About Jungle Bay Resort & Spa

Samuel Raphael: Jungle Bay is the brainchild of Dominican born property developer & sustainable development activist Samuel "Sam" Raphael. Sam grew up on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands then pursued higher education in International Studies at The American University of Washington DC. In 1984 he returned to St. Croix where he began a successful career in construction and real estate development that has culminated in the development of Jungle Bay, one of the Caribbean's most exciting resorts.

According to Sam, the concept for Jungle Bay came about during his fifth grade field trip to Cinnamon Bay Campground in St. John, US Virgin Islands, in 1972. At the time Sam was living on his childhood home of St. Croix where his family had migrated to from Dominica in 1968. The environmental awareness of this class trip had such an impact on 11 year old Sam that he adopted the concept of conservation and environmental preservation as his life's philosophy.

Almost thirty years later, in the height of a successful career as a real estate developer "with a difference" Sam, accompanied by Glenda (this power couple actually got married barefoot on a rock on the nearby White River) left their comfortable life of close friends, relatives and their golf villa on St. Croix and returned to one of the most remote parts of their island home to turn their dream into reality.

In 2007 Sam was a judge in the Conde Nast Traveler Magazine World Saver Awards and in 2010 he was honored at the World Travel Market London in the prestigious Virgin Holiday and ResponsibleTravel.com Awards for  Best Personal Contribution to Responsible Travel.

Glenda Raphael: A native Dominican, Glenda is the resort's Spa Director, Wedding Planner and is also formally trained as Yoga instructor by the internationally well known Yogi Hari.
Glenda has been practicing Yoga and Transcendental Mediation for 11 years.

In addition to being dedicated to the philosophy of wellness and healthy living, she is a US certified spa technician having completed over 500 hours of training at a reputable Florida massage school.

Glenda was featured in Destination Weddings and Honeymoons Magazine for her innovative wedding planning skills.

Our Staff:

Jungle Bay guests tell us time and time again that the reason they keep coming back is our staff! All but 2 of our 62 staff are from the communities surrounding Jungle Bay and they are committed to providing the highest quality of service to make your stay a most memorable one. One of the things that makes the staff unique is they way they show dedication to the surrounding community by dedicate 10% of their tips/gratuities to social and environmental causes in the southeast of Dominica. And of course their smiles are unforgettable.

"This holiday was amazing! The crew at Jungle Bay is absolute marvelous and so friendly. We immediately felt at home and a part of a large family." Family from the Netherlands

Mission

Jungle Bay's Mission is to enhance the natural environment and improve the livelihood of surrounding communities so that the region is improved in a sustainable way, while providing quality, comfortable nature-based experiences for our guests. Jungle Bay Resort & Spa was built and is operated in alignment with international sustainable tourism guidelines. As an alternative to traditional Caribbean tourism, the focus is on enjoyable nature-based activities and wellness of guests with quality service, guided by the principles as set by The International Ecotourism Society (TIES): TIES defines ecotourism as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people." (www.ecotourism.org)