The Mainstay Resort, built on 15.3 acres, nestles on a slope on the shore of the Mainstay Lake in the Whyaka/Mainstay community.

Its pearly-white beaches are fringed by ite palms, and its coffee-coloured fresh water which has a blue shimmer when the sun shines, is sufficient enticement for a cool swim.

Expectations were high for the resort and according to Amerindian Captain of the nearby Whyaka/Mainstay community, Yvonne Fredericks-Pearson, the investors who took up the challenge to rehabilitate the facilities which had been “grossly run down” for several years, “had the guts” to put their finances, energy and time to develop it into an attraction for local and international visitors. “Hats off to them,” she declared, and “they deserve to make money from their investment.”

The resort has 41 cabins including 32 double rooms and eight single rooms, in addition to a dining room, conference room, members’ club and other facilities.

The resort was commissioned just under two years before the ‘9/11’ terrorist attack on the US. It made some money prior to the attack, but a significant drop-off in visitor arrivals thereafter was compounded by the country’s own political and economic turmoil which included a devastating crime wave.

Survival tactics

In an attempt to survive amidst escalating crime which was affecting businesses in general and local tour operators in particular, the resort decided to try and develop a market on the Essequibo Coast, in its own backyard, Operations Manager Poonraj Gokul said. The resort offered packages to the schools, including the Essequibo Technical Institute, and government departments and agencies as well as private entities. “Essequibo business people in general support the resort. Some come for an afternoon dinner or for a quiet relaxing atmosphere,” he said.

The guests from overseas, Gokul said, are mainly from Canada and the USA.

Also keeping the resort going, he said, were a number of international and local organisations that host retreats and seminars there. They include the British Voluntary Services Organisa-tion, the United Nations Development Programme, Youth Challenge (Guyana), Lifeline Counselling, Banks DIH, Demerara Distillers Limited, the Guyana Sugar Corporation, government agencies and the Amerindian People’s Association.

But in spite of the injection of funds to renovate the resort’s facilities, it is still missing a few hinges and other minor things which need to be in place for the basic comfort and security of patrons. Some hot and cold water could be made available in the bathrooms, a recent visitor from Canada, Diane Solomon observed.

For the period 2000 to 2001 when business at the resort really started to plummet, Gokul said the directors had to take the decision to cut costs. This meant that 31 staff members had to go. In 2002, the staff was further reduced to 25, and subsequently to 12.

Beauty preserved

Solomon who visited Lake Mainstay in the 1990s when the area was overgrown by bush was pleasantly surprised by its positive transformation and the way the natural beauty of the area and its tranquility had been preserved.

During the current season, Gokul said the resort is enjoying an average 65% occupancy rate. Tickets for the Lake Mainstay Resort regatta billed for August 24 “are selling. This will help to cover the resort’s overhead expenses,” he said.

Fredericks-Pearson in an interview recalled that the previous facilities had been neglected and later vandalised after the then Burnham administration had developed the site, first to promote local tourism and then to use the place as a `youth camp.’ This resort now should not be allowed to fail even if it needs government’s intervention, she said.

Fredericks-Pearson and Gokul both feel that Whyaka/Mainstay is probably the most economically viable Amerindian community, which learnt the value of tourism first in the ‘70s, and more so in recent times with the commissioning of the resort.

The time involved in travelling from Georgetown to the resort, they said, could be seen as a special advantage, since the overland route affords enchanting glimpses of the country’s coastal plain and its way of life.

The route from George-town covers the Demerara River and the West Coast of Demerara by road, the scenic Essequibo River by boat and then a drive along the recently upgraded Essequibo Coast road.

The resort, however, is still not easily accessible particularly during the rainy season and the community is still awaiting government’s promise to tar the entrance road.

There is also an airstrip which is a six-minute drive from the resort.

The community operates a toll gate and gets a 10% commission for every $300 ticket they sell to visitors coming to use the resort’s facilities for the day. In addition, the residents charge a fee for the use of the community’s beach which is adjacent to that of the resort. Each car taking visitors to the resort also pays a $100 toll.

The support the resort gets from the neigbouring residents was excellent and “they actually sell [it],” Gokul said.

When the resort has to cater for a large group, part- time staffers are taken on about a week beforehand to make preparations, and they remain during the visitors’ stay. The majority are hired from Mainstay. If the community cannot provide the labour, then help is hired from elsewhere. Those hired from Mainstay, he said, would have worked with the resort on an on-and-off basis. “They understand how the business is operating. When business is coming in, work is always there,” he said. At present, five of the permanent staff come from Mainstay.

Regional Amerindian Pageant

Apart from providing employment, Gokul said, the resort sets aside a special day - `Family Fun Day’- to entertain residents of Whyaka/Mainstay. This year the resort will also be hosting the Regional Amerindian Pageant on September 6 as part of the community’s Amerindian Heritage month activities.

Earlier days

Giving a history of the resort, Gokul said that the construction of the entire facility, which included several brick cabins and billets began in the ‘70s by then Prime Minister Forbes Burnham who used the resort “to get away from Georgetown for a quiet weekend.”

It also served to encourage members of his Cabinet, high-ranking government officials and others to holiday in the country instead of spending foreign exchange on overseas vacations.

The only eco-resort with sleeping quarters to accommodate 130 persons at any given time, the cabins were built of brick. Much of the interior of the main lodge including the bar is also built of clay brick, as well as the walkway.

In the late ‘80s, conditions deteriorated at the resort as the economy slid downward. Much of the moveable property was stolen and some of it vandalised. The property reverted to the Amerindian community but the Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) administration kept an oversight presence.

In 1996 the Chairman of the Board of Directors Mokesh Daby and businessmen Wilfred Jagnarine, Roy Bassoo, the late Ronald Bassoo and Basil Dyal visited the place. They began the process of renovation and reconstruction in 1997 after a 25-year lease was secured.

Complete reconstruction cost some $385 million. Initially, Gokul said, the plan was to rebuild in two phases, catering first for local clientele before opening up for overseas tourists. However, on the advice of an overseas consultant, the directors invested the entire sum to upgrade the facility to international standards.

Though the reconstruction process began in 1997, the resort opened to business on April 1, 1999, and was commissioned by President Bharrat Jagdeo on December 4, 1999.

Garbage disposal

Meanwhile the resort and the community are not happy about the dumping of garbage along the roadway from the town of Anna Regina. Residents in the community feel that such poor garbage disposal sends bad vibes to visitors travelling to and from the resort.

Along the roadway close to a rice field is the site where asbestos was buried by the authorities. Gokul and residents in the community described it as an insensitive act, considering that visitors have to use that route.