Grande Life in Cruz Bay

By Eloise Anderson

Raymond Krek is a busy trial attorney in Wisconsin, he is a loyal Packers fan, and he was one of the first owners to sign up for a unit at the Grande Bay resort development in Cruz Bay. That was in 2002. As Mr. Krek remembers it:

“We started coming over here after we took a daytrip over from St. Thomas. We had lunch at the Lime Inn, and rented a Jeep. It was right after Marilyn and, when we got to the Hilton [now the Westin], there were still clothes strewn all over the beach. It was the most disturbing thing. So we decided to come back, but we stayed up on the hill at Sunset Ridge! One night we were on St. John, at the Tamarind, and we met Jack McMann. He began talking about this land he’d acquired and the vision he had for it...we signed pre-con on [a penthouse suite].”

On another trip to St. John Mr. Krek was down at Woody’s, talking to some construction guys, and mentioned that the Grande Bay construction time was supposed to be one to two years. And the construction fellows were, shall we say, skeptical! Now, six years into development, I ask if he’s upset that the construction has taken so long. In reply, Krek leaves the phone to go fetch a plaque he says is hanging in his office. “Price, quality, service—pick any two,” he says quite seriously. So, he’s not upset that it’s taken so long? He admits that it’s not exactly what they expected to get, but he also realizes that as the construction ran long, cuts had to be made somewhere, and he has no criticism of the developer. “MY cost wasn’t going up,” he points out, “And it was worth the wait. They took a gem and made it a jewel.” I remind Mr. Krek that many in St. John don’t and won’t see it that way. Is he worried what people will say when they find out he is staying at Grande Bay? “Not at all,” he asserts. “We’ve been coming here for ten years, and I’ve made friends. Of all types. If someone says they’re upset that we bought here, well I’d say, ‘Let’s talk about it. Let’s go sit on my front deck or yours.’ I think we’d have more things in common than we would have differences.”

The Kreks moved in on Easter weekend and couldn’t be more pleased. Mr. Krek relates to me that his wife, Gayle Merry, recently told him, “The picture out my kitchen window, standing at my kitchen sink, is as good as it gets.” I took a look from that very spot when I toured this condo, and yes, it’s a fine view, but it’s quite a small unit—I suppose that, looking from the street level, one assumes that all the units must be huge! Other units are more spacious; the two and three bedroom units are more like small villas. And, what the complex lacks in privacy, it makes up for in convenience—parking, close to restaurants, close to the ferry dock--“European living,” as Mr. Krek called it. We wish the new owners peace, and the best of luck.

This is one owner’s perspective on the process of construction and the end result experience of Grande Bay. Another owner we tried to talk to backed out, fearing negative publicity. Construction isn’t expected to be finished on the entire complex for a while, but it will eventually include an owners lounge, a gift shop, and a local restauranteur has the option on the restaurant to be built there.