A Very Grand Opening For - The Caribbean Court Boutique Hotel

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THE ONLY MAGAZINE DEDICATED EXCLUSIVELY TO INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
The González legacy continues:
A Very Grand Opening
for Caribbean Court
New life for a hurricane-ravaged hotel.
Farewell, riviera;
Hello, Caribbean
By Ann Taylor
PHOTOGRAPHY BY jon pine
C
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MAGAZINE
lose your eyes for a minute and picture
yourself somewhere in the Caribbean,
savoring the spice that seasons island living
– sea-scented breezes, happy colors, and a cuisine with
a decidedly French flavor. Alluring and appealing, like
that song you can’t get out of your head, the romantic
scene beckons you to come, stay, and enjoy.
The good news is, thanks to Boris González, that
same island-in-the-sun ambience is within easy reach
in Vero Beach on Ocean Drive.
Welcome to the Caribbean Court and Maison Martinique, formerly known as the Riviera Inn, Tip Top
restaurant, and later Chez Yannick. For González, who
worked tirelessly for the past two-plus years to achieve
his vision of a charming boutique hotel and restaurant,
the opening is cause for celebration.
“I fell in love with the building in January 2004 and
wanted to buy it but I couldn’t get a contract on it for
The Riviera Inn has re-emerged as a two-storied, Caribbean-flavored boutique hotel. There is now an abundance of arches, balconies and flowering
vines, including vibrant blue thumbergia, rich red bougainvillea, purple passion vine and white blooms of Confederate Jasmine. Inset, facing page: the
hotel before renovations began.
The entrance and the parking lot have been totally revamped, with Chicago brick pavers replacing the pot-holed asphalt left over from the old
hotel. Inset: the same entrance before the renovation.
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months,” says González. “I learned it was going to be
bulldozed to make room for condos, and I said no, no,
no. In Monopoly I always remember that the idea was
to own a hotel, and I thought, my goodness, what a
waste of an asset to turn it into condos, so I decided
to take the risk.”
González finally succeeded in his pursuit of the
property, purchasing it on Aug. 27, 2004, just days before it was hit by hurricanes Frances and Jeanne. What
had been an aging hotel was now an eyesore.
Undaunted, González assessed the damage and
pressed on. “I kept the footprint, improving what was
already here. I wanted to make it something different,
something charming.”
And charming it is, starting with the old Chicago
brick pavers in the guest parking areas and courtyard.
González says it best: “Before, it had been an asphalt
driveway with a lot of potholes.”
The exterior of the two-story, 18-room hotel with
its defining arches and balconies was a dingy white;
the landscaping was minimal and tired, the tile roof
needed repair. The interior was even worse. Threadbare indoor/outdoor carpeting covered the floors, the
furniture was mismatched, the bathrooms and kitch-
enettes were antiquated. Walkways, stairs and the pool
deck were well-worn concrete. The pool needed to be
redone and landscaped for privacy. The restaurant was
grim, the kitchen small and inadequately configured.
González knew he had his work cut out for him.
“The rooms needed updating,” he says, opening an
album with before-pictures, pointing as he turns the
pages. “The linoleum floors creaked when you walked,
the vanities were blue Formica, the headboards veneer.
Now all of the downstairs rooms have Mexican tile
floors and the ones upstairs have sisal carpeting.”
Those same warm earth tone tiles also replaced
every inch of concrete on the walkways and pool deck;
González chose ones with colorful patterns to add
artistic interest on the stairways.
“T
he reason I started looking for a hotel
was that, for years, I have co-sponsored
an annual networking conference in the
field of chemical dependency,” González explains.
“People come here from all over the country, and
in 2003 Dr. Conway Hunter of St. Simon’s Island
asked me whether Vero Beach had a boutique hotel
like a little Jekyll Island Club where attendees to the
conference could stay.”
González took the request seriously, started searching, and found just what he was looking for right here
in his own backyard. In 1971, when he was in seventh
grade, his parents had moved the family to Vero Beach
from Spain. While his father Jorge was developing The
Moorings and his mother Leonor was teaching English
at St. Edward’s, González quickly made friends. He
also fell in love with his surroundings and developed a
deep appreciation for what Waldo Sexton had created
with “found things.”
Those are just some of the reasons that for the past
two years González has spent 14-16 hours a day on
site, overseeing the myriad tasks involved in transforming the old hotel and restaurant.
González will be the first to admit that he could
never have done it without the assistance of a number
of individuals and their firms, “including some terrific
sub-contractors.”
He saves his biggest thank-you for his mother, Leonor, who helped him achieve the look he was after.
“Mom has been the artistic overseer throughout,” he
explains, leading the way up a set of stairs to a guest
room on the second floor that opens to a terrace
overlooking the pool. González added white crown
molding and bead board and had the walls painted a
soothing honey tone.
“We tried to go for comfort. The beds are all new
Beautyrest pillow tops with white, 100 percent cotton
linens. The furniture is mahogany. I went all over to
find the right pieces, from Frederick County, Virginia, to Lincoln Avenue in Chicago to Mount Dora.
Kerry Eshleman helped in any number of ways, not
the least of which was helping me pick out many
items, and Mary Walters was instrumental in their
repair and placement. Normally I like to find pieces
that need a little work. I like to fix things and make
them better than they were before.”
And that’s just what González has done with the
bathrooms. Gone are the dingy Formica counters,
chipped sinks and cracked linoleum flooring; in their
place are white tiles interspersed with colorful Mexican ones that repeat the design of the raised, bowlshaped sinks.
Gilchrist & Soames Aloe Vera shell-shaped soaps
rest in curved wooden West Indies dishes, and there
are plenty of thick fluffy towels to go around. Additional amenities include embroidered robes, in-room
safes and an iron and hair dryer, plus a tray of chocolates and crackers. The kitchenettes are as equally well
appointed with a mini-refrigerator/freezer stocked with
The Caribbean Court offers two totally different water experiences. A
profusion of oleander provides peace and privacy in the re-landscaped
pool area while a nearby path leads to the ocean, a two-minute walk
away.
beverages, a microwave, toaster oven, and set of china.
A coffee maker comes complete with a tray of beverage
selections, sweeteners and creamers. Additional accessories include hammered metal ice buckets, tongs, and
special bottle opener in a wooden case.
“All of the art you see on the walls are originals by
Caribbean painters,” González says. “I had originally
thought to have a little shop where we would sell
things, but then I thought why not turn the entire
place into a shop? All of the different pictures are
catalogued and if someone wants to buy something
they can.
“Each room has a table so if you want you can have a
little romantic dinner for two. Our rate includes highspeed wireless Internet and local and long distance
calls within the continental U.S. The televisions have
DVD and VCR; we have a movie library and can rent a
movie for guests at Blockbuster upon request. The goal
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is to make people feel at home.”
It’s obvious that González
himself feels that way. Tanned,
smiling, and wearing his signature
guayabera, island print shorts
and sandals, he’s the picture of a
perfect island host.
“The way I see the project is
in three parts,” he says, leading
the way around the pool to the
entrance of Maison Martinique.
“The first is the hotel; the
second is the restaurant; the third
is the event-coordinating function that Elizabeth Kennedy will
capitalize on to accentuate the
many intimate charming nooks
the hotel offers for private parties,
mini conferences and very special
weekend weddings.”
Kennedy was instrumental in the
initial concept of the restaurant
and is thrilled at the prospect of
working closely with Valerie and
Yannick Martin, who will run the
new restaurant. “I loved what they
did at Café du Soir,” Boris says,
“and am so grateful to Paul and
Nancy Morgan, dear friends who
live at The Moorings, for their
insistence that I contact them.”
Gonzalez is quick to point out
that his mother was involved
in selecting the striking shade
called roseland on the walls of the
restaurant.
“Boris wasn’t sure, but I said
look, this is a color that women
will love. I knew what I wanted
and we tried and tried to get it
just right,” Leonor says. “And the
lamps hanging from the bamboo
ceiling are wonderful–there are
16 of them, you know. I had told
our interior designer Paula Holden
that I wanted lots of candles and
she did a beautiful job finding just
the right ones. In fact, Paula has
been invaluable tying everything
together.”
The candles, colors, furnishings
The 18 guestrooms offer Beautyrest pillow top mattresses with 100 percent cotton linens. The furniture is mahogany, the walls a soothing cream tone. All of the downstairs rooms feature Mexican tile
floors and the upstairs rooms sisal carpeting.
The restaurant’s spacious white banquettes offer a perfect counterpoint to the rose-colored walls. The large painting at rear depicts a hibiscus
bursting into bloom.
and artistic touches all combine
to create an intimate atmosphere.
The main dining room features
a soaring bamboo ceiling, hanging lamps and a large fireplace,
its mantle a medley of chunky
coral and shells, hurricane globes
and candles. Mahogany tables
and chairs with striped fabric in
happy hues of peach and pink
add punch. The Shell Room,
Paula’s special creation, has shell
lights on the walls spreading a
romantic glow. If eating al fresco
is preferred, dining on the outside
terrace is also available.
A
ll in all, it’s a perfect
setting for Yannick
Martin, known for his
superb French cuisine. For him
it was a homecoming of sorts as he had been the chef at the Riviera Inn’s
restaurant for five years before he and Valerie moved on to open Café du Soir
on Royal Palm Pointe.
When the Café closed in June 2005, González wasted no time contacting
the couple. They both liked what they heard and saw, but knew there was work
to be done to the kitchen. “We enlarged it by about eight feet, and Yannick
designed it to his specifications,” says Valerie.
“We’ve been together for 33 years, working side by side in restaurants, and we
know what works,” Yannick nods. “To take this seriously you have to like what
you do. For me, cooking is a passion.”
Another piece de resistance González has added to the mix is “Havana
Nights,” a piano bar directly above Maison Martinique and reached either
by stairs or an elevator. Here, there is an impressive mahogany bar, white
banquettes, cocktail tables and baby grand piano. Also present are the special touches González delights in adding to the decor; in this case, oversize
burlap sugar bags with the name of his grandfather’s Cuban sugar mills
stamped on them.
“My mother’s family has been in the sugar business in Cuba for years. Here
we’re going to have entertainment and serve a light menu that will include
French appetizers, Cuban daiquiris and Spanish tapas,” says González, smiling as he leads the way to the terrace. “People can come outside and enjoy the
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Photo Styling by Petra Blackman
Yannick Martin, better known in recent years
as the chef-owner of Café du Soir, is back at
the site of his old restaurant, Chez Yannick.
As well as a totally new look in the dining
areas, the kitchen has been renovated and
enlarged.
fresh air and ocean breezes.”
Leonor likes that idea; even more
she approves of everything her son
has been able to accomplish over
the past two years. “What Boris has
done is wonderful; even his mother
is impressed and that’s not an easy
thing to do,” she says.
“You just keep what works
and you fix what doesn’t,” says
González, smiling as he stands in
the courtyard and surveys his creation. “I really like to do something
outside the nine dots; here I’ve
tried to create a place where people
will want to come, a place that is
charming, intimate and
memorable.” `
The main dining room at the Maison Martinique.
“Havana Nights” is the name of the piano bar located directly above Maison Martinique. The light
menu will offer French appetizers and Spanish tapas.
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Caribbean Court Boutique Hotel
The following individuals and
organizations assisted in the creation of
the new Caribbean Court and Maison
Martinique: Joe Downing, Busy Bee
Nursery; architectural consultant
Jim Carmo; Hayslip Nursery; interior
designer Paula Holden and her associate
Heather Horwitz; landscape architect
Warren McCormick; Lin Biber, Perfect
Pavers; R. C. Boos Construction, and
engineer Bill Stoddard and his associate
Mike Neville.
Maison Martinique Restaurant
tel 772-231-7211
tel 772-231-7299
[email protected]
[email protected]
1601-5 South Ocean Drive, Vero Beach, Florida 32963
fax 772-231-4220