Alcantara, Ma. Linsey R.

BSTM-1B

A.The history of resorts

Resorts have come a long way from the olden days when a resort was small and
modest in size and luxury. But the modern resorts are highly luxurious and offer the
latest amenities for enjoyment.
The concept of leisure resorts is not a product of the modern age, but in fact
resorts have been in existence for many centuries. Historically, the oldest resorts can be
traced back to the Roman empire of nearly two thousand years ago.The ancient
Romans created a public leisure facility known as Baths that could be used by both men
and women separately. Gradually the baths evolved from their modest structure to
include more extravagant facilities such as a gym, a library, restaurant, stores, lounge,
tavern and even a museum and a theater. These baths were utilized for health,
recreation and social enjoyment. In Europe the earliest spa resort was developed in
Belgium in the fourteenth century in a town that is now known by the name of Spa. It
was believed that the natural waters of this town were rich in iron and other minerals
that had miraculous healing properties. That led to the popularity of this resort. In the
seventeenth century, resorts and spas became popular in Britain with King Charles II
leading the trend by visiting various resorts for relaxation and enjoyment. Even till now
celebrities and famous personalities set the trends by patronizing the choicest resorts.
The nineteenth century saw the development of exclusive resort facilities offering more
privacy to the visitors. The wealthy people wished for private resort facilities and
Switzerland's resort industry realized the lucrative business prospects of this idea. One
must also understand that it was an era when transportation costs were very high, and
travel itself was a time-consuming and difficult exercise. Therefore, particularly the
wealthy people preferred to go on a long vacation to make the most of their visit, and at
the same time it achieved the best value for money to stay at a resort for longer periods,
usually ranging from a few weeks up to a few months. The fact that resorts came to be
used by visitors for longer stays, resulted in more home-like facilities being added to the
resorts, such as a partial kitchen attached to your room, and more spacious rooms to
facilitate a more comfortable stay. Initially, the resorts were built as places to provide
respite from extreme weathers in the home places. But with the passage of time, sports
activities, amusement parks and casinos began to be added to the resorts in order to
position the resorts as an all-year round attraction. In North American countries the
earliest resorts were developed at the starting of the nineteenth century. The first
resorts were created in Virginia and New York. Soon afterwards, the concept of Beach
Resorts became immensely popular. The sea became a great place of recreation and
beautiful beach resorts mushroomed all over North America and the Caribbean. Jungle
resorts also became popular as the governments tried to conserve the wildlife and
organized tourism in such a way that it promoted adventure tours to the wild, without
harming the flora and fauna of the region.

B.RESORTS - defines the term resort as “a place providing recreation and

entertainment especially to vacationers.” It can be used to describe any commercial
establishment, town or place that attracts vacation visitors. The main difference
between a resort and a hotel is the amount of facilities available. Resort guests can
enjoy almost everything they need in one convenient location, including food, lodging,
activities and entertainment.
Types of Resort:
1. All-Inclusive Resorts
2. Beach Resorts
3. Golf Resorts
4. Island Resorts
5. Lake Resorts
6. Luxury Resorts
7. Mountain Resorts
8. Pet-Friendly Resorts
9. Ski Resorts
10. Spa Resorts
11. Theme Park Resorts
12. Tropical Resorts
13. Historical Resorts
14. Dude Ranch
15. Singles Resorts
16. Fishing Resorts
17. Couples Resorts
18. Eco-tourism Resorts
19. Clothing-Optional Resorts
20. Adult-Only Resorts
21. Family Resorts
22. Casino Resorts
C. Reasons Why People go to Resorts
1. You will enjoy the best gastronomy
The reason why people enjoy visiting some resorts is because of the foods that
they can offer. For the most foodies and lovers of good food, there’s no better
 option than a resort. They can offer food that can satisfy your cravings while
enjoying your leisure.
2. You can sunbathe in the best swimming pools
People are visiting to a resort because of the recreational activities that they can
do during their free time. One of the best view of a resort was their swimming
pools. There’s no resort that doesn’t have several swimming pools, some even
with salt water, surrounded by lounge chairs, hammocks and outdoor beds, or
chairs inside the pools.
3. Enjoy endless spa sessions and all kinds of treatments
Just like a hotel, some resorts also offer all kinds of treatments like spa sessions
to the guests for them to feel relaxed. Moreover, resorts have place dedicated to
body and soul in the form of a spa, gardens for walks in your swimsuit, water
circuits, massages in outdoor beds, and everything you need to feel relaxed.
4. Advantages of a resort: you have room service 24 hours
People choose to go to a resort because some of the resort offering 24 hours
services to their guests.
5. Everything you need is in your resort
No taxi, no bus, no designated driver. Here you have it all, without even leaving
the hotel. Have an appetizer at the pool bar; dinner in whatever restaurant you
feel like and go out to party without worrying about how much you have to drink,
since luckily you’ll walk back to your room from the nightclubs and bars inside the
resort itself.