Many of you have been wondering how the Ultimate Escapes residences are weathering the storms – we have been in full communication with our Members who plan retreats in weather-watch areas so that they know what to expect when a hurricane hits. We track storms before they hit so that when they do we are fully prepared to protect our Members and our assets.

Hurricane monitoring is necessary this time of year. Gustav, Hanna, Ike, and Norbert passed with little incident, but Omar caused a few headaches. Suddenly rising south of Puerto Rico and heading northwest, it passed through the Virgin Islands and packed a wallop. In Nevis we were very proactive and quick in response to protecting our Club assets. There was some damage to some of the restaurants on the Island, but not to ones that are the most heavily recommended -- although Chevy’s (karaoke) and Sunshine’s (on the beach) were favorites and will be missed. There was also some damage to the Four Seasons, which is about ¾ of a mile away, but not to Villa Paradiso – our Club asset with 7 fabulous beach homes. While there were some landscaping and beach debris issues to be addressed, we immediately dealt with all clean up rapidly and efficiently.

As for La Buscadora, Ultimate Escapes’ 80-foot luxury yacht in the British Virgin Islands, both vessel and guests were safe and sound, tucked into the skipper’s favorite “hurricane hole.” Captain Mike protected the asset very well due to his veteran seamanship. In Florida, we also fared well. Debbie Borman, the local host at Indian Rocks, said: “We had the hurricane box ready and the water stocked. We gave Members flashlights with batteries, and we had the ‘evac’ route all in place. But luck was on our side and the hurricane passed us by.”

So I am happy to tell you that everything was protected, and there was minimal damage. If you want any further information on our storm policies or procedures, feel free to contact Brooke Lowrance.

Ultimate regards,

Jim Tousignant
President & CEO
Ultimate Escapes®