News Americas, BELMOPAN, Belize, Mon. April 6, 2015: Top Oscar-nominated Hollywood actor, Leonardo DiCaprio, is looking to turn 104 acres of wild, un-populated land off the coast of Belize into an eco-tourism resort.
DiCaprio, known recently for his role in the “Wolf of Wall Street,” bought Blackadore Caye in 2005 and is now looking to build on the island according to the New York Times.
He bought the island for $1.75 million with Jeff Gram, the owner of Cayo Espanto Island Resort, a luxury vacation spot on another private island in Belize, 10 years ago.
DiCaprio told the Times he will now join with Paul Scialla, the chief executive of Delos, a New York City-based developer, to create “Blackadore Caye, a Restorative Island.”
The resort is slated for a 2018 opening and will feature villas “built atop a massive platform that stretches in an arc over the water, with artificial reefs and fish shelters underneath,” the Times is reporting.
The private island resort is expected to be designed around the environment and carefully be integrated to the unspoiled surroundings. DiCaprio intends for the eco luxury private island to serve as a benchmark for testing innovative “green” technology and natural energy sources such as water, sun and wind.
It is expected to include an eighty room luxury hotel with private beach villas, spa services and fine dining restaurants. The private island will also likely include a solar-paneled airstrip to provide additional power and an exclusive collection of private villas with private pools and direct access to beaches. These discreet and extremely lavish private villas will likely cater to an A-list clientele and possibly several famous friends of DiCaprio.
Blackadore Caye is a 45-minute boat ride from Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport in Belize City and a 15-minute boat ride from San Pedro, the nearest big town.
It is west of Ambergris Caye in the Atlantic Ocean, not far from the Belize Barrier Reef. It has suffered from overfishing, an eroding coastline and the deforestation of its mangrove trees.
Restorative Islands L.L.C., which is owned by Scialla, will build the resort at Blackadore Caye, and Restorative Hospitality, a division of Delos, will be its operator.
DiCaprio first visited Belize in 2005 to swim its barrier reef.
“Belize is truly unique,” the Times quoted DiCaprio as saying. “It has the second largest coral reef system in the world, and it has some of the most biodiverse marine life, like the manatee population and almost every species of fish you can imagine. Then there are the Mayan temples and the culture.”
DiCaprio had tried to develop the island with the Four Seasons Reports in 2012 to create a five-star luxury resort based on sustainable design and environmental conservation that fell through. He discovered the island while on vacation in 2004 while staying at the ultra-luxury resort Cayo Espanto.
