Here's How The Renovation Island Family Found The Resort
HGTV's Renovation Island has a premise so unique that it sets the show apart from everything else on the network. Canadian couple Bryan and Sarah Baeumler, along with their four children, live on South Andros, an isolated but beautiful locale in the Bahamas, while trying against the odds to renovate and restore a dilapidated beach resort that has potential seemingly only they can see. Over the course of a very stressful, but no doubt captivating, season the Baeumlers sink an eye-watering amount of money into making their dream true.
And, as fans of the show can attest, they pulled it off. There were plenty of arguments and setbacks due to unpredictable weather patterns and the island's isolation making it difficult to source supplies and laborers alike. And then there was the question of where the kids were going to attend school, but through it all the family stayed strong. The Baeumlers learned a lot from the experience, and if you're wondering how they ended up on South Andros, wonder no more.
The Baeumlers took a massive risk moving to the Bahamas
Now that the Baeumlers' luxury resort, Caerula Mar Club, is finally open it's evident the spot was clearly worth the investment. Still, everyone thought they were crazy when the family decided to move permanently to the Bahamas. As Bryan admitted to People, when they first purchased the property, "People told us it couldn't be done." They trusted their instincts, however, with the renovation expert explaining, "This project checked all the boxes for us. The kids love to travel, and we're always seeking adventure."
Still, in spite of how picaresque the location is, Sarah admitted it was an adjustment getting used to living there. "Stores are small and don't always carry the variety we're used to back home," she admitted, though the design expert acknowledged their perspectives have changed as a result of the move. Now, "If we're out of milk, we can't always run to the store to get more, sometimes we need to wait a week
until the next ship arrives, so we drink water or juice. It actually reduces stress."
Finding their resort was a stroke of luck for the Renovation Island family
As hard as it was and as much as the decision confused others, renovating the property on South Andros felt like it was meant to be for the Baeumlers. Sarah explained to People that the family made several trips over to the Bahamas before moving there permanently. "Every trip Bryan is always scouring the charts for new places to explore. Andros (known as the Sleeping Giant) always caught our attention because it's by far the largest, yet least developed Island in the Bahamas," she explained of how they landed in the isolated spot.
As for finding the property that would become their dream project, Sarah recalled, "During our trip we were shown the old 'Emerald Palms' hotel ... Abandoned and decrepit." Still, given how the Renovation Island stars are consistently on the same page, it took just a few minutes of looking around for them to simultaneously come to the decision that it had to be theirs. The rest is HGTV history.