Actor Leonardo DiCaprio has plans to build out part of Blackadore Caye, his private island
in Belize, as an eco-luxury resort.
DiCaprio has formed a development partnership with wellness
architecture and design firm Delos. The resort, billed as "the greenest island resort ever built," is slated to open in 2018.
Plans call for 68 vacation villas and 48 estate homes whose prices
will range from about $5 million to $15 million. Mangrove trees will be replanted.
In addition to three restaurants
and a spa, the resort will include the Deepak Chopra Center for Renewal and
Anti-Aging, water-purification systems and rooms with lighting to best complement guests' circadian rhythms.
Half of the island will be maintained as a wildlife preserve, and the reef will be artificially expanded to promote fish breeding.
Much of the resort will be
designed to rest on platforms and pylons over the ocean in order to minimize
ecological disturbance. The resort will be “triple net zero,” meaning
that it will be designed to produce as much energy and water as it uses while
eliminating waste.
The developers declined to disclose the estimated cost to
build out the project.
Blackadore Cay is a 45-minute boat ride from Belize City International Airport and a
15-minute boat ride from San Pedro.
Delos’ projects include two New
York residential buildings as well as MGM
Resorts International’s “Stay Well” program. That program, completed early last
year, involved updating 171 rooms at the MGM Grand Las Vegas to include
special lighting systems, vitamin C-infused shower water, air-purification systems and a photo-catalytic coating on bathroom surfaces that
breaks down bacteria.