits just on the turn of the road leading into the Capoey Laketop village, making it the very first recreational beach visitors encounters when entering the village.

From swamp to bliss

Edwards said opening a resort was not something she always dreamed of since she was exposed to business management at a tender age.

“From a very small age I have been involved in business since my mom owned a shop in the village and there were times where I would be left alone to run the shop for short periods for example if my mom had to run a quick errand. Everything was always accounted for during her absence and that caused her to have the confidence in me being able to sell and run the shop from a very small age unsupervised sometimes,” she said.

While at home one day in Essequibo, Edwards said the idea of the resort came to her mind. “My brother owned a piece of waterfront land and right adjacent to his land had a vacant lot. This area was all swamp and bushes; there was no access to be able to swim or anything of the sort. The land part was all bushes and trees and the water part was filled with grass and what we commonly refer to as ‘busy busy’ or savannah grass.”

After applying to the Village Council to acquire the lot, she said her mother assisted in securing a loan to start reshaping the venue.

“I must say like all businesses mine came with its fair share of challenges along the way.  It has been a constant work in progress especially since majority of the time I am not physically present at the location to oversee the day-to-day operations because I have a regular 9-5 job in Georgetown and only get to visit on the weekends. Notwithstanding, I believe that the future is very bright for Calabash Cabana and I will continue to invest until everything I envision it to be is in tangible format,” Edwards said.  The young lady said is eternally grateful for mother’s assistance and guidance throughout the years.

What’s next?

The Calabash Cabana Beach Resort is working to offer accommodation for overnight stays, a restaurant, and bar and even a hall for weddings and conferences. The owner said she also plans to add more cabanas and enhance the landscape to offer more water sport activities.

To make the resort even more unforgettable, Edwards wants to throw in a floating party vessel for guests in the near future. “I want it to be something very different from what is regularly seen and all developments will be done with an eco-theme in mind and also to cater for international guests,” she teased.

You can contact the resort on telephone (592) 645- 3802 or visit their Facebook page.

 

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• ‘Capoey’ Village, Directions, From swamp to bliss, The Waterfalls, visitors

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