The Huge Life Lessons Renovation Island Taught The Baeumlers

With their dream of opening a luxury resort on South Andros, an isolated and remarkably beautiful island in the Bahamas, Bryan and Sarah Baeumler learned plenty of harsh lessons about spending more money than they ever thought possible, dealing with natural disasters, and putting family first. As documented on their hit HGTV show, Renovation Island (or Island of Bryan, if you're of the Canadian persuasion), the process of bringing their goal to fruition was taxing to say the very least.

Through it all, the Baeumlers had each other. Their resort finally opened, in spite of the challenges, in early 2020. And although they were forced to temporarily close their doors due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there's no doubt the Renovation Island stars will bounce back from this setback. After all, they've already overcome so much in their quest to make their dream come true.

Bryan explained that the family had to learn to be flexible when bringing the resort to life, per the Vancouver Sun. Of the challenging process, he recalled, "There are only two ships a week to bring materials, and even though we can set up a charter, it's expensive." Back then, he told the publication they were planning for a mid-May opening — which, considering it was already February at that stage, seemed ambitious.

It didn't pan out, and the opening pushed back to November, as reported by the Toronto Sun. Bryan reiterated it was tough to get work done due to how isolated the island is, adding that there have been labor and staffing issues. "You miss one deadline and it doesn't just delay you a day, it can delay you a few weeks," he said. Unfortunately, the November opening didn't come to pass either. But, finally, in early 2020, Caerula Mar Club, as the resort is called, officially opened its doors.

Looking back on the project, Bryan believes that the whole experience taught him to keep things in perspective. "You have a limited time left to do whatever it is you want to do. No matter what you do between now and then, the end result is the same. [So], if there's something you really want to try and tackle, go for it," he told Global News. Likewise, living on South Andros meant the family had to adjust to a more laidback lifestyle.  "You can't sweat the small stuff. If there's no milk on the island, you're not getting milk until the boat comes in so you better be willing to just have something else," he explained.

The Caerula Mar Club website describes the philosophy of the resort as, "combining simplicity with splendour," describing it as encompassing, "the spirit of barefoot luxury." Although it may seem like a strange time to open a luxurious new vacation destination, the Baeumlers' exotic resort has received promising reviews so far. Conde Nast Traveler even named it a top destination for a winter getaway.