Design For Living

Several years ago hotelier Vasco Borges was investigating undeveloped land in the Turks and Caicos. As he cleared a path of the dense landscape with a machete he suddenly arrived at the end of a cliff. Borges discovered a beautiful new locale on the North Shore of Providenciales that he hadn’t seen before. The spot opened upon a secluded beach 40 feet below. “You could see the ocean and protecting reef barrier for miles,” he says.

The undeveloped 10-acre property had been owned by a family since the 1960s. It is said the family chose the terrain because of its stunning beauty, elevation and protected bay. Forty years later as the island of Providenciales teamed with resorts, the land had remained untouched.

Up until then, Borges had an eclectic career. He worked in finance with the global strategic consulting firm McKinsey & Co. While there he lived and worked in three continents focusing on a variety of industries including luxury goods, chemicals, retail and steel. His work involved everything from manufacturing to logistics. “But despite the exposure to several sectors and functions, there was none that made me say ‘yes, this is I want to do for the rest of my life,’” he shares.

However, Borges felt a genuine sense of excitement when a friend of a friend asked if he would be interested in employing his vast experience transforming companies and helping them grow. He was enlisted to apply his know-how to five star resort that desperately needed help. “I found myself in the Turks and Caicos in 2005 for three months,” he explains. “I’m still here.”

Not only was Borges enchanted with the Turks and Caicos, he found himself in love with the hospitality industry. “The craft of welcoming people, making them feel at home and somewhere special at the same time and imagining spaces for them was fascinating like no other industry,” he shares.

After working as a resort chief financial officer he took a big leap and went out on his own. Using his passion, drive, business acumen and the help of a great team he was able to secure investors, (notably people who already had homes and loved the island), and create Beach Enclave.

Borges’ idea was to combine the privacy of a luxury villa with resort amenities. He started with building a small collection of villas on the North Shore on that majestic stretch of beach that Borges discovered years before. Opened in 2016, Beach Enclave North Shore is set on ten acres bordered by 600 feet of beachfront. Nine custom-designed four to six bedroom villas range from 700 to 1000 square feet and have loads of outdoor space. “And you have resort amenities like concierge team, fitness center and dedicated butler.”

In November 2018, Borges and his team opened another set of villas. Beach Enclave Long Bay is in the protected East end of Long Bay, a beach that stretches for three-miles. The property is set on a secluded corner of Long Bay beach with 8 acres of lush, tropical landscape and over 800 feet of white sand beach. And next year Beach Enclave Grace Bay will open with even more villas. It will feature ten beachfront and ocean-view villas, on ten acres.

“We strive to make every guest feel their villa is their private, luxury resort – an entire, boutique resort just for you,” says Borges who is adding on to Beach Enclave Long Bay with The Club which will have a spa, lighted tennis court, yoga and fitness center. “The entire experience is tailor made for you, and is being delivered by some of the best, most genuine butlers, chefs and beach staff you will find in the industry.”

Jeryl Brunner: What is the design ethos of Beach Enclave?

Vasco Borges: Our aesthetic has been labelled Caribbean contemporary. When designing our villas and spaces, we look at simple, uncluttered enjoyment of home and surroundings. We do so with expansive living spaces, clean and simple lines, fluidity between indoor and outdoor living, natural light, raw natural materials, and neutral tones. They emphasize the surrounding colors of the turquoise Caribbean Sea, white sand and shades of green.

With the Club at Beach Enclave Long Bay, we wanted to maintain yet also evolve our design ethos. The first time I sat with Paulo Jacobsen and Bernardo Jacobsen, the force behind the acclaimed architectural firm Jacobsen Arquitetura, I knew they were the right partner. They develop timeless, yet modern, designs. Their structures, once finished, feel they have been in that location for decades. Their design embraces the tropical beach environment of the property. We are developing beautiful spaces together, including a one-of-a-kind rooftop tropical spa, pool and lounge areas.

Brunner: Can you share some specific elements that the villas contain?

Borges: Each resort is on secluded corner on the beach. We have the lowest density on the beach and expansive beachfront. Each of our villas has an average of one acre and at least 100 feet of beachfront. We have big open layout living areas. The open kitchen allows for guests to interact with a private chef while the chef prepares meals, which allows for interactive culinary conversation. There is fluid indoor and outdoor spaces, both in the living areas but also on the bedrooms. We also have outdoor showers and oversized seating. Our sofas and hanging day beds are best enjoyed as a couple.

Brunner: What is Beach Enclave’s vision for the future?

Borges: We want to improve to the experience at our existing resorts in Providenciales. For instance, the rooftop spa at The Club at Beach Enclave Long Bay gives us an amazing opportunity to expand our wellness program and also create beautiful moments, especially on sunset, on the penthouse pool deck. Our medium-term goal is to further develop the other two resorts – North Shore and Grace Bay. We are looking at creating a yacht club near the Leeward marina, exclusive for our owners and guests. In the longer-term, we will consider new locations outside Turks and Caicos. Because that is fun and part of attracting and retaining talent we need to grow. But also, I believe the private villa resort model will do very well on several other Caribbean islands and also more markets in the United States that surprisingly do not have similar properties.

This post first appeared on Forbes.com. To see the original, click here.