Small Caribbean Hotel Cottages & Private Residence In Paradise For Sale

Business description

THE PROPERTY

The business is located on a steep hillside - and therefore appears to be much bigger than the 1818m2 / 0.45 acre it actually is - in a quiet residential area, 5 minutes walking from the center of Windwardside. A set of stairs leads up to the pool deck, the front desk area, the private residence and the workshop. From there, several sets of stairs continue further up the hillside to the different cottages and the restaurant / breakfast area.

All the cottages are tucked away in the lush tropical garden, providing ultimate privacy for the guests. There are currently 2 cottages with a kitchenette and a private bathroom, 3 cottages with a private bathroom and 2 cottages that share a bathroom. The Dolphin Apartment, a masonry structure below the private patio, also has a private bathroom. The Dolphin Apartment is also our hurricane shelter. The garden is abundant with tropical flowers, vines and fruit trees (mango, banana, passion fruit, papaya, guava, bread fruit). The private residence, all of the cottages and most of the bathrooms offer a fantastic view on the Caribbean Sea and from October through March even an ocean sunset. The private residence is an open style one bedroom house with high ceilings and a large private outdoor living space.

The business is not your average Caribbean mass tourism hotel with TV and airco. It’s simple, charming and for nature lovers who appreciate peaceful silence. The accommodation has been around for 15 years, but the different structures got added step by step, so many structures are younger.

An appraisal done in February 2010 estimated the market value of the real estate on US$ 850,000, 26% for the private residence and 74% for the business. After the appraisal a great number of renovations and expansions have been carried out.

I am proud to say that the business is currently is perfect shape and ready for new expansions.


THE ISLAND AND ITS VISITORS

Saba is one of the world’s top destinations for diving. Around 60% of the guests are divers; a very stable and reliable visitor group. Around 30% of the guests come to hike. Because Saba is the odd one out in the Caribbean, having only a seasonal beach, it attracts visitors that are nature minded, educated, have an above average income and that are looking for a unique destination. Our visitor group has proven not to be very sensitive for recessions. Saba is very friendly, safe and has the best climate in the world due to its altitude, mosquitoes are rare. There are between 4 and 7 flights per day and between 6 and 8 boats per week connecting Saba to St. Maarten. St. Maarten in one of the major airline hubs in the Caribbean and has daily connections to a number of American, Canadian, European and Caribbean destinations.

WHY AM I SELLING IT AND WHY SHOULD YOU BUY IT?

I have been here for more than 3 years now and slowly but surely it is time to start looking for a new adventure. I will sell it with pain in my heart though, because Saba is a little piece of paradise and the business became a part of me.

Do you want to combine the Caribbean lifestyle with running a small and charming hotel? Do you want to meet loads of interesting people and share your little piece of paradise with them? Do you want to get away from the everyday stress and embrace a new adventure? Then you should seriously look into buying this business and take a new step in your life! That is what I did more than 3 years ago and I can totally recommend it!

If you want to buy the business you also need to have some money in the bank. The bank will probably not mortgage more than US$ 500,000, but definitely not more that the auction value of US$ 595,000.

If you are interested, please contact me by clicking on the 'contact seller' button below and I will send you a sales brochure with extensive information, pictures and numbers.

Property information

Real Estate:

Real Property Included

Living accommodation:

The private residence is an open style one bedroom house with high ceilings and fantastic ocean views from the large private outdoor living space.

Location:

The land is located on a steep hillside on Booby Hill, a quiet residential area on the outskirts of Windwardside. Windwardside is the commercial centre of Saba; the shops, tourist office, trail shop, dive centers, bars and restaurants are all only a 5 minute walk down hill.

Saba is a small island of 5 sq mile in the Southeast of The Caribbean, close to St. Maarten. It’s a 2877 ft mountain with steep cliffs on all sides. There’s one road leading from the harbor via the 4 small villages to the airport. It has a population of only 1800 people; a close-knit community. For more information you can check wikipedia.

Saba is one of the world’s top destinations for diving. Around 60% of the guests are divers; a very stable and reliable market segment. Around 30% of the guests come for the hiking. Saba is the odd one out in the Caribbean, because it has only a seasonal beach. It attracts visitors who are nature minded, educated, have an above average income and who are looking for a unique destination. Our visitor group has proven not to be very sensitive for recessions. Saba is extremely friendly, safe and has the best climate in the world due to its altitude. Mosquitoes are rare. There are between 4 and 7 flights per day and between 6 and 8 boats per week connecting Saba to St. Maarten. St. Maarten is one of the major airline hubs in the Caribbean and has daily connections to a number of American, Canadian, European and Caribbean destinations.

Premises details:

The property is covered with a lush tropical garden, consisting of a large natural, untouched part, abundant with tropical flowers, as well as many planted large palm trees, hibiscus, bougainvillea, traveller’s palms, fruit trees (mango, banana, passion fruit, papaya, guava, bread fruit) and a terraced area for vegetables and herbs.

Size in square feet:

20000 sq feet

Planning consent:

It's your own property, you can build whatever you want. You can't block someone else's view, but that's impossible anyways. For insurance reasons, buildings have to be of a certain quality.

Business Operation

Expansion potential:

Only about 70% of the property is currently in use, loads of room for expansions. A foundation for a new cottage has already been laid. Tourism is growing slowly but surely. Under the new political situation (Saba is part of The Netherlands again), a lot of money is being poored into the island, amongst other things also for economic development.

Competition / Market:

There are 5 other small accommodations on Saba, all also very small (6-14 rooms), all catering a different market. There's no real competition.

Reasons for selling:

I have lived my Caribbean adventure for 3,5 years now. I have worked hard and had a great time. These 3,5 years were like a rollercoaster ride, both from a business perspective as well as from a personal perspective. I faced a global financial crisis and a hurricane 6 months after I started. The first year I was unlucky with high costs for water and electricity. 2009 made up for all the losses I made in 2008 and in 2010 I did all the investments I had planned for 2008. And I don’t have the energy to give it another number of years of hard work and long days that it takes to get the hotel where I would want it to be. It is time for a new adventure to find me and for the business it is time for a new adventurer to give it the attention and energy it deserves. I will keep giving it the full 100% until there is a new owner, but slowly but surely it is time to broaden my horizon again.

Trading hours:

7 am - 6 pm

Employees:

3

Years established:

17

Other information

Support & training:

whatever works for us both.

Furniture / Fixtures value:

$13,000 (included in the asking price)

Inventory / Stock value:

$2,000 (included in the asking price)

Home based:

This business can be run from home.