Where Is The Renovation Island Resort Exactly?
Thanks to HGTV's "Renovation Island," we've watched Bryan and Sarah Baeumler make their dreams of owning and running their own luxury resort come true in real time. As Bryan acknowledged, in an interview with Distractify, nobody thought they could do it — including HGTV, with whom he already had an established relationship, thanks to fronting a variety of shows for them in his native Canada.
"I was basically told, you're crazy. Nobody can relate to that. Viewers just won't bond with it," Bryan shared. But he was adamant "Renovation Island" would work, revealing he assured them, "You find me one person on this planet that doesn't want to throw everything up in the air, move to a beautiful Caribbean island, and restore a hotel and live on a boat." Of course, Bryan was right, both about the show and the resort itself.
As he proudly told the Edmonton Journal, "Renovation Island," aka "Island of Bryan," is unique because fans can actually come and stay in the featured resort once they're done watching the show. And this is precisely where it's located.
South Andros is located just a short plane ride from Florida
Fans of the show will already be well-versed in how the "Renovation Island" family found the resort, with Bryan and Sarah Baeumler recalling, in an interview with People, how they essentially stumbled upon it by chance while on vacation in the Bahamas. As Sarah explained, "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."
They discovered the "abandoned and decrepit" Emerald Palms resort, which hadn't been up and running for years and, although everybody thought they were nuts to uproot their family and dedicate everything they had to restoring it, the Baeumlers knew the project was right for them. "Renovation Island" documents their struggles and triumphs, highlighting in the process how isolated Andros actually is.
Per Showbiz CheatSheet, it's the largest island in the Bahamas but also one of the most obscure, particularly compared to the likes of New Providence and Grand Bahama. It's around 150 miles east of Miami and is made up of several different land masses, which are separated by estuaries. South Andros, where the Caerula Mar Club is located, is among the biggest and just a short flight from Nassau to the Congo Town airport.
Flights also go directly from Fort Lauderdale to Andros on a regular basis, so paradise is surprisingly within reach.
Island life hasn't always been paradise for the Baeumler family
Although they clearly made the right call by taking a chance on Caerula Mar Club, living in the Bahamas hasn't always been idyllic. As Bryan and Sarah Baeumler noted in an interview with The Wrap, Hurricane Dorian had a considerable impact on many of their valued staff members, even if it didn't level the resort itself, while the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to close shortly after the big opening.
Moreover, as Sarah clarified to the Toronto Sun, "Everybody thinks, 'isn't that nice being shut down in place like this during a lockdown, just hang out on the beach.' The place may have been closed but the work does not stop." Likewise, acquiring supplies, both for work and just general day-to-day survival, is tough at the best of times and it was significantly harder when the rest of the world shut down.
Thankfully, Country Living confirms that the Baeumlers' resort reopened in October 2020 after initially closing the previous March. For those looking to visit, according to Showbiz CheatSheet, even during the off season, which is May to mid-November, a stay at the Caerula Mar Club will set you back a minimum of $385 per night, while mid-November to April starts at $485 per night.