Pink Beach Club redevelopment comes under fire

Proposals to transform the Pink Beach Club into a luxury boutique hotel have come under fire from a former hotel boss.

Plans to redevelop the property in Smiths were granted in-principle permission by the Planning Department recently.

But the new scheme is not to everyone’s liking, including former Pink Beach Resort manager Harry Kromer.

Mr Kromer told the Bermuda Sun: “I believe that guests returning to the Pink Beach Club will be upset to see that now they must share only west beach with condo owners at Hidden Cove.

“It’s also not right that 5.5 acres of tourism zoned property is being taken over by residential property.

Inaccessible “Under the new plans it appears that the east beach is no longer accessible to guests.

“This is the best beach and was used by the majority of Pink Beach Club guests.

“I believe Toppy Cowen would be turning over in his grave if he could see that Pink Beach has gone from 94 suites to 34 as well as going from employing over 100 people in its hey-day to just over fifty in new proposed development.” An old Bermuda sloop, called Sweet Honey, belonging to Mr Kromer was recently destroyed during the redevelopment of the site.

The boat, which dates back more than 100 years, had been on the property for several years.

Now Mr Kromer is in talks with a boat yard in Maine, US, which also made the Spirit of Bermuda, in a bid to build a replica of Sweet Honey.

Pink Beach was recently sold to Sardis Developments.

The proposed redevelopment is set to comprise a 34-room hotel with two restaurants, a spa, two pools, rooftop tennis court, residential units, a beach club and more.

The $51.5 million project also includes a residential component, with several condominium units and a large home with a groundskeeper’s cottage on the eastern side of the property.

An Environmental Impact Survey conducted by the developers says that the project will create between 80 and 100 jobs during the construction phase and a further 56 when the hotel opens.