Refined Caribbean Island enclave soon to complete 9-hole short course, Little Apes to join Performance Centre, 19th Hole, restaurants, luxe rental villas and real estate community
Golfweek released its 2024 “Top 100 International Courses” list and the championship 18-hole layout at Apes Hill Barbados debuts in the inaugural compilation at No. 72.
“We aspire to provide the finest amenities, rental villas, and private homes to our members and guests,” said Sunil Chatrani, Executive Chairman, Apes Hill Barbados. “Being named one of the world’s top 100 international courses – out of tens of thousands – is objective, critical confirmation that we are fulfilling our mission to reach the top echelon in every respect.”
Golfweek’s Best has ranked classic and modern international courses in the past, but 2024 marks the first year in which all ages of courses have been combined to build one comprehensive ranking outside the U.S.
Hundreds of Golfweek course raters continually evaluate courses and judge them based on 10 criteria. They also file a single, overall rating on each course. Those overall ratings on each course are averaged to produce an overall rating. Each course is then ranked against other courses.
The brainchild of golf architect Ron Kirby – the final design of his much-admired portfolio that counts courses in Ireland to Mexico, Asia to the Caribbean – Apes Hill is ranked fifth in “Golfweek’s 2024 Top 50 Courses You Can Play” in the Caribbean, Mexico, Costa Rica and the Atlantic Islands.
Collecting best-of honors has become the norm for Apes Hill. It was recently named Development of the Year by Golf Inc. Magazine, and it shined at the 2023 World Golf Awards in Abu Dhabi last fall, winning four categories, including ‘World’s Best Golf Real Estate Venue’, ‘World’s Best Eco-Friendly Golf Facility’, and best new golf course in both Barbados and the Caribbean.
Kirby’s design debuted in 2022 and was immediately cited as a ‘must-play’ venue with stunning, unrivalled views of the Caribbean Sea to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. The layout is perched 1,000 feet above sea level and set within 475 acres of natural terrain and where large troops of Barbados green monkeys roam. The resort also offers a state-of-the-art Performance Centre and floodlit driving range, while a family friendly nine-hole par-3 golf course is close to completion.
The Apes Hill championship course welcomed some of the game’s most famous names when it hosted a Legends Tour event hosted by property ambassador and erstwhile Masters Champion, Ian Woosnam. The elite players praised the course routing and ingenious holes that are maintained in part by an irrigation system that collects rainwater in its 58-million-gallon reservoir. Teamed with using local seaweed, manure and compost for fertilizer to redirect rainfall through bioswales to recharge aquifers, Apes Hill’s dedication to the environment is unwavering and recently illuminated by achieving Audubon International certification for its enviro and sustainability best practices.
Sustainability permeates virtually everything at Apes Hill with its farm producing fresh herbs, edible flowers, bananas, breadfruit trees and honey to provide for the on-site restaurants at the 20th Hole and Noisy Cricket, which pride themselves on a farm-to-fork menu.
Apes Hill’s family-friendly accommodations start with three-bedroom courtyard villas, framed by Barbados’ natural coral and foliage. All feature a private swimming pool with ocean views never far away. Each villa is oriented to catch natural light, breezes and breathtaking vistas allowing for complete privacy or entertaining in equal measure.
There is no shortage of options for those looking for an active retreat on an island that boasts over 3,000 hours of sunshine a year. Sunset yoga, couples golf tournaments, tropical hiking trails, boot camps, padel tennis events, gully walks, children’s movie evenings, cooking demonstrations, sports camps and freshwater fishing excursions are just a few of the activities awaiting Apes Hill members and guests.
“We are cultivating a new sense of luxury island living here at Apes Hill, and our new activity program only adds to the exceptional lifestyle we are offering,” said executive chairman Chatrani. “It is full of choices for the whole family, whether it is to relax, keep active, embrace the outdoors, make friends, visit sites, or learn new things.”
With future developments, guests will be able to enjoy a range of additional wellness amenities which will include a state-of-the-art fitness centre, health club and spa treatments. The resort’s personal trainer, yoga teacher and padel/tennis coaches are all available for one-to-one sessions as well as taking part in group activities with certified babysitters available to take care of younger guests in the comfort of their own villa should Mom and Dad desire some child-free time.
Apes Hill Barbados is home to a developing range of accommodation options, with a portfolio of brilliant, exclusive sites that complement golf vacation properties and enable guests to stay, frolic, relax, and play.
For more information: www.apeshill.com
