February 2017 |Business View Caribbean

42 43 among the best in the world,Wright real- ized that having a place where his custom- ers could come and fish during the Canadi- an winter, was a winning idea. Brear says that Wright renovated the bungalows only slightly, and stuck with a simple décor in order to keep it accessible and affordable for his “blue-collar fisher- men.”Within a few years, though, “he recog- nized that the Bahamas attracts a different demographic and not everyone wanted to fish. So he developed the property to cater to those people. In 1994, he built a beach house which is the main activity center, and has a bar and dining room, and four more bungalows. They’re all duplexes. So that’s 20 bungalows in 10 buildings.” The Cape Santa Maria Beach Resort The resort’s popularity grew over the next ten years.Wright had bought quite a bit of land when he made his initial purchase, so between 2004 and 2007, he expanded the property with 20, two-bedroom, luxury villas, which he sold as they came on line. Since the owners of the villas average only about six weeks of occupan- cy during the year, the villas become part of the rental pool, along with the twenty bungalows. Brear says that, today, about 40 percent of the Resort’s guests come from the U.S.; 40 percent from Europe; and 20 percent from elsewhere. “We’ve got a loyal customer base that comes back year after year after year,” he states, adding that since the property is well off of the beat- en path, it attracts a certain type of clientele. “People who come here, come here because they want to immerse themselves in a vibrant and unique culture. There’s no Starbucks down the street; it’s a remote property. And the airlift is not one that has been taken on by the major airlines.” In fact, many of Long Island’s visitors come in their own small, private planes. This year, the Resort will be undergoing its first major renovation since 1994. “We’re doing a facelift,” says Brear. “We’re replacing a couple