- 10 hours ago
Renovation Island - The Adventure Continues Season 1 Episode 5 - TBA
Category
🎥
Short filmTranscript
00:01We are able to finish everything, get it ready for the bride and groom and their wedding party.
00:06It sort of ramps up our excitement to continue and finish the project.
00:10Confirming that the full resort buyout is moving ahead.
00:13We've already, what, more than doubled the budget?
00:15It's already eclipsed.
00:17One of the ideas that we've been exploring for Cerule Lamar is to act another hotel on the island on
00:22the backside.
00:22And the 600 acre parcel of land north and south of us.
00:25There's lots of room here for a brand new community.
00:28Yeah, a resort-centered community.
00:31More land, expansion, evolution.
00:33There are days that I feel like, do we have it in us to do this for another five or
00:37ten years?
00:38This is a much larger scaling than we've ever looked at before in any business.
00:43It sounds bigger when you hear it.
01:01Now that the wedding is completed, we can breathe a sigh of relief.
01:09Everyone's, like, calm, cool, and collected today after last night's festivity.
01:12It went great.
01:13Bride and groom are happy, parents happy.
01:16They had beautiful weather.
01:18That's in the rearview mirror, though.
01:20So then when I look back here, we have to look beyond the tent and the tables and the beautiful
01:25flowers and glasses of wine and focus on the work, which scares me to death.
01:31Yeah.
01:32People are going to be checking into these rooms in the blink of an eye.
01:35Each one of these rooms, I do not see a clear path forward.
01:39Well, we have to make it happen.
01:40We're asking people to finish certain areas before we finish rough-ins and others, so it's all going to cascade.
01:47We still don't have power everywhere on property.
01:50So right now, we have two rooms ready.
01:53We're putting furniture in rooms with contractors still doing rough construction.
01:59We don't have an option.
02:01We need to finish it.
02:02I have no idea how we are going to get it done.
02:05This will be like a fast-moving hurricane.
02:08It's going to seem very chaotic and very messy, and like it'll never end, and all of a sudden, the
02:13sun will come out.
02:14The ocean will be calm.
02:15Okay, we're comparing this to a hurricane.
02:16Either or.
02:17Either or.
02:18Somehow, we managed to pull it all together for the wedding, but in the big picture, that was only two
02:23rooms, and we still have 20 units to go.
02:26Yep.
02:26The clock is ticking.
02:28But the sun will come out tomorrow.
02:30And the power will come on.
02:31We hope.
02:32Oh, gosh.
02:33Okay.
02:34Here we go.
02:42South Andros is a very historical, very natural piece of land with family that have hundreds of years of history.
02:50So we think it's really important to sit down with our local staff and find out, like, what does everybody
02:55want?
02:56What are they thinking?
02:58You ladies have been with us for a number of years, and I think you know us well.
03:03You know the staff here well.
03:05You know what we kind of went through to get this to the place that it is now.
03:09Yes.
03:09We kind of want to know from people that we respect and trust, what are the guests asking for?
03:15They want the bar to be open a little bit longer.
03:17They want the bar to be open later.
03:19Yeah.
03:20And then entertainment.
03:22Yes.
03:22We used to do live entertainment in the dining room, and I would like to bring that back.
03:27Yeah.
03:27Okay.
03:28We don't want to create a Nassar for Lauderdale or Toronto.
03:32Right.
03:32That's not what we fell in love with.
03:34I don't think that's what people want here from what we've heard.
03:37The island itself, what it can give back.
03:39Yes.
03:39I think that we can benefit from tourist attraction.
03:42If we have something to offer, we definitely could have more guests come into the island.
03:47One of the markets would be incredible, whether it's here on property or somewhere nearby where the guests can go.
03:54And you guys know, we're like, get on the bike, go to the little artisan market and shop and explore.
03:59Seeing that Andres is the biggest island in the Bahamas, like farming.
04:03We plant our own food.
04:05The hotel can transport, export.
04:08Export.
04:08Yes.
04:09Yep.
04:09One of the things we're looking at is creating a co-op, farm-to-table, putting in the infrastructure, the
04:15wells, the machinery as a co-op that we can partner with locals on.
04:19We can produce way more food than we can consume here.
04:23Fishing, too, because we don't have a fish house or a packing house where you can, like, if you have
04:27your stuff, you still have to send them to Nassau.
04:29Right.
04:30And I think we can draw a lot more people here as well with fishing.
04:32We do the bone fishing.
04:34Right.
04:34That's our main capital, right?
04:36Yeah.
04:36We want everyone's best interest, and I know we were talking medical as well, that we feel was one of
04:43the reasons we didn't ever move forward with having young children here, because it was a little bit worrisome without
04:48a regular doctor.
04:49Right.
04:50It's really, really lacking.
04:51We do have a lot of inquiries about young kids.
04:54Younger kids.
04:55Yeah.
04:55I was thinking about doing some type of cooking class.
04:58That is good.
04:59I think that's a good guess.
05:00Would you guys be open to doing something like that?
05:01We had a few guests, actually.
05:02Yeah.
05:02Yeah.
05:03Like banana pancakes, the way we do it locally.
05:05Comforters.
05:06Comforters.
05:06Yeah.
05:07Just something simple.
05:09It's great to know that our visions for the island are aligned with people on the island.
05:14We want to know that we're helping and doing the right thing and not showing up and doing something that
05:19isn't wanted in the neighborhood.
05:21Every time Brian and I sort of share our vision out loud, it reinforces it to one another, but also
05:29it starts to sort of grow that seed.
05:32I think for this, we're, you know, there's more to it than just the bottom line.
05:39That's a long list, Brian.
05:41That's a long list, Brian.
05:41We have our work cut out, Brian.
05:43We have our work cut out, Brian.
06:08It's nice to be down on the dock with Ed.
06:10We're doing a little bit of work and some of the deck boards put down.
06:13We're just out here on the dock having a little fun.
06:15A lot of the work is setting up these rails.
06:17Once you get everything clipped in, you know, if we damage anything, we just pop it out, put another piece
06:20in.
06:21You could have a heck of a business down here in the Keys trading out all these old deck boards.
06:32Are these all the boards?
06:34They are.
06:34Oh.
06:35We've got these brand new paddle boards for the property.
06:38These are gorgeous here, right?
06:40We talked about the new logo.
06:42The cross here finds bombs.
06:43Perfect.
06:44We need to have these amenities for guests.
06:47Kayaks, paddle boards, the boat, the fishing, the excursions.
06:50All of that is what truly makes somebody's vacation and experience here on property.
06:54All right.
06:55Got that one?
06:56Yep.
07:02I have an opportunity today to actually pop into a local gallery.
07:07Pasta, the artist is, well, he's a legend here.
07:09And we would love to incorporate some of his artwork in the hotel rooms.
07:13It will give that punch of color, that additional personality.
07:17And bringing home a little piece of Isla Morata to the property is key.
07:22Good morning.
07:23Hey, how are you?
07:24I caught you in working mode.
07:26This is beautiful.
07:28I don't think I've ever been in your gallery before.
07:30No, it's been a little staple down here, but we haven't had this experience yet.
07:33How long have you been here in the Keys?
07:3520 years in the Keys, and then 20 years in the gallery business.
07:39So this one, my eye is drawn to it right away.
07:41This is a tarpon, kind of like a sunset deal on the last go around trying to catch him for
07:46the day.
07:46And every child to me that comes to Isla Morata, Lincoln and Josephine in particular, my littlest two, it's all
07:52about the tarpon.
07:53150 pound tarpon right at the dockside.
07:55You just can't beat that kind of feel, right?
07:56You can't beat that.
07:56Nope.
07:57So this is a definite.
07:58And then can we walk through the rest of your gallery and see?
08:00Absolutely.
08:00Let's do it.
08:02Now this, my kids spent many a morning fishing in the mangroves.
08:06That's right.
08:07That's right.
08:07This to me is indicative of the Keys.
08:09It's a limited edition.
08:11It's called the Keys to Life.
08:12Now this piece is beautiful too.
08:14Yeah, this one's called The Two of Us.
08:16It's kind of an antique poster look.
08:17I did the muted colors on this one.
08:19We have a color palette in some of the units.
08:21These palmetto leaves and they're this beautiful green.
08:23But I think combining them and putting this in the dining area would be spectacular.
08:28There is a lot for me to take in.
08:30So is it okay if I let you get back to work and I'm just going to wander?
08:34Shop away.
08:34All right.
08:35It's great to be able to work with local artists.
08:37They know the area.
08:39They know the community.
08:40They really bring the spirit and the energy into the hotel.
08:51With this project, obviously we've tried to increase the timelines.
08:54We're trying to be open as quick as we can.
08:57We're bringing in multiple crews.
08:59And the scope of work continues to expand.
09:02So I think we really need to consider what has to happen on property to meet the deadlines,
09:07to meet the budget, to make this project be as successful as it can.
09:11And I don't know if the partners are going to like my recommendation.
09:15Look at the site.
09:17If we don't shut down the resort, there is absolutely no way we're going to be ready for the buyout.
09:22We've already had negative reviews because of the noise and construction.
09:26To be honest, I think they know.
09:28It's coming.
09:29I think they know this is coming.
09:30It's like all of us, we were hoping for the best but expecting.
09:33I'm not usually the negative person, but in this instance, still having guests on site isn't working.
09:40This is not the guest experience anyone wants.
09:42And likewise, from the construction and trades perspective,
09:46they don't want to be worried about a young child tripping over a tool
09:49or accidentally hurting themselves on the property.
09:54We wear both hats, which is what I understand.
09:56Like, we've been on the flip side of operationally.
09:59Like, the revenue coming in is what you want to help continue the construction.
10:03Yeah.
10:03Sarah's something to tell you.
10:07Oh, great.
10:07Bring it on.
10:17Sorry.
10:21You always bail on things like this.
10:24Did you see the bus go by?
10:26Right under.
10:27Right under the bus.
10:28Right under.
10:28He just throws me right under.
10:30We wanted to just bring up the conversation with you both candidly about the state of the property, about how
10:37your guests that are still here are feeling.
10:39Trying to keep it open and, like, angering a bunch of people.
10:44It's probably not worth it.
10:49We're at the point where, like, no one is happy from the standpoint of, like, the trades are stressed because
10:53they're trying to be mindful.
10:54Right.
10:55And then your guests are like, well, there's trades.
10:57Like, but neither one of them is.
10:59Pushing them as hard as we are and they're trying to tiptoe around everything.
11:01Yeah.
11:01It makes total sense.
11:02If we can come up with a solution where we just keep our staff.
11:04Yeah.
11:04That's the most important thing to me.
11:05Because I don't want to just let them go.
11:07This is one thing we did in the Bahamas, too.
11:09We're like, okay, what can you do?
11:11Yeah.
11:11Right.
11:12Can you help paint?
11:13Everybody can clean up.
11:14Everybody can help with something.
11:15Construction cleaning is huge.
11:17I mean, there's always something to clean.
11:18Always.
11:19It's tough and stressful, but we have to really just close this place down and move forward as quickly as
11:24possible.
11:25One, to just get back to heads in the beds, but also we don't want all these people walking around,
11:31dealing with all this construction.
11:32It's not a good look for us.
11:34We-
11:34It's inevitable.
11:35We have to bite the bullet.
11:36It's not worth it.
11:37Right.
11:37Okay.
11:38That was easier than I can.
11:39I'm glad we had this little talk.
11:54Now that the hotel is officially closed to guests, it means we can really go full tilt on the construction.
12:01Get the trades just moving as quickly as possible so that we can make this deadline.
12:19Ma'am, did you check in with security already?
12:22I am in charge of security.
12:24Can I see your boarding pass?
12:26I am your co-pilot.
12:27Yeah.
12:28One thing Maurizio called.
12:31Okay.
12:31You know his place, Victoria Key.
12:32Maurizio is a neighbor and a good friend of mine that has a small island not too far from Surul
12:37Mar.
12:37He reached out to me recently because he's looking at, you know, potentially doing some development or monetizing or doing
12:43something.
12:44It could be an incredible amenity for the resort if we do some type of collab.
12:49So an extension of activities or things that we currently offer our guests you're talking about?
12:54Yeah.
12:54Or maybe it's some type of collaboration on operations.
12:57Maybe it's a partnership.
12:58Maybe it's an acquisition.
12:59I don't know.
13:00We definitely need to take a closer look at Victoria Key to see if there's some synergies between, you know,
13:06Surul Mar and that piece of property and Maurizio and ourselves and we'll just, we'll see what happens.
13:12I know we have a million other things going on.
13:14I was just, I'm like, I'm gonna bite my tongue here, but.
13:17Yeah.
13:17Yeah.
13:17Timing's never been our thing.
13:19No.
13:19Timing has never been our thing.
13:20It's kind of exciting.
13:21Let's go.
13:22Open mine.
13:22See what's there.
13:23It's gonna be an adventure trip.
13:25I like it.
13:26It's always an adventure.
13:27With you?
13:28Yes.
13:34Victoria Key is a small private island just a little bit north of Surul Mar.
13:39So I talked to Maurizio about CMC and Tiamo.
13:42Do you want to walk and talk?
13:43Yeah.
13:44And I was under the impression this was just his private thing.
13:48But he asked if I'd come over and talk and he does have some ideas for overwater villas, for some
13:54high-end villas, and was thinking with our plans there might be room for the perfect trifecta here.
14:01When I talk about the perfect trifecta when it comes to hospitality, you know, we're looking at the older crowd
14:08of the friends and couples at Surul Mar, the younger families with the younger kids, you know, enjoying themselves on
14:15the back side of the south by the Tiamo.
14:17And, you know, something a little more elevated, the exclusive private reserve on Victoria Key.
14:24He's got residences here.
14:25He's got staff residences out back.
14:27Mm-hmm.
14:28You could have your marina.
14:29You can have people come out here for the day, do all their water.
14:33It's almost like the cruise ship island.
14:36Look what he's got here.
14:38This is one of my favorite things.
14:39The deck?
14:40It's not a deck.
14:41It's a seaplane deck.
14:43This, for me, on the wellness side, for retreats, we could rent this out for yoga retreats or private weddings.
14:51Yeah.
14:52Like, this would be incredible if most of the guests are at one property and this is, like, the wedding
14:57party here.
14:58Perhaps the ceremony's on property here.
15:00I've talked to a lot of friends and mentors in the business who say, you know, some say you have
15:04to focus on one thing, you can't be everything to everybody.
15:06But then, you know, other properties offer a little something for everybody.
15:11This is pretty beautiful.
15:14Yep.
15:15It's very just naturally grown, which is gorgeous.
15:18Well, and I was thinking about you and the whole wellness and the retreat kind of thing.
15:23Like, what a spot for absolute privacy, but serenity, too.
15:28I know.
15:29You can do yoga on the seaplane deck.
15:33Looking at adding Victoria Key to this mix, we could now have that exclusive private members club that's a little
15:41bit more expensive, that's a little bit more exclusive, that has the different amenities and experiences.
15:46So that we're offering something for everybody.
15:50Wow, this is quite the view.
15:52Again, this is what we have east facing.
15:54The idea is to put overwater villas with dockage at the end.
15:59We've got deep water there so it's accessible from deep water so we can get yacht traffic in.
16:05I think this is the top tier private island experience.
16:10Yeah.
16:10We've got the family experience or we're working on getting the family experience and we have the anchor, essentially.
16:18It's a really interesting concept and we have to see where it goes.
16:24I think it's beautiful.
16:26This is where the two high-end villas would be, another two back here on the beach.
16:32Like, ultra-modern, wide open glass, that's your view.
16:36Super private beach.
16:38What do you think?
16:39The villas, the bungalows, that makes sense, 100%, but there's so many other opportunities here.
16:45Yeah.
16:46Right, like the other side of the island with the water sports that you could do over there.
16:50Like I said, wellness retreats.
16:52Now, as soon as there's residences and there's people walking all over, the density is going to change the overall
16:58feel.
16:58Yeah.
16:59There's still a lot that needs to go into this, but it's going to be...
17:02Pile it on.
17:03...epic.
17:03Yeah.
17:05I think so, too.
17:06Guillermo in the back in the south bite has the lee side.
17:08We've got the sunrise on the rougher beach on the east.
17:12So everything has a little bit of flavour and I think when you put them all together,
17:16it could be quite a fantastic meal.
17:19But all of that comes at a cost.
17:28Getting back down to the Keys and getting on site at Pines and Palms, there's still a lot of work
17:32to do in a very small space of time.
17:35Yeah.
17:36Well, I don't know where we're going, but I'm guessing 15.
17:40Yeah.
17:41So I did have a bit of a chat with Joe.
17:43I think I forced him into admitting that he's cautiously optimistic because we have the full bio.
17:47We need all these stilted places done.
17:49Yeah.
17:49He mentioned to you that there may have been a meeting I missed where these ceilings are staying wood as
17:54is.
17:54We're not spraying those out.
17:56Okay.
17:56Or was I just not invited to that meeting?
17:58Do you want them wood or did you want them sprayed out?
18:00I was just going to spray them out.
18:02Well, no, Chad said leave them wood.
18:04So we need to, like there's six people here to talk to.
18:08The shorter the timeline, the higher the budget, you know, the more people at the table, the more complicated it
18:14can be.
18:15Obviously, you know, if you can operate autonomously and just make a decision and move, things can happen a lot
18:21faster.
18:21But when that decision has to go through six people, that can slow things down.
18:26And if everybody's not on the same page, that can cause a little extra stress.
18:31My plan here was to give these a refresh, but it doesn't have a real big change in layout.
18:37Like we're doing a small L-shaped kitchen.
18:40So just cabinets, cabinets?
18:41Yes.
18:42We've removed the island just to do a floating little table.
18:45Realistically, all we have room here is like a sofa, two little chairs.
18:48It's a great little two bedroom, but they also want pull-out sofas and all of these.
18:52All right.
18:52Are we doing upper cabinets here?
18:53Yes.
18:54Backsplash.
18:55And just lowers on this side?
18:56Lowers on this side, countertops have to go in, furniture.
18:59And then really all we've done is reframed this opening to create a bigger bathroom.
19:04That was the goal for this.
19:05All right.
19:06They had the sink outside the bathroom.
19:08Looking good in there?
19:09We're going to be triple budget from where we talked about.
19:12We're pulling back on some of the things that I'm like, we're going to have to save on some of
19:16the furnishings.
19:17Is there still some structural work to do on the decks?
19:19Yeah.
19:20There's a lot.
19:21Yeah.
19:21And we have still in each of these units now, we need two ACs.
19:25Yeah.
19:25So that's 14 AC units that still have to get installed in here.
19:29And we have one installer.
19:32Yeah.
19:34I think we're kind of screwed in here.
19:40The garden view units are coming along beautifully.
19:43We're starting to see the finish line there.
19:45Completion is in sight.
19:48Okay.
19:49I haven't seen this in a while.
19:50Let's change.
19:51It's a beauty.
19:54Oh, I like the sink.
19:55You like the ADA sink?
19:57I like it.
19:58The lower level garden suite, it's one of the accessible units here on property.
20:04And when we're creating and designing and constructing these spaces, we make sure that everything is accessible within the unit.
20:11It's different from what it was before.
20:12The last time I was here, I think the framing was like hodgepodge together.
20:17Yeah.
20:18And you guys were able to relocate like water heater and everything from upstairs but next door so that we
20:22don't have it sitting here.
20:24It's a brand new unit.
20:25It looks good.
20:25It's a good setup.
20:27Yeah.
20:27It's amazing what you can do with some new sheet rock and dry walls.
20:30A bunch of money.
20:31A bunch of money.
20:32Let me check out the bathroom too.
20:34This one I think came the farthest route.
20:36This was very rough.
20:37Yeah, like almost like what is this?
20:39This could have been knocked down.
20:41Yeah.
20:41So we have the wheel and shower there, obviously floating sink there.
20:44We move window here and window here.
20:47So it still feels bright even though we're in the front of the property.
20:51Yeah.
20:51Mind the gap.
20:53The upper garden suite is a three bedroom unit.
20:56It's one of my favorite units on property.
21:01Fresh paint, all new windows, and the kitchen is in.
21:04Looks beautiful.
21:06Is that getting trimmed to the ceiling?
21:07I don't think so.
21:08No.
21:09That is what you get right there.
21:11Do you want more? We can.
21:12No, I just...
21:13You like it to go to the ceiling like I do.
21:14Hold on, I thought it would have been easier to prime paint before the uppers went in there.
21:18That sounds like a painter problem.
21:21Well, on this schedule right now, there's a thing or two that's a little out of order.
21:25I know.
21:25Amazing how simple this business is.
21:26It is. Very simple.
21:27It's really just printing money while you're sitting on the beach.
21:29Hey, MHK just draws the plans.
21:31We pop everything in.
21:32Well, be proud of everything that's coming together because we got rid of the window at the back.
21:36Yeah.
21:36We added the window over the sink and then reconfigured this so you really do have a good-sized living
21:41space.
21:41It's great capacity for guests, so heads and beds.
21:45It's a three-bedroom.
21:46Yeah.
21:46Because it gives people options to come down and split the cost three ways.
21:49Families will typically come down together, two or three sets of parents with the kids.
21:53They'll split the cost of a larger unit.
21:55It's cheaper than renting your own single-family unit, but it generates more revenue for the hotel.
22:01And the guest experience is typically better because they're there with friends.
22:06They're already entertained.
22:07They're having fun.
22:08So this is the kind of thing that builds repeat business as well.
22:11This is the bathroom that had the big hole in the floor.
22:14So you do remember that.
22:16Oh, shit.
22:17Is that not a hole right there?
22:19Like, am I not seeing...
22:20Yeah, that's a hole in the shower.
22:22I do remember that.
22:23How do you remember?
22:24We just did a little bit of work for this one minus the floor and the complete showers, wet walls,
22:29vanities.
22:29Beautiful window, huge shower, bench, niche.
22:33Yeah.
22:34Feels good.
22:34Alright, so you're happy here?
22:44Okay.
22:45Woo!
22:45Still a little toasty.
22:47Yeah, it's warm in here.
22:47We've got the A.C. in.
22:48I guess we're still waiting to pull power to all these villas.
22:51Yeah.
22:51Last time we were in here, this was a nightmare.
22:54If you remember, they had, I think, pulled out all the windows at the time,
22:57and we were just restructuring the corners, right?
23:00Yeah.
23:00We had to rebrace all of that.
23:02The windows look great, and this ocean view is spectacular.
23:05Exactly.
23:06We've got floor down.
23:08We've got lights to get up.
23:09We've got to get the power in here.
23:11We still have all the kitchen cabinets to install.
23:13Yeah, so this is really a nice-sized living space here, and then we have a little dining space here.
23:17A little L-shaped kitchen.
23:19Like, these are all kitchenettes.
23:20Yes.
23:20Which is, I think, all you need here.
23:22I agree.
23:22People want to be able to throw a meal in, but there's so many great restaurants so close by.
23:27Okay, bedroom's looking good.
23:28We've swapped out the door.
23:30Remember, we used to have a secondary exit, but that just shrunk the bedroom and furniture replacement.
23:35And closing this in now, we've got the second mini-split AC unit here.
23:39Yeah.
23:40Check out the bathroom, because the bathroom is, like, double the size of what it used to be.
23:45This looks good, actually.
23:45I like that retro tile.
23:46I'm not usually a big fan of terrazzo, but because this still feels really beachy and relaxed the colorway, it
23:53totally works.
23:54Shower, 48-inch vanity, so a ton more space.
23:57Pretty basic, but the ceilings actually feel a little bit better, only.
24:01Huh?
24:01Did you just say pretty basic?
24:04I meant, like, I meant, it's just a basic Sarah bathroom. It's beautiful.
24:10Classic. Functional. Better words, maybe, than basic.
24:14It's, like, basic.
24:17I may have mispronounced amazing.
24:21There's how many of these?
24:23A few.
24:25Yeah.
24:25That's the only thing I'm worried about.
24:36There's something very special about South Andros.
24:40We would love to see it developed in a way that respects the nature, that respects the culture, that respects
24:47the history, that's sustainable, that is regenerative.
24:51We know what we want to do, and we know where we want to end up.
24:54Now we just have to figure out how to get there.
24:57We're heading over to Eleuthera, where the Island School is.
25:03The Island School was originally set up as a 100-day school program for high school students.
25:09The real focus is on sustainability, and it's important to teach people, teach guests, teach our family that they need
25:17to leave this part of the world better than it is right now.
25:21This is our Cape Luther Institute, so all of our research projects happen here.
25:25You've got hydroponics here?
25:27Yeah.
25:27This is actually, it's an aquaponics system, so they're really a unique thing.
25:30These are all floating beds, so they're just beds of water.
25:33We've got basil, we've got lettuce, cilantro, we've got tomatoes.
25:36That's wild.
25:36And this can be a commercial scale, this can be even a one-bed scale, too, so it can be
25:41any size.
25:42So simple to scale, but it looks good.
25:43Yeah, every lunch, every dinner has a full salad bar, and then all of that comes right from aquaponics every
25:48day.
25:49And then if you guys want to see, we've got our tilapia tanks up top.
25:52We actually do a fish harvest and a fish fry every two months or so.
25:56Yeah.
25:56So that's a really unique way to also have kind of a closed system loop.
26:01They're in the tanks here, the fish nutrients go to the plants, water then goes right back to the fish.
26:05That's very cool.
26:07So many tanks up here.
26:08Yeah.
26:08It's incredible.
26:09What a cool facility.
26:09Incredible setup.
26:10Growing those tilapia in the tanks, you know, they're feeding almost 200 people every day with all of the greens
26:17that they produce there.
26:18But what an incredible idea.
26:20And I think that's something that we may be able to take back to Andros and Institute to feed guests
26:27and staff and people on the island.
26:33We're heading up to North Andros to visit a farm called Chick Charney. Chick Charney is one of the local
26:39farms that we get a lot of our produce for the restaurant from.
26:42For Brian and I, it was trying to limit the amount of things that are imported and instead see what
26:48we can have locally.
26:50And we're looking to understand sort of the infrastructure they've set up.
26:53I'm a third generation farmer and so my family has been in this location for over 52 years.
27:00Oh wow.
27:00You'll get to meet my grandfather today, 81 years old, so the vision started with him right around 1973.
27:05There is actually a large farming community, land that was originally designated by the government to different Bahamian families to
27:14run and operate.
27:17We're at the end of season now. The season usually runs December through May of every year.
27:22At the restaurant, we go through your whole seasonal journey with you.
27:27Yes. So we have lots of fresh kale still growing. Just try a piece of them.
27:33Get your own kale.
27:34It's really so fresh. You can make the most amazing kale salad.
27:39We have developed a menu in the restaurant that speaks to the seasons on the island.
27:46The dinner menu in particular, it changes every single night.
27:51It is what we can get locally, whether it be through the local fishermen or through places like Chick Charney
27:58that have fresh produce.
28:00And so we also have strawberries. You know, we're the only farm that grows local strawberries on a large scale
28:05here.
28:05If you look at the black irrigation holes, that's really what gets the water to the plant, yeah.
28:10Oh, so you've got this. Is that like a drip hose?
28:13Yes.
28:13It is a drip, yes. So we use a drip irrigation system here.
28:16So look at the size of these fennel. Oh my God. Do you guys like fennel? I love fennel.
28:20We do. Our chefs love fennel as well. As a matter of fact, we reach out to our chefs. It's
28:24very important for us. They help to stir us.
28:26Yeah. As to what we should be growing.
28:29What's Grandpa picking down there?
28:31So Grandpa's picking beets. Beets.
28:32Oh, you got beets?
28:33Look at that handful of beets.
28:34I love beets.
28:35We don't want to take all of them.
28:37Oh, yeah.
28:37Yeah, yeah. He's about to give you a lot of fun.
28:38Well, I don't want to see it. He just put in the work there.
28:40He did all the work.
28:41There's an incredible place here. It's quite the legacy that you've created and that you're carrying on.
28:47Yes.
28:47Everybody's got to eat.
28:49That's right.
28:49You're right.
28:50That's it. Everybody's got to eat.
28:51It's just so clean, which is incredible. Everything they grow is non-GMO. This is completely organic.
28:58It's on land that has never been commercial or commercially farmed.
29:05I think it's really important for our guests and everybody to see where their food comes from.
29:09When you can get back to this and put it into meals and, you know, have what we have here
29:13on the island.
29:13We're blessed. We're very blessed.
29:15Yes, we are.
29:16Should we beat it?
29:19How long have you been waiting to use that joke?
29:22Just since you gave me the beets.
29:24I think after looking at the Island School, visiting Chick Charney Farms, you know, it's giving us ideas on how
29:30to grow and generate food on South Andrews.
29:33There's no reason that we can't be our own bread basket.
29:38We've got the land. We've got the people. We've got the resources.
29:41I think we just have to figure out where that is and what it is and how it all comes
29:46together.
30:00Today, we've got the architect arriving for a bit of a site visit.
30:06And he's arriving in style.
30:07We should have been architects.
30:15There he is.
30:16What's up, boys?
30:17Let's go see the mess.
30:18We're cleaning it up, though. It's all right. We're getting there.
30:22In the units that are on the stilts, we really have to go through this thing.
30:25Looking at it and specifically on the deck on the front of this building, there's some serious structural issues that
30:31we need to address.
30:31Can you imagine at one point this was just welded on and we'll see what happens?
30:36Yeah.
30:36So we're going to have to re-engineer this whole thing and at some point probably pull it off and
30:41just redo it.
30:43You could have a bunch of guests going up those stairs, carrying their bags.
30:46The whole thing collapses.
30:48People get hurt.
30:49People get sued.
30:50Those are things to consider when you're in hospitality.
30:52It's very clear here what we're doing and the timeframes and at least we have a good set of plans.
30:57It looks like the vision.
30:59I think you guys are getting there.
31:00A little bit more paint, a little bit more landscape.
31:02I think you guys are nailing it.
31:04I mean, you don't have much time left.
31:05But I think Matt is looking at us and knowing the schedule, he's forcing a smile because he knows how
31:14much work there is to do.
31:16If the structure in these buildings isn't repaired and things continue to degrade, in a few years this building may
31:24not be here.
31:31There's the construction and there's the design and all the work that happens.
31:35Little things like 700 boxes.
31:39That's something that we also need to wrap our heads around.
31:42Do you have the Corbet coffee table?
31:45Yeah, I think that's already done.
31:46Got it.
31:48We've had some large deliveries on site of furnishings.
31:52This is a busy day.
31:54Multiple shipments are arriving, so we're sort of bouncing back and forth, trying to figure out what's arrived, what hasn't,
32:01where it all goes.
32:02I'm missing one console table still.
32:06Gosh, there's a lot for this pool.
32:09The truck is outside for road.
32:11Want another delivery?
32:12Yeah.
32:12All right, let's go.
32:14Next delivery is here, dot, dot, dot.
32:17Any chance you can hop in the forklift and meet me by the road?
32:20Ready?
32:20Yep.
32:23There is no doubt that the timelines on this project, you know, I'll be honest, they were a bit ridiculous.
32:29And when you're here on site and the delivery truck arrives and everyone's asking where it all goes, you need
32:36to be very respectful of everyone's time and be able to sort of know what's there, make sure everything is
32:40in good condition, and then get it into its final home.
32:43Joe is going to be very happy to see me say goodbye, aren't you?
32:46No.
32:47Yes!
32:48Then I have to go back to my other job.
32:50Two more pallets, and look how organized they are for you, Joe.
32:53And it's only four-foot pallets, my favorite.
32:57And you have the number one operator.
32:59Oh, is he really good on this?
33:01Yes.
33:03Joe is a project manager, me managing my team.
33:05We all work as one big family, and whether it's our construction crew, whether it's my team as well, it
33:12takes a village.
33:15They're easy to assemble.
33:17Are we sure about that?
33:18That's what the vendor said.
33:23It's a little bit stressful, yes, but it is also an exciting time.
33:28We want the furniture, we want to be that much closer to being open and operational.
33:33So, it's the highs and lows of the job.
33:41These poolside units, they are one-bedroom units, so they're a bit on the smaller side.
33:46But we can still have a lot of fun and a little bit of playful punch.
33:51I would like to do that with wallpaper.
33:54Adding something that still feels tropical, it adds that little moment of surprise in the bedroom, but brings that colorway
34:01throughout the whole unit.
34:02It feels modern and fresh, but I also feel it's not something that will feel outdated within a year or
34:08two.
34:11I don't want to disturb you, but I had to peek and see it before you were finished.
34:16It's going up pretty well, pretty quick.
34:18Going very good, very good.
34:20I love the green.
34:21What a difference.
34:22Right.
34:23Originally, all that was in here was white walls in that green kitchen, but now that this is going up,
34:27it starts to feel very tropical.
34:30I'm going to let you finish.
34:31Okay.
34:32Thanks for stopping in.
34:42There's a lot of work happening on this building right now.
34:45This is too rotten.
34:46It's too rusted.
34:47We can't just put new deck boards on top of that.
34:50We can't do all this work on this property and have someone fall through the deck.
34:55We knew it was rusting out in areas.
34:57It was really bad.
34:58Yeah.
34:59To try and put a new deck and railing on it was pointless.
35:02Yeah.
35:02So we've replaced some of the C channel.
35:04I see we've got a plate on down here for the landing.
35:06Yep.
35:07Which is great.
35:08Which is great.
35:17Hey.
35:17I mean, it was rusting out pretty much.
35:19Yeah.
35:19It was pretty bad.
35:21It's a big liability issue too for the hotel.
35:23Yeah.
35:25Watching the new steel go in and get welded in to repair the structure of the deck on the
35:30stills, it's a big relief.
35:31Now I know that things are going to be structurally sound.
35:34We'll be able to put a proper railing on, new deck boards down.
35:37Nobody's going to fall through the deck, fall off the deck, and it's going to look great.
35:41For the repairs on this, we figured we'd be $50,000.
35:45It's like $45,000 right now.
35:47$45,000 just for the repairs.
35:48That's the install?
35:49Yeah.
35:50Okay.
35:51Tick tock, tick tock, Joe.
35:52The guests are coming.
36:00You guys sit in each window, I'll sit in the middle because those are the best seats.
36:03Okay.
36:04Montage Key is a high-end residential and hospitality development that is led by a good friend and
36:11mentor of ours, Dave Kassoi.
36:13This is the island.
36:14Oh, that's a beautiful little beach.
36:17What you're developing here is a different, we're at a different level.
36:20Dave has quite a few different projects and marinas, hotels, developments, you name it,
36:27in the Bahamas.
36:28So Dave's been there, he's made the mistakes, he's figured out the right way to do it.
36:32So we're going to try and absorb as much information as we can and get some ideas on how they've
36:38built,
36:38what they've built, some of the infrastructure behind the island, and just the logistics as well.
36:44There's two opportunities I think we've got on Andros.
36:47So we've got the existing hotel, and the hotel on the back side of the island is available for sale.
36:54And our goal is to connect the two.
36:57On the 600 acres, they're asking 19.5.
37:00Yeah, but you could also work it where you take it down in segments, 50 acres at a time.
37:05Yeah.
37:06Depending on how many lots you have, you can say, okay, I'm charging you 200,000 more for the house.
37:11Right.
37:12We had nothing here.
37:13Right.
37:13We had to sell a dream.
37:15You know, you have to come over and see it, taste it, feel it, and that's what I always say,
37:19you know, it's the taste test.
37:21Yeah.
37:21Can this be successful?
37:23Montage Key is about a $400 million development, hotel, villa, lifestyle center, a marina.
37:31This would be what you would rent, or even a suite's going to be like this, but upgraded more.
37:36I'm not leaving.
37:37Dave, maybe we should just sell the hotel to you, and then we'll buy a place over here.
37:41Yeah.
37:42This is, uh...
37:44Breathtaking.
37:45It's okay, Dave.
37:47It's okay.
37:47It's okay.
37:48I don't mind it.
37:50I think Sarah and I in our minds have always thought, let's just raise the capital, buy all
37:56this land, service it, you know, start selling lots, start selling the development itself.
38:01Um, but Dave's been there and done this so many times, he's got different suggestions.
38:07Wrap the landowner into the deal, buy smaller chunks, start small.
38:10So that's really, that's food for thought.
38:13I'm a big one on the story and the vision.
38:16That's what people need to hear and understand.
38:19They want to see what you're going to do.
38:20How we're growing and what we're going to do.
38:20You've got to get a conceptual plan.
38:21Yeah.
38:22What you're going to do.
38:23You have to sell a story.
38:24It's like a book with nothing filling the pages.
38:26Yeah.
38:27Nobody's going to read it.
38:29Dave's very open and honest about all of the work that he's done.
38:33And he does make us feel like anything is possible.
38:36And we know he'll laugh and say, I told you so, if something doesn't work that he warned
38:40us, you know, against.
38:41Very, very true.
38:42That's true.
38:43That's good too.
38:44You can't make it boring for people.
38:46You have to change things all the time.
38:48They want to have tours, fishing.
38:51Mm-hmm.
38:51They want to see ecotourism.
38:53They may want to go where Andros is excellent with fly fishing.
38:56Yeah.
38:56Yeah.
38:57You got to say, okay, I'm all in.
38:59Yeah.
38:59Or I'm not in.
39:00Right.
39:00You're a mom-pa.
39:02Yeah.
39:02Yeah.
39:02Which we don't want to be.
39:03Don't take this the wrong way, but maybe it's time to grow up.
39:06Yeah.
39:06Yeah.
39:07It's like either or get off the pot.
39:09Yeah.
39:09We say that all the time.
39:10The feedback from Dave was, if you're going to do it, do it.
39:14If you're not, move on.
39:15For him to say it just so cut and dry, I think we have to listen to that.
39:33Whew.
39:34That was a whirlwind.
39:36That was a lot.
39:37Just talking today, we may be undervaluing what we already have here.
39:40We seriously have to look at the real expenses of expanding here.
39:45Mm-hmm.
39:45And maybe not shortchange ourselves.
39:48On what we've created thus far.
39:50On what's here already.
39:51Yeah.
39:51The costs associated with developing Bahamas in general are very high.
39:56We've seen that even just in maintenance here.
39:58Yeah.
39:59But he did make some really good points about how we can look at land acquisition here.
40:04Land acquisition was a big one.
40:04And what makes sense.
40:05One important thing I did learn from Dave is that they don't go and buy a big swath of
40:10land.
40:10No.
40:10They'll take the landowner, wrap them into the deal, and say, look, you hold that so
40:15we don't have the interest payments.
40:16Yeah.
40:17And you'll get...
40:18X number.
40:19A bump.
40:20Mm-hmm.
40:20As we sell the properties to develop, which makes a lot of sense.
40:23Yeah.
40:24But we're also looking at land that's very different, right?
40:26Like Montage, because it's the island, it's basically all waterfront properties.
40:31Yeah.
40:31We're looking at land that will be part residential, part hospitality, but a lot of farmland.
40:37I still remember my first job over $100,000.
40:41You know, I said, oh, I've never done a job this big.
40:43And I remember the owner just looked at me and said, Brian, it's just another zero.
40:46We just keep adding zeros.
40:48This is a huge jump for both of us.
40:51We're swimming in a very different pond.
40:53Yeah.
40:54We put so much into here, we have to make sure we don't end up with just one big zero.
40:58You never think about the bad.
41:00Just think about the good.
41:01You're right.
41:01You never do.
41:03Everything will be fine.
41:05I'm an optimist.
41:12We need to go around the backside of the island.
41:15Would it be a great addition?
41:17Certainly.
41:17Little outdoor patios.
41:19We have to do some serious math.
41:21If the math doesn't math, it doesn't work.
41:23We could put in 51 200-foot lots.
41:26I think you're a little crazy.
41:29There is a lot that still needs to happen on property at Pines and Palms.
41:32We've still got more than 20 units left to finish.
41:35This is a huge oversight.
41:38Emotions are running high.
41:39People are exhausted.
41:41Nobody's sleeping.
41:42You know, we're going backwards.
41:44The deadline to the opening is fast approaching.
41:47I can't afford you.
41:49You're right.
41:50It's not time to take a rest.
41:52It's time to just go full throttle ahead.
41:54I'm never doing this again!
Comments