Ten years ago, Leonardo DiCaprio ascended to the Marlon Brando Tier of Movie Stardom with the purchase of his very own island. Along with a business partner, the Oscar-nominated actor bought Blackadore Caye, a 104-acre unpopulated island off the coast of Belize. And now, DiCaprio has unveiled plans to build a luxury, eco-friendly resort there in the hopes that the venture will “be groundbreaking in the environmental movement.”
Speaking to the New York Times, the actor and environmental activist discussed the enterprise, which will be called “Blackadore Caye, a Restorative Island” and open in 2018. The word “restorative” in the title does not just relate to the resort’s healing services for guests but for the island itself, which the N.Y.T. reports “suffered from overfishing, an eroding coastline and the deforestation of its mangrove trees.” Says Paul Scialla, the chief executive of the developer Delos, which is partnering with DiCaprio: “We don’t want to just do less harm or even have zero impact, but to actually help heal the island, to make it better than before.”
The resort will have every Instagram-ready amenity possible including infinity pools, sunset views, villas built over the water, private beaches, and a manatee conservation area(!). If renting does not appeal to you, about 50 homes will be built on the island and available to purchase for between $5 million and $15 million. And if New Age advice is what you are seeking, Deepak Chopra will head up a health and anti-aging program at Blackadore Caye.
As part of its mandate to restore the environment, the resort will have guidelines dictating what guests can and cannot bring to the island, which is a 15-minute boat ride from San Pedro. “Plastic water bottles, for example, will not be allowed on the island,” the N.Y.T. writes.
“My goal was always the fact that I wanted to create something not just environmental, but restorative,” DiCaprio told the paper. “A showcase for what is possible.”
And if DiCaprio’s The Island Of Dr. Moreau adaptation ever gets off the ground, the actor will have the perfect location for it.
Interestingly enough, Brando—who starred in his own ill-fated adaptation of the H.G. Wells novel—wanted to open an eco-friendly resort on his Teti'aroa atoll in French Polynesia. And just last year, ten years after the actor’s death, doors finally opened at The Brando, a “post-carbon” resort on Brando’s island.
Related: Take a Trip to Johnny Depp’s Private Island
