Ten villas, comprising some 53 rooms and suites, on approximately 173 acres of leased Crown Land, part of Cap Juluca Resort, atMaundaysBay, and a section of Cove Bay, Anguilla, were sold at a chargee’s auction at Paradise Cove on Wednesday, May 2.
In its entirety, the property comprises 18 villas or 96 rooms and suites on 179 acres.
The auction sale has put the greater part of the real estate of the resort, comprising 10 villas, into the hands of Charles and Linda Hickox, the visionaries who designed, personally financed and managed Cap Juluca. Their highest bid was US$25 million.They are also endeavouring to acquire three and a half of the remaining 8 villas.
Their immediate reaction was one of enormous relief and pleasure. “We are delighted that the long journey has ended,” said Linda Hickox. “We look forward to restoring Cap Juluca to its former glory. We understand how to re-establish Cap Juluca’s place as the Number One resort in theCaribbean. We are happy to be back home.”
Charles Hickox said: “We look forward to a very prosperous and stable future for Cap Juluca. I would also like to reassure Anguilla, and all Anguillians, that it is my top priority that the resort will remain open, that the confidence of the travel industry in Cap Juluca will now be swiftly and decisively restored, and that it will go from strength to strength.”
The second and only other bidder was the Brilla Group, whose highest offering was US$13 million. Of the eight villas mentioned above, four and a half of them are subleased to other parties, while the Brilla Group owns at least three of them.
The bids started at US $10 million.
In the run-up to the chargee’s auction, ownership and other related matters were dealt with during a High Court hearing by Acting Justice Geoffrey Wilfred Jaques of theUnited Kingdom. Mr. and Mrs. Hickox were represented by Attorney Harry Wiggin of Webster Dyrud Mitchell, Joyce Kentish-Eagan and Tana’ania Small from theBritish Virgin Islands.
The auction was conducted by Mr. David Kaufman, a Commercial and Investment Property Specialist with DK Realty Partners, LLC, with offices in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, andIllinoisin the United States.
