Fire on Bimini

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The link goes to a page for Bahamas Press with no article on a fire in BIM

Another site reports that it is the garbage dump at Resorts World; no structures involved.

Resort world is a garbage dump... does it mean it went uo in smoke? (Wishful thinking)

Didn't Resort World cease operations in Bimini as of the 1st Jan. this year?? Massive investment between the hotel, marina and that westerly exposed cruise ship dock.

Closed January 5, to reopen January 19. New airline and ferry arrangements and other changes although TSA shortfalls do threaten airline arrangements. Closure announced in November and cleared with department of Labour prior to that.

Fire simply in the garbage of the construction area. Article on fire removed.

I visited Resort World a couple of years ago -- stayed in a fairly new condo that was decaying rapidly. None of the public bathrooms in the small village area were functioning. The resort was installing beach cabanas on a stretch of beach on the polluted harbor across the street from a sewage treatment plant that emitted a seriously noxious odor. The casino was completely deserted the one time I stopped in. I arrived via cruise ship to the humongous oceanfront pier that I've read is no longer in use. There was a hotel under construction but the whole place felt like it was deteriorating with no maintenance and inept management. With no airstrip on the main island and no cruise ship service, it's hard to see how Resorts World can keep the place operating. It's like so many resorts and real estate developments that have failed in the Bahamas on Eleuthera, Grand Bahama, Exuma and other islands.

They've struggled and found like others in Nassau and elsewhere that getting people in and out is important and you can't survive just on boats. They're working hard to provide more ways in. For instance, direct flights from Newark, seaplane, high speed ferry. Gambling is where the money is but still a lot of people taking boats to nowhere or to the Casinos in Freeport.

Some wear already showing in the hotel, just as it is on the rooms at Atlantis. Obviously in two weeks, you're not going to make major changes and they've not shared with anyone what it's all about. I think Genting overestimated Bimini. It's not a "Destination" like Nassau or like some of the island resorts. I don't think it will close though. What typically happens is faltering hotels either go through bankruptcy or other sales for less each time and then finally someone ends up with a decent property at a cheap price.

The Bahamas as a whole have a lot of tourism, but they really don't attract the business they need to and perhaps could. People from the NE just fly to South Florida or fly on over and beyond. People living in FL don't really need a vacation spot as they live in one. And there just aren't that many boaters.

We rarely go there anymore. Problem is that they are trying to make it seems upscale yet They bring in the worst possible crowd on rock bottom prices. So you get to see guys with wifebeaters and gold chains hanging on what is best described as Calle Ocho working girls in what would otherwise be a fairly nice looking hotel

A dock neighbor was there a couple of years ago on a holiday weekend and said the beach side pool was the site of people fighting (broken bottles and all) mixed with couples who thought they were auditioning for an X rated flic...

Is Old Bahama Bay still a ghost town? Not the docks but the beach and rooms.
I won't admit this to anybody but my best friends here at YF, We had actually stayed there a couple of times while delivering smaller boats. Over priced and empty. May-June, 2014, 16, 17.
Great hors d'oeuvre line, made dinner every time.
Oh, Marina docks full...

More folks stayed in the ole Jack Tar than I witnessed during my stays lately.

There could be books written on all the failed resorts and real estate developments in the Bahamas -- Cotton Bay Club on Eleuthera, Tamboo on Great Harbor Cay, Ginn Sur Mer on Grand Bahama, Xanadu on Grand Bahama, Molasses Reef on Turks & Caicos, Chub Cay, and now perhaps Resorts World on Bimini. Some are revived and new projects keep being financed. A few succeed -- Bakers Bay on Guana Cay appears to be a home run, I've heard Albany in Nassau is successful. A long-time failed resort on Elbow Cay that had Haitian squatters hanging out has been revived and revamped into the upscale Firefly Resort. I docked at the old Hopetown Marina when it was pretty decayed and the owner Rudy was trying to keep it going single-handed -- now it has been hugely improved and expanded under new owners.

It is hard to build and maintain resorts in the Bahamas -- everything has to be shipped in, the salt air decays metal so fast, and few if any islands have a core of highly competent repair people and inventory of parts. A small island like Bimini is especially tough -- there is not enough tourist traffic to sustain frequent air flights and/or ferry transportation, and there are not enough hotels to support a broad marketing campaign for the whole island. Despite the litany of failed resorts and large investments written off, hope spring eternal and developers and banks continue to start new projects.

Typically the second or third owner with lower investment to make it successful. Also, don't have to deal with start up. A reason we buy existing businesses. We never have to go through a start up year or two and we buy when the owner is ready to sell and exit.

Wonderful islands still available for development in the Bahamas. The current trend seems to be, whether personal or business, to take them private as Bakers Bay has done. Actually Baker's Bay and Cat Cay shock me, people willing to pay such premium prices to be in a private club. But then we have Ocean Reef, although it is not as restrictive. So, these places have been successful with clubs.

When it comes to resorts, it seems one builds, fades as another moves in. Baha Mar is the go to place now in Nassau as Atlantis fades. Bimini just isn't a resort island and seems Genting didn't recognize the effort to make it one. People don't travel just 50 miles to get away and don't want a fishing village and day tourists. They tried independently before realizing they needed a corporate hotel booking group. Now, Hilton, but that comes at a 15% cost. Resorts World Bimini will survive one way or another. However, it will never be the upscale prestigious resort with it's location.

It should also be noted that this isn't the extent of Resorts World issues. Manila is still recovering from the attacks. Catskills lost $58 million in their first six months and then $37 million in three months. Kim keeps lending more money to each of his resorts. Catskills projected nearly $300 million a year in revenue and hit about half that. Slot machines are the big moneymaker for casinos and theirs are only averaging about $100 per machine per day. Resorts World Vegas is believed to be well behind schedule and over it's $4 billion budgeted cost. Then, of course, there is Resorts World Miami. Genting planned a $3 billion project and the world's largest casino. Seems they just didn't anticipate they wouldn't be able to get a gambling license. Duh.

Just like when they brought in that massive ferry 4 or 5 years ago which failed USCG inspection Then when they finally had it in service they tried to run gambling cruises to nowhere out of Miami with foreign master and crew to make up the losses on the ferry business. Didn’t work out very well wit the USCG

Didn't know about this one.
Ooff

Their explanation Roma federal judge was “we re loosing money on the ferry service so you have to give us an exemption to run cruises to nowhere with foreign flag and crew”.

Can’t make it up. They destroyed the northern half of Bimini including building a 1000’ pier which was only used for a couple of years.

What a shame

Bimini's gone through so many ups and downs over the years. The very best period was when I was in my late teens and the Bacardi's owned big game and the complete angler was there. However, Bimini was in shambles after that. The town of Bimini is a ghetto.....broken down vehicles, boats, and other crap like that just piled up everywhere. I don't see Resort World as destroying the North end as it was mangroves to begin with. It's a decent stop, has a nice beach, floating docks, a little casino, the Hilton, several decent restaurants...….yes the whole development shows signs of wear and tear...….but for a night or two it offers enough civilization.

Town of Bimini?? Alicetown is the settlement on N. Bimini J, No such animal as the "Town of Bimini" Alicetown has always had its own identity separating it from the rest of the islands but Ghetto is a relative term when speaking about the underside of any settlement in the Bahamas. N.P & G.B. both have their share of problems in low income areas and unfortunately North Bimini isn't immune to such problems.

What is amazing is that despite this major resort Alicetown hasn’t benefited whatsoever. If anything it s worst than it s ever been with unfinished homes, trash, etc.

The north end of Bimini was not just mangroves. There were miles of shady beaches with beautiful pines and a shady trail along the beach. That alone was worth crossing.

You would figure that some infustructure for N.&S. Bimini would have been factored into the Resorts World deal . Something along the lines of new schools and better clinics and hospital facilities or a turbo incinerator for garbage on the island but the Christy & then the Minnis governments and their cronies are the likely benefactor's of this development. The only improvements that I'm aware of were to the airport and customs house on S. Bimini to process the multitude of tourists that were supposedly going to come.