MOST of us think of a boutique as a small shop within a larger store, selling fashionable clothing and accessories, or a special selection of other merchandise.

There are many such boutiques in downtown Georgetown, but in the hospitality industry, the word ‘boutique’ has changed connotation in recent times.   Nowadays, a boutique hotel is a hotel which is generally smaller than the usual hotel, and is focused on offering its services in a comfortable, intimate, and welcome setting, as against the identical function or values of large hotels. Same goes for a boutique resort.

Local hospitality entrepreneurs Kit and Gem Nascimento pride themselves in being presenters of a boutique resort with the allure of intimate service, against the backdrop of an unforgettable experience of the natural phenomenon of the Guyana rainforest, and the added allure of evocations of a time long gone, when Dutch colonists lived and worked in the Essequibo.

It is generally a good tourist destination for small groups, such as a family, and is ideal for honeymooning couples, being generally priced at US$203 per night’s stay for two people, and that includes three meals and accommodation.

The Nascimentos are always inclined to give Guyanese reduced rates, like US$175 per couple per night.

Location
The Hurakabra Resort is located on the left bank of the Essequibo River, about three miles north of Bartica, in Region 7 (Cuyuni/Mazaruni). A visitor can get there by public transport (by boat) from Parika in an hour, but would have to arrange to be picked up at Bartica and taken to the resort. A small group would find this situation fairly economical.
The resort is between eight and fifteen minutes away from Bartica by boat.
It can be arranged that the Nascimentos’ transportation pick up a party for Hurakabra from a marina a few miles south of Parika, but a minimum of nine persons would make that arrangement economical.

Another way to get to Hurakabra is by taking the approximately 15-minute Trans-Guyana Airways flight from Ogle Airport to Baganara Island on the Essequibo River, then joining a launch in a half-hour journey from Baganara to Hurakabra.

There are twenty-two acres of land framed by the lush rainforest of the Essequibo at the Hurakabra River Resort. There are also two buildings there.

According to Mrs. Nascimento:
“Hurakabra is a boutique resort, and that means we are a very small and intimate facility. We can sleep anything like about 20 people, and we have done this already; but we can only sleep a lot of people if it’s just one group, and they all know each other and are willing to share bedrooms and all of that.”

A day trip comprises pickup from Georgetown for travel to Parika, departure from the marina and subsequent tour of historic places along the Essequibo, such as Fort Island; lunch at the resort, a trip to Bara Cara Falls, snacks at Hurakabra, and then back to Georgetown.
“It’s a pretty fast trip,” the proprietress said, “but you will have a tour guide who will tell you all about the Essequibo, its history, etc., and give you a good day.”

Amenities
The resort comprises a big building — the Mango Tree Villa — and a cottage, the Bamboo Cottage, both located on the waterfront, and both used to accommodate guests.

The self-contained cottage is a great venue for honeymoons. For those overnighting, the services are provided to suit their taste.

“You can tell us what you want to eat, and this ranges from fish, chicken normal and halaal, and beef and wild meat such as venison and labba,” Gem said, adding: “We do a grilled fish as a specialty, and (we also do) a mango salsa. We do jerk chicken, but, you know, if the visitors are foreigners and they want to eat Guyanese food, we give them the dhal puri and the roti and pepperpot, sometimes with wild meat and farine and other indigenous foods.

“For the visitor, the nature tour provides direct contact with nature. This neck of the Essequibo, like most others along its banks, teems with wildlife. There are labba, capybara, deer, turtle, wild rabbits, monkeys (there are seven different species of monkeys), and roughly 200 species of birds living within the resort itself and in the jungle at the back of the accommodation.

“Visitors can take a walk — an early morning walk preferably — along a trail with a soundtrack of bird song, yakking monkeys and parrots in the background.”

Nature tours
The nature tour package also comprises a visit to Parrot Island, where hundreds of parrots roost in the evening to spend the night. The package also includes a trip to Bara Cara Falls, a very small waterfall in the neighbourhood, under which visitors can sit and get a great massage.

Then there are the tours to places of historical interest which abound in that area of the Essequibo. “You will be taken to Fort Kyk-Over–Al, where Dutch colonists settled in 1621; as well as Fort Zeelandia, built in 1624, where remnants of those days are still visible,” Gem said, adding:

“There are other attractions at Hurakabra, other things that we do there too, but some of these have to be paid for. If you want to jet-ski or go water skiing, we can rent our jet-ski or our knee board.

“We also have a thing — I call it the Tarzan swing — which is a rope tied to a tree, which is quite adventurous. You climb up the tree to a certain point and grab the rope and you swing; and you land in the water. Of course, you have to know how to swim; if not, you have to wear a lifejacket when you are doing it. A lot of people, of course athletic people, love that!”

Such intimate services are the trademark of the Hurakabra boutique resort. For people who want to experience the restorative properties of nature; for those who want to learn about a segment of Guyanese history; or those wanting to relax at weekends, or enjoy an unforgettable honeymoon, the  Hurakabra Nature Resort beckons.