Castro joins Aqua Resort Club’s F&B department

Amapola Castro

Amapola Castro’s ready smile and quick service has always served her in good stead.

Starting out at the Hyatt Regency Saipan as a lobby bartender, she rose up the ranks and now with 26 years in the food and beverage business under her belt, Castro—more affectionately known as “Pola”—brings her skills and experience to the food and beverage department of Aqua Resort Club in San Roque as its assistant food and beverage manager.

“I started with ARC in July and I am happy to be back in the hospitality business. This is what I am passionate about even after so many years of being in the business. My heart still belongs to this industry,” she said. “I am excited to be in a new environment and work with new people. There are challenges but I believe they can be overcome and achieved. One advantage is that I have worked with my boss, F&B manager Neil Metran, in the past and because of the same passion we share to serve and make guests happy, our chemistry will hopefully make the F&B service in ARC a better one that guests will look forward to when they come here.”

One of the things she is tasked to do at ARC is to revitalize Michelle’s Bar by the pool and add new alcoholic and non-alcoholic items to its cocktail list that will cater to the young and old alike.

“Michelle’s Bar by the pool is beautifully situated between the hotel and the ocean. …On Saipan, it is very rare to have this kind of setup and now that we are back to operating every day, we intend to make people excited to come to Michelle’s Bar after a long day at work or even just to catch up with family and friends, surrounded by a great ambiance such as the Saipan sunset,” she said.

The new set of cocktails that they have come up with are envisioned to send good vibes, like “riding on a wave” because the concoction is basically refreshing. “The cocktails will be a combination of fruits that are in season and others that we can find in the market and mixed with herbal leaves like mint and basil. One of our non-alcoholic drink is our ‘mixed berry lemonade’ that we are sure children will love and for the adults, our ‘basil mango mojito’ stands out,” she said.

Castro said that Michelle’s Bar is open Monday to Saturday from 11am to 5pm, Friday from 11am to 9pm, Saturday from 11am to 9pm and Sunday from 11am to 7pm. “Aside from new menu list , it is Happy Hour all day, which means they can enjoy 50% off on all drinks at Michelle’s Bar.”

Metran believes in Castro’s capabilities in bringing into fruition all of ARC’s food and beverage plans. “Pola knows her craft and she is a great addition to our ARC family. She has a deep knowledge of the hospitality business on Saipan and we are excited to work with her,” he said.