Where Is HGTV's Renovation Island Filmed?
HGTV devotees have been following Bryan and Sarah Baeumler since their early days on the Canadian version of HGTV, with their series "Disaster DIY." The couple, originally based out of Ontario, Canada, continued to film hits revolving around their skill and artistry in fixing abandoned renovation projects. Their shows grew in popularity thanks to their legitimate ability to fix things; the Baeumler's ran a construction company prior to any time in front of cameras, so they really knew what they were talking about.
The Baeumlers really hit their stride when they created the series "Renovation Island," which premiered in 2019. Funny enough, the series goes by a different name in Canada, where viewers know it as "Island of Bryan." The series follows the couple as they renovate a decades-old resort that had previously been abandoned, per the Toronto Sun. As can only be imagined, the ambitious project took ages and they faced not only natural disasters — think Hurricane Dorian — but the coronavirus pandemic as well in their effort to get their resort up and running. While every aspect of this major renovation is interesting, we really want to know more about the location of "Renovation Island" itself.
The Baeumlers bought their resort in the Bahamas
Sarah and Bryan Baeumler's major project that's featured on HGTV's "Renovation Island" takes place in the Bahamas. Their resort, Caerula Del Mar, is situated on South Andros Island, according to their official website. And not to mention — the island is exquisite! As the Bahamas' official webpage notes, Andros is famous for scuba diving thanks to the fact that the island has the third largest barrier reef in the world; it's also famous for its blue holes, deep marine caves that offer a whole world of exploration for divers. In fact, Andros has over 180 blue holes.
The Baeumlers discovered this piece of paradise while they were on vacation and they stumbled upon an abandoned resort. "We were there for about 10 minutes and Bryan looked at me and I could tell by the look in his eyes that this was something he wanted to do," Sarah told the Toronto Sun in April 2019. "He looked at me and said: 'I think we're going to buy this hotel.'" They did exactly that. The resort was in desperate need of repair, the price was right, and snapped up their dream project on Andros.
Island life brings a whole new set of challenges
Bryan and Sarah Baeumler loved everything about Andros Island in the Bahamas. Not only was it a great business location, it was also good for them and their family to be there. "There's such a rhythm to this island and so much personality that ... more than anything I just started to feel more grounded," Sarah told the Toronto Sun in 2019.
But just because they loved the place didn't make a renovation any easier. In fact, island life posed a completely new challenge for the Baeumlers. They had to get all building supplies by boat, which came once a week, and sometimes even these weekly shipments didn't arrive on time. "So you miss one deadline and it doesn't just delay you a day, it can delay you a few weeks," Bryan told the Sun.
The remoteness of their Bahama island means that any repair is a major deal, because of how difficult it is to ship out supplies. Bryan told The Wrap in June 2021 that the cost of lumber had spiked all over the world after the coronavirus pandemic, but it was nothing compared to what they paid for it in the Bahamas. "Partaking in this project for us has really changed our perspective on what is a problem," he shared. "Things just seem so simple back on the mainland. No matter what happens, I can't see it being more difficult than the easiest day on the island." Sounds like a hurdle!