DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to all the excellent management and staff at Failaka Heritage Village who have helped me from the beginning, this is also their story. I have never worked with such a dedicated and loyal team. It would also be remiss of me not to mention the considerable support I have received from Mr. Abdulaziz Al Jassar, Vice Chairman and his staff at Masharee Al Khair, also to Mr. Fawzi Al Musallam, Vice Chairman of Safir Hotels.& Resorts and all at corporate office. Last but not least to all our guests and visitors who have supported us in making Failaka Heritage Village the only authentic heritage village in Kuwait.

As I sit at my desk on a balmy afternoon during May of 2010, I realise that it is now six years since I came to Failaka Island and my thoughts fly back to the end of April 2004 when it all started.

Unlike the song "It Started with a Kiss", mine started with a telephone call out of Kuwait from an old friend, Peter Janssen, "would I be interested in opening a new Heritage Village concept on Failaka island, 20 kilometers off the coast of Kuwait".

We all know from history that Kuwait was invaded by the Iraqi armed forces in August 1990; at the end of the invasion all the inhabitants of Failaka Island were compensated and given houses on the mainland...Failaka became a training ground for the Kuwaiti and allied forces.

After the invasion of Iraq by the allied forces at the beginning of 2003, the island remained as a training outpost for a further year, finally at the beginning of 2004 the vision to create a heritage village began.

The project was started under the auspices of the late Emir, Sheik Jaber and the 'Father Emir' Sheikh Saad who passed away at the beginning of 2008; The Father Emir wanted to rebuild and renovate the Palace of his father Sheikh Abdullah Al Salim Al Sabah who ruled Kuwait from 1950 to 1965, thus started the impetus for Failaka Heritage Village, when under the control of Masharee Al Khair, a Kuwaiti charitable organisation funded by the KIPCO group of companies work started on the Palace and the Village.

It is at this point where my story begins................... 

The telephone rang and I answered the query; "is that Chris Hartley".....and it all began........

"Good morning Chris, this is Peter Janssen, we have just been discussing a heritage village project on Failaka Island, and wondered if you would be willing to accept the position as General Manager and be responsible for the project"?

I was astounded, I had not seen Peter since the London WTM in 1999. "Chris we have been asked by the Chairman of Masharee Al Khair to offer you the position of General Manager and for Denise to be the Executive Housekeeper for this new project"?

We discussed the job, the salary, the benefits but most of all Failaka Island; I had been told that the Island now resembled the stage setting for a "Mad Max" movie.

I agreed. I had just finished a contract as General Manager of Hunstrete House near Bath and Denise was employed as Executive Head Housekeeper at the world renowned Whatley Manor, a top Relais & Chateaux property in Wiltshire.

It was decided that I would fly to Kuwait three days later, and that Denise would give her notice and join me a month later.

On the 1st May 2004 I boarded a British Airways 777 for the flight to Kuwait.......a flight that was to lead to the adventure of a lifetime, full of laughter and tears........but also a great deal of satisfaction.