A Somber Time For The Bahamas, Caribbean, and Turks and Caicos Islands
When you have worked in The Bahamas, Caribbean, and Turks and Caicos islands for as long as my team and I have, storms that ravage these subtropical and tropical countries not only impact our business but also create a crisis situation for our good friends and colleagues who live in their path. Since Hurricanes Irma and Maria struck with their devastating blows, we have watched, in horror, the footage taken from helicopters, drones, and survivors of what remains of special places that have great meaning to us. Yesterday, I listened to an account from two of VHR, WORLDWIDE's home owner clients, who stayed in the condominium building they own on Dawn Beach in Sint Maarten. It is nothing short of a miracle that they are alive.
The security, safety, and comfort of our villa guests are always our highest priority. Fortunately, none of our guests were negatively impacted by these mega tempests. In an emergency situation, such as the monster storms which blew through The Southern Bahamas, Caribbean, and Turks and Caicos islands, our dedication to the vacationers and their travel planners who book with us became apparent as we located appropriate accommodations both prior to landfall as well as in the months to come. It is during times like these that we are most thankful for the excellent rapport we have built over the years with the property owners, managers, airline personnel, ground support, and other service providers who made it possible to successfully accomplish what was a Herculean task.
Sadly, Anguilla, Barbuda, the British Virgin Islands (including Richard Branson's private Necker Island), Sint Maarten/Saint Martin, the U.S. Virgin Islands of St. Thomas and St. John, Dominica, Puerto Rico, Martinique, Guadeloupe, and several islands in the Southern Bahamas have endured insurmountable damage and, in some cases, suffered complete devastation. Antigua, St. Barths, the Dominican Republic, and the Turks and Caicos islands were, to a lesser degree, also impacted by these massive Category 4 and 5 hurricanes. Even in the best cases, it may be many months before electricity and normal means of communication are restored to the islands; rebuilding is a whole other matter until itself. Until then, thousands of people are without food, water, medicine, clothing, and a roof over their heads.
Because of the relationships we cultivated during our 30+ years of operation, we have a finger on the pulse, and are assessing the condition of each distressed island's infrastructure and the rental properties we offer there. By way of our contact with Bahamian, Caribbean, and Turks and Caicos government and tourism officials, we are on the front line for up-to-date information on these crippled island destinations. As such, we are in the prime position to find alternative accommodations for vacationers who booked villas, condominiums, hotels or resorts in the affected areas. We have several new properties in Treasure Cay (Abaco, Bahamas - not affected by the hurricanes) that are wide open for the holidays. You are best served to contact us to help you as soon as possible.
In the meantime, we ask that you please keep the people of The Bahamas, Caribbean, and Turks and Caicos islands in your prayers.
