How this Luxury Villa Owner Built A Thriving Business in The Turks & Caicos

Real estate and endless beaches…what could be a better combination? Turks and Caicos has two unmatched attributes: beautiful, unspoiled beaches year-round, coupled with top notch amenities and great flight connections to the U.S. and Canada, says Vasco Borges, CEO and Founder of Beach Enclave Turks & Caicos. “You can have breakfast in NYC and then fly to Turks and Caicos and have lunch by the beach! The other attribute is the use of the U.S. Dollar and rule of U.K. law, as well as friendly tax laws. I have not met any other place that combines these attributes.” Borges has been at the helm of Beach Enclave Turks & Caicos for several years and has positioned himself as a successful designer and operator in the private villa resort space.

Here are four questions for the entrepreneur:

You just opened a new resort on Grace Bay. How was this journey? 

Every project is a challenge. We fully integrate the journey from identifying the opportunity, acquiring the property, designing, bringing home owners on board, building and eventually welcoming owners and guests to their beachfront home and resort. We do all the journey in house because we believe in delivering what we imagined and promised to our residents and guests.  That gives me and the Beach Enclave team immense pleasure and satisfaction.

I am really pleased with the delivery of the project, its spectacular beauty and the satisfaction of our homeowners and guests when they stay at the resort. With its location on the most coveted beach in Providenciales, I think it further elevates our brand and what we stand for.

What are your future plans for real estate development in Turks & Caicos, and where are you focusing your business during COVID-19? 

The pandemic magnified the demand for security, health, safety and privacy.  We saw an unprecedented shift in lifestyle choices and buyers demanding larger homes, more amenities and less density. Beach Enclave properties offer privacy, resort amenities, socially distant activities and endless possibilities for family travel.  Turks and Caicos invested heavily in vaccinations, testing and health and safety personal protective equipment, which resulted in strong demand from both travelers and owners alike as they fled from metropolitan areas to destinations where they felt safe and secure.

We are currently evaluating opportunities both here and abroad for expanding our design ethos and secluded villa resorts – stay tuned!

Do you have any favorite books for entrepreneurs? 

I do not. When I leave the office, I focus on resting and reconnecting, I much rather read fiction or historic books.

Two books do come to mind though.  One I read recently, at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic: Out of the Gobi, by Weijian Shan.  It is a remarkable true story of hardship and taking opportunities as they come – a very inspiring story, and one that helped put into perspective the first few months of the pandemic.  The other, perhaps counterintuitively is the Power of Now, from Eckhart Tolle.

Entrepreneurs by definition stress about a lot of unknowns, difficult trade-offs.  Keeping in mind that the present is what is important, have a clear mind when facing challenges (rather than pain in deciding) is a long way to stay focused, positive and inspire others around you to do the same.

When you’re not developing and managing luxury real estate, what do you do in your free time?

I am a very lucky father of two beautiful girls so I try spending as much time with them as I can.  I also enjoy sports and new challenges; being in the Caribbean, I have as of late been learning how to wakesurf and kiteboard. My office is on Long Bay beach, the mecca for learning kiteboarding.