In the broadcast of Saturday, May 7, 2022, we see how Martijn and Sean are building their shared dream with confidence and undiminished enthusiasm: a gay resort on Curaçao. Unfortunately, the renovation stress and money worries put an end to their relationship. Sean goes back to the Netherlands and Martijn continues alone. How are you now?
Update Martijn – Curaçao
We started the dream together and it was maybe even more Sean’s dream to start the resort. But in the meantime it has also become my dream and I am now only chasing our dream.
Life as a resort owner and host has really begun. Very nice to receive guests after an enormous preparation time and to hear their enthusiastic reactions. Where I mainly see the things that still need to be done or that are not perfect, luckily they mainly see the beautiful things and until now they don’t mind at all if, for example, a cupboard door from the kitchen is missing. In the meantime, the renovation is also continuing, and I expect to be busy every day in the coming months with large and small jobs. And that requires some extra planning. Most of the noisy work is done and we plan on days when there are no guests or when they are away from the resort. If there are guests, we try to ensure that they hardly notice the workmen walking around. Fortunately, so far it is working fine.
I am still the first to check every day for new bookings. It would be nice if more guests would book a little longer in advance since we desperately need the deposits to finish everything in the coming time. But I can’t complain about the interest so far. Last weekend, three studios were full at the same time. It’s nice to see that the guests are having a good time with each other. A nice drink with spontaneous BBQ on the arrival day of two of the couples certainly helped.
Over the past few weeks, both Woef the dog and Luna the cat have had babies. Both not the intention, and also not useful in these busy weeks. But very cute! In this way I can keep Luna on Curaçao a little longer by means of a kitten of hers.
Home port
Every day I am still happy that I now live in Curaçao. The weather and the outdoors remain the biggest advantage. But I also enjoy the beauty of plants that I look out at while working, the cheerful people hanging out around the pool, and the continuous bird sounds everywhere. Of course there are less fun things (currently raking and sucking up a lot of leaves) and things that I miss (friends, the first nice terrace days and parties/festivals in the Netherlands, beautiful urban planning, etc) but so far not a hair on my head that thinks about to return to the Netherlands.
The most beautiful place in the making
I think it will take another six months to a year to finish it all, and even after that a lot of maintenance and love is needed. But hopefully there will be time for a holiday, or a weekend doing nothing. Of course I hope that the resort will be continuously full, and that guests will only become more enthusiastic about this place. It would be nice if I could take the resort off for a week or two to get friends and family together here. I’m guessing that in a few years I’ll get a little more restless and start looking around for a new challenge. That could certainly be a larger resort, or an extension with another, but the condition is that there is a realistic budget and associated financial resources. But for now, there are still plenty of ideas to make this place one of the most beautiful in the world!
Update Sean – Nederland
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The arrival in the Netherlands was not so easy for me. Fortunately, I have very dear friends around me who have taken good care of me. I like being close to them again, because I get a lot of support from them. I am very grateful for that! I have since found a temporary home and had some job interviews. Looks like I’ll be able to get started somewhere soon.
What I still miss is a feeling of home and my animals. Lune the cat has unexpectedly become a mother. As soon as the little ones are a bit bigger, they can hopefully come to the Netherlands soon. I’m looking forward to that. I hope that it is now over with blow after blow and that during the process of processing new fun experiences will pass by and that I can continue to wonder.
Time for a way up
It is quite intense to see that your dream and idea is being lived. The dream of participating in Ik Departure has come true, although I had expected a different outcome. What I have learned from this is that I have to rely more on myself, because that always remains. Finally: from a renovation to building my own foundation. Because after rain always comes sunshine and vice versa!
Despite everything, I hope that Martijn will make something very beautiful out of it and that it will be a success.
Kind regards, Sean
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