Hotelier and tour operator Zena Stoll, who owns Adel’s Resort and Coconut Estate at the mouth of Akawini Creek and the Pomeroon River, unknown to many, has been a pioneer of eco-tourism in Guyana. She has been juggling her time between Washington DC in the US and Guyana to get the tourism project off the ground, realise her dream and at the same time stave off challenges that could have deterred her.
“When I’m not at Adel’s, I’m speaking to Barbara [Van Sluytman] who manages things for me. I am living here and there. It was tough at first trying to manage from overseas. People asked for advance and said they were doing this and that and when I checked, not much, or nothing was done. I got robbed many times. I shed tears, dried them, got up again. I rode the waves and now I can smile. I love every minute at Adel’s,” Stoll told Stabroek Weekend in an interview from her Washington DC home.
