Downing
Contributor
Per the latest issue of Undercurrent:
Leonardo DiCaprio's New Eco-Resort in Belize
The actor and avid environmentalist first visited Belize in 2005 for a dive trip and fell in love. Now he plans to build an eco-conscious resort on Blackadore Caye, a 104-acre island that's a 15-minute boat ride from San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. DiCaprio is partnering with a New York real estate firm to build 68 guest villas and 48 private houses. Besides setting aside 45 percent of the island for conservation, DiCaprio wants to support a manatee conservation area, replant mangroves, and build an artificial reef to slow erosion. Hotel room prices haven't been announced, but the private homes' price tags range from $5 million to $15 million.
I just hope this doesn't turn into another one of those boom and bust projects that litter the entire country. Roads put in, foundations poured, a few walls go up and oops, the head guy gets indicted for fraud in someplace like Italy or Greece and everything grinds to a halt. And then sits there, like modern day Mayan ruins but without the charm or sense of history.
Leonardo DiCaprio's New Eco-Resort in Belize
The actor and avid environmentalist first visited Belize in 2005 for a dive trip and fell in love. Now he plans to build an eco-conscious resort on Blackadore Caye, a 104-acre island that's a 15-minute boat ride from San Pedro on Ambergris Caye. DiCaprio is partnering with a New York real estate firm to build 68 guest villas and 48 private houses. Besides setting aside 45 percent of the island for conservation, DiCaprio wants to support a manatee conservation area, replant mangroves, and build an artificial reef to slow erosion. Hotel room prices haven't been announced, but the private homes' price tags range from $5 million to $15 million.
I just hope this doesn't turn into another one of those boom and bust projects that litter the entire country. Roads put in, foundations poured, a few walls go up and oops, the head guy gets indicted for fraud in someplace like Italy or Greece and everything grinds to a halt. And then sits there, like modern day Mayan ruins but without the charm or sense of history.
