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@Work: Carrington Inn

Jan 14, 2005 – Claudia and Roger Carrington five years ago were in New York. He was working as an engineer and she was working as an accountant when, according to Roger Carrington, they decided to do something different "in a better climate."
What they did was to become the owner-operators of Carrington Inn on the hill above Christiansted. When they came down in the early part of 2000 and looked at what was then a private house, Claudia Carrington says, "The house said, ‘I'm here. I'm perfect. Take me.'"
They took possession of the house in June and had their first guest in November. Although the Carringtons did not have to change much in the layout of the house (four of the five planned guest rooms already had bathrooms), Claudia Carrington said, "That was pushing it."
Each guest room has, along with a private bath, either a king- or queen-size bed and other amenities including hookups for the Internet and for faxing.
The inn caters to adult couples. Roger Carrington says its makes for "a cozy family with eight or 10 of us sitting around the table for a hearty breakfast."
He emphasizes that it is a full-fare breakfast. "You won't find any donuts around here."
The Carringtons will rent out the complete inn to anyone who wants to bring a whole family with children. Roger Carrington said it is "mostly a liability issue, with the pool and all. We don't have a lifeguard."
"Business is getting better every year," he said, but not good enough to think about expansion, even though there is room.
The inn, sitting at the top of the hill above Christiansted, offers breathtaking views of the harbor and Gallows Bay from the pool area and from some rooms.
Renee and Derek Thompson, guests this January from Ann Arbor, Mich., spoke about service at the inn.
"Roger and Claudia have been tremendous. They have bent over backwards helping us with anything we need," Derek Thompson said.
"Their knowledge of the island and about what to do here was exceptional," Renee Thompson said.
Roger and Claudia Carrington are both from Guyana. They each went separately to New York about 30 years ago. Twenty-five years ago they were married.
Most of their guests are from the states and many are return customers. Several customers have returned once a year every year since the inn opened.
Once in a while, more often in the off-season, Virgin Islands residents have taken advantage of the inn as a get-away close to home. The inn does have a two-night minimum stay. Claudia Carrington says that a person really can't appreciate the experience of the inn in one night. A person needs to "linger" in it to get the full enjoyment of it.
In the off-season the couple has made the inn available to community groups for social events.
The Carrington Inn is located at 4001 Estate Hermon Hill. To get another view go to the Inn's Web site at www.carringtonsinn.com. The telephone number is 340-713-0508 or 877-658-0508.

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