We Found Out What Happened to the Resort From 'Renovation Island' After COVID-19 Closures
2020 was a difficult year for everyone thanks to COVID-19, but for Sarah and Bryan Baeumler, it was a struggle beyond the immediate health implications of the pandemic. After all, it was just over a year before that the couple finally came full circle with Caerula Del Mar—or, as HGTV viewers may better know it, Renovation Island.
If you’ve yet to check out the wildly popular island renovation show, here’s the gist. After vacationing on South Andros in the Bahamas in 2017, the Baeumlers got the idea to renovate a rundown 18-room resort, complete with 22 villas, that they had encountered while there. And, being the business people that they are, they immediately ran the idea by HGTV in hopes of landing another show because they already had a couple under their belt in Canada, like Disaster DIY, House of Bryan, and Bryan Inc. Naturally, the channel was onboard and the concept of Renovation Island started to come to life.
After barely a year of renovations, Caerula Del Mar was up and running, and preparing for their grand opening in 2019. They opened their doors in April 2019 and after just a few short months of business, Hurricane Dorian came to rain on their parade in August 2019. While their resort came out relatively unscathed (compared to other businesses in the Bahamas that were completely obliterated), some of its employees (who lived on other parts of the island) lost everything. As a result, the Baeumlers paused filming in an effort to help their staff.
A few months later, the resort had its grand re-opening in February 2020 and the Baeumlers were excited for everything that lied ahead. Of course, then COVID-19 arrived and disrupted the travel industry and life as we know it.
So, did Caerula Del Mar ever re-open to the public?
The big question now—after so many ups and downs—is whether or not Renovation Island ever got back on its feet. And, much to the delight of HGTV viewers, it did! While Bryan and Sarah closed the resort in March 2020 due to the pandemic, they were able to reopen later that year in October. In order to keep with the times—especially since the pandemic wasn’t (and still isn’t) fully over—Bryan and Sarah updated their booking options, offering the full resort as a safety protocol for large groups. Additionally, they began offering COVID-19 testing to guests. Now, while accepting guests, the Baeumlers require that anyone over the age of 10 present a negative COVID-19 test.
All this to say, if you’ve been hoping to check out Renovation Island in real life, get your vaccine(s) and book your travel. Paradise is waiting.
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