Island Hunters - General Discussion

[WendyCR72]

Discuss Island Hunters Here!

[NYGirl]

OMG last night's episode where the guy wanted an island for him and his new "love".  To me she was definitely a mail order bride.  She was all jiggly and acting silly and immature.  Meanwhile his budget is 5 million!

 

Personally I would not like an island.  It scares me to be out there in the middle of the water like that with no security from either storms or people.

[DownTheShore]

That was was the woman with Eastern European accent, wasn't it? Bet she met him while he was on a business trip and became the "other woman".

I have to wonder about those people buying those Canadian islands that are nothing more than slabs of granite, or those ones buying the swampy islands in South Carolina. The first I wonder about water and sewage, the second I wonder about dealing with bugs and swamp critters.

[drafan]

OMG last night's episode where the guy wanted an island for him and his new "love".  To me she was definitely a mail order bride.  She was all jiggly and acting silly and immature.  Meanwhile his budget is 5 million!

 

 

She giggled because she did not know 5 words of English.  At first I thought he was Frank Gifford with a new younger mistress. Then I remembered FG is dead.

 

Interesting to see her never-ending fashion show of bikinis and Daisy Dukes. But who is going to see them now that the HH filming is over? Oh, never mind, I'm sure the unspoken plan for the secluded island is that clothing is unnecessary, per order of Larry. ......who gives me the creeps, BTW.

 

I hope Luba has family somewhere on earth who knows where she's located.

[limecoke]

Island Life, Caribbean Life, Mexico Life, Hawaii Life, doesn't matter. Sorry HGTV, I have no interest in the people who chuck it all to go live on the beach in their zillion dollar homes with 15,000+ square feet for two people. I give them five years and they'll be bored senseless. (Not that interested in Tiny Homes either.)

[Mu Shu]

Island Life, Caribbean Life, Mexico Life, Hawaii Life, doesn't matter. Sorry HGTV, I have no interest in the people who chuck it all to go live on the beach in their zillion dollar homes with 15,000+ square feet for two people. I give them five years and they'll be bored senseless. (Not that interested in Tiny Homes either.)

They can keep the steel drum music, too. Maybe it's because I live in Florida that I find the exotic islands bland and boring. Give me something like Pittsburgh with its change of scenery and more diverse housing stock.

And stop with the keys and key west. The most boring place on earth unless you do watersports or like to sit in a bar and drink all day, IMO.

Edited December 31, 2015 by Mu Shu

[ByaNose]

It all looks very exciting. I'm sure after a while it's like living anywhere. They portray it like they swim and paddlebaord all day & don't work. Maybe, they don't but I'm sure some do. The grass isn't always greener. I think the Hawaii Life ones are the funniest. Half the time the people settle for the one bedroom because they can't afford the two bedroom. And, it's not just a single person living there. You throw in the HOH fee it ain't all sunshine & rainbows. LOL!! That said, I wouldn't mind someone handing me one for free.

[Neurochick]

Island Life, Caribbean Life, Mexico Life, Hawaii Life, doesn't matter. Sorry HGTV, I have no interest in the people who chuck it all to go live on the beach in their zillion dollar homes with 15,000+ square feet for two people. I give them five years and they'll be bored senseless. (Not that interested in Tiny Homes either.)

I love those shows; I live in the northeast and I love seeing these tropical locations.  I'm at the stage in my life where I'd love to live in the Caribbean full time.  

[dga28]

I love those shows; I live in the northeast and I love seeing these tropical locations.  I'm at the stage in my life where I'd love to live in the Caribbean full time.  

I love them too.  Currently thinking about my retirement and curious as to what people can get for their money in the caribbean.  Also, the prices don't seem all that unreasonable to me.  matter of fact i would have expected more $$s.

[DownTheShore]

Count me as someone from the Northeast who loves those shows too. I've been down to St. John a couple times and it is so gorgeous and totally different from here.

[laredhead]

I have a friend who moved to St. Thomas thinking it would be a paradise.  She's an attorney and found a job with a law firm there.  Said it was fun for about 6 months, but after that it was not as much fun as she anticipated.  Tourists everywhere, very expensive to live there, she had a much nicer house in the states, and after a while, living on island time got old.  She's back in the states now, and says she has gotten island living out of her system. 

[snarts]

 

I love them too.  Currently thinking about my retirement and curious as to what people can get for their money in the caribbean.  Also, the prices don't seem all that unreasonable to me.  matter of fact i would have expected more $$s.

So much this.  I use the shows to research retirement locations.  My favorite is Beachfront Bargain Hunters.

[Tony]

This show got old for me fast. It's either multimillionaires and their Russian mail-order bimbos or average Joes who somehow managed to scrape up an inordinate amount of cash for a short trip. The last ep I saw was the married pool cleaners with $20k+ to spend on a 1 week Bora Bora vacation. If they really have that kind of cash to burn on a short vacation, then I'm in the wrong business and need to get into pool cleaning ASAP. The whole circus act just screams product placement for the Four Seasons and St. Regis. 

[NYGirl]

That's the last one I saw too Tony!  I kept saying how ridiculous it is to spend that much money for one week.  They could have been saving for a house instead. 

[Neurochick]

That's the last one I saw too Tony!  I kept saying how ridiculous it is to spend that much money for one week.  They could have been saving for a house instead. 

 

But not everybody wants to deal with a house.  Having a house is a lot of work and not everybody is up to it.  Some people spend money on their homes, other spend it on travel; personally, I'd take the travel over buying the house.

[CherryAmes]

I can see preferring not to buy a vacation home and staying in hotels or cruising or whatever, I don't see spending that much on one week if that's all the money you've got.  If I manage to scrape together $20,000 with nothing to spend it on but vacationing (hey a girl can dream :) ) I sure as heck wouldn't spend the whole amount on one week somewhere, no matter how cool it was!

[Neurochick]

I can see preferring not to buy a vacation home and staying in hotels or cruising or whatever, I don't see spending that much on one week if that's all the money you've got.  If I manage to scrape together $20,000 with nothing to spend it on but vacationing (hey a girl can dream :) ) I sure as heck wouldn't spend the whole amount on one week somewhere, no matter how cool it was!

 

That's true, 20k could take me on a FEW vacations.  

[DownTheShore]

They're paying that $20K to fulfill their lifelong dream of being able to prance around outside naked - lol.

[Tony]

They're paying that $20K to fulfill their lifelong dream of being able to prance around outside naked - lol.

 

But they actually didn't get to have any nekked sexy time outside though. They ended up spending $24000 for a week at the Four Seasons with a bunch of other people around.

 

ETA. The "private island consultant" (another WTF? right there) brought them to the St. Regis resort and casually mentions that it's slightly over budget at $34000 a week. If I had $20k to spend on this and the guy dragged me to a place where I'd have to pony up another $14k, he'd get a swift knee to the balls.

Edited January 6, 2016 by Tony

[DownTheShore]

I find that Chris Crillo (I think that's his name) and his frat-pledge-looking assistant creep me out. They are both so smarmy.

Edited January 7, 2016 by DownTheShore

[NYGirl]

Watching Island Hunters last night there was a couple from Texas "downsizing" to some island in Alabama.  Boy were they a pain in the ass.  He gave up the "corporate life" and took the severance package so he could retire with his wife.  Here I am thinking they had a nice hefty budget and I spit my water out when they said under $200,000.  If I was drinking booze and took a drink every time they said "downsize" I'd still be drunk.  The wife was a picky annoying person and he was just so unlikeable.  Why did I continue watching?  I was in bed and the remote was too far away to move.  LOL

[Vivigirl10]

On 10/19/2015 at 7:43 PM, NYGirl said:

OMG last night's episode where the guy wanted an island for him and his new "love".  To me she was definitely a mail order bride.  She was all jiggly and acting silly and immature.  Meanwhile his budget is 5 million!

 

On 12/6/2015 at 10:55 PM, drafan said:

Oh, never mind, I'm sure the unspoken plan for the secluded island is that clothing is unnecessary, per order of Larry. .

I know this was an old episode but I caught the re-run of it last night.  She was so definitely mail order or he went on one of those "vacations" where you are promised to meet up to 50 eligible Russian brides.  Gack.  Whatever agency she came from probably has Luba up on a poster for the most successful match ever.

The Realtor asked her what she wanted in a home and she babbled for five minutes about "clear water and blue sky....all the time" and the Realtor just looked at her and said, "I can't control the weather".  Ha!

There had to be a fifty-something ex-wife somewhere, watching this ready to slit her wrists!

[Texasmom1970]

I seriously need to become a mail order bride if it gets me a private island in Fiji. I will prance around half dressed and giggle like s 13 year old as well for that. 

[Kohola3]

I figure she's counting on him having an early exit.  I wouldn't be surprised if he suddenly disappeared when out on one of his water toys.  Mail order bride much?

[juliet73]

I saw this episode last night too. She was definitely a mail order bride. I fast forwarded through most it, but were they planning on building a house or something.  Where did they sleep? bathe?  eat? All  I saw was the "employee" climbing the tree for a coconut.

[Kohola3]

Probably live at some 5 star resort on a neighboring island. It would be interesting to see if anything actually got built there. I'm betting not.

[Irlandesa]

I don't usually find much to say about the episodes of this show that I catch. (It's not my favorite since the islands start to blend together.  Besides, I like looking at houses with the landscape.)  But the one in Pantagonia made me wish I wouldn't mind a 20+ hour plane trip or that I didn't get sea sick because I would so go there.  The scenery was gorgeous. 

But the guy kind of annoyed me.  He kept going on and on about  wanting a pristine and untouched island with potentially undiscovered species, even rejecting one he didn't see as "pure" enough, yet he's planning to build 25 villas on it.

Sorry to be crude but the whole time I couldn't help but think he sounded like a creepy dude with an 'experienced' history who still covets a virgin bride just so he can be the first one to fuck her.

Still, I would've picked that island as well.

Edited July 11, 2016 by Irlandesa

[Gregg247]

I love this show, and we got TWO new episodes last night!  

The real estate developer and his wife wanted an island where they could develop their own version of a resort for $7 million.  Instead, they bought an already-developed tiny resort on a 1 acre island for $2.5 million.  How am I supposed to accurately guess the "winning" property each week if the contestants are going to be so flexible in their must-haves?!? LOL

In the other episode: I've never heard of Pantagonia, but it was breathtaking!  The smallest island they looked at was 800 acres for $4 million.  The one they picked was by far the most beautiful, with the giant waterfall and the long shoreline.  The "business partners" looked more like brother-and-sister to me, even though they were from completely different countries!

[OpieTaylor]

There was a kinda entertaining episode over the weekend with an East Coast couple looking for a vacation island rental on some East Coast island. They mentioned that between them they had 7 marriages and a bunch of young adult kids, and they wanted a place for everyone to come for a vacation. The couple just reeked of money; they looked like they might be in the entertainment industry - they just had that "prettiness" about them. But they kept "ribbing" each other - pretty much every line was a laughing poke at the other's expense, and after awhile I started to wonder about their relationship. The wife did more of the yakking and sometimes it seemed like the husband was a bit annoyed by her.

[seaELare]

The host, Chris Krolow, bugs.   Do Canadians pronounce Isla as Eye-la?   Or was that just him not knowing the Spanish pronunciation is Iz-la or Eez-la?   

[Kohola3]

That whole "Chris Krolow, Expert on All Islands in the Entire World" premise just doesn't hold water, no pun intended. Plus piloting boats all over, wielding a machete to chop down jungle paths, etc. is just too corny for words.

[abbyzenn]

I caught my first (and last) episode of this show the other day - the one with the developers who wanted to build their own resort and had $7 million to spend.  I can't remember what country Costa Rica? Belize?  Anyway I couldn't even make it thru the whole episode.  Although the show is called Island hunters I thought it was about looking for a place on an island not looking for an island.  No way would I want to live on a one-acre island (and I say this as someone who previously lived on St Simons Island in Georgia and now lives on another island - Oahu).  You can't even go for a decent walk on such a place.  Plus I can't imagine being there during storms - don't they have hurricanes there?  With global warming and the rising seas how much longer will such an island even be there?

[AlleC17]

3 hours ago, abbyzenn said:

I caught my first (and last) episode of this show the other day - the one with the developers who wanted to build their own resort and had $7 million to spend.  I can't remember what country Costa Rica? Belize?  Anyway I couldn't even make it thru the whole episode.  Although the show is called Island hunters I thought it was about looking for a place on an island not looking for an island.  No way would I want to live on a one-acre island (and I say this as someone who previously lived on St Simons Island in Georgia and now lives on another island - Oahu).  You can't even go for a decent walk on such a place.  Plus I can't imagine being there during storms - don't they have hurricanes there?  With global warming and the rising seas how much longer will such an island even be there?

Another from Oahu here.  :-)  Yeah, a 1 acre island would freak me out! 

The couple that bought a piece of that island with the waterfall bugged me.  The entire island was a preserve of some sort, but the owner was allowed to sell 30 something acres of it, and new owners (of that piece) they want to put up 25 villas by that gorgeous fall.  I keep hoping they end up not being able to build.  lol  And they went on about 'their' island, but they only got a small piece of it really.  Unless I am remembering it incorrectly? 

Edited July 13, 2016 by AlleC17

[NYGirl]

There are a lot of episodes with people buying a house on an island rather than them buying an island.  I definitely prefer those to the ones they are currently showing.

[Irlandesa]

On 7/13/2016 at 6:15 PM, AlleC17 said:

The couple that bought a piece of that island with the waterfall bugged me.  The entire island was a preserve of some sort, but the owner was allowed to sell 30 something acres of it, and new owners (of that piece) they want to put up 25 villas by that gorgeous fall.  I keep hoping they end up not being able to build.  lol  And they went on about 'their' island, but they only got a small piece of it really.  Unless I am remembering it incorrectly? 

You got it correctly.  The whole island was a reserve except for part of it.  And that's the part that they could buy.  And I guess it was just luck that all the waterfalls happened to be on the "for sale" part of the island.  Why am I suspicious?

I'm watching the episode with John Amos now and I'm confused.  Maybe it's because I missed the opening but they're looking for an island that is a corporate retreat, the home base of a charity and a place where a camp for kids can be held?  So are they going to use charity money to buy a 20 million dollar island?  Or do they plan on fundraising by renting the island out to corporations when camp isn't in session?

[biakbiak]

1 hour ago, Irlandesa said:

You got it correctly.  The whole island was a reserve except for part of it.  And that's the part that they could buy.  And I guess it was just luck that all the waterfalls happened to be on the "for sale" part of the island.  Why am I suspicious?

I'm watching the episode with John Amos now and I'm confused.  Maybe it's because I missed the opening but they're looking for an island that is a corporate retreat, the home base of a charity and a place where a camp for kids can be held?  So are they going to use charity money to buy a 20 million dollar island?  Or do they plan on fundraising by renting the island out to corporations when camp isn't in session?

Given that John and his friend didn't buy anything and got the owner of the island to agree to let them host events there for free I imagine the entire thing was fake.

[Ottis]

Quote

Given that John and his friend didn't buy anything and got the owner of the island to agree to let them host events there for free I imagine the entire thing was fake.

Our guess was that the oft-mentioned "up to $20 million" in financing fell through, or was never real. Their goals were unclear. As someone else posted, you want a nice place for fundraising AND a place for kids to run around? There are far cheaper ways to find a place (or more than one place)  than to buy an island. Good to see John Amos, though. I thought he had passed. we still watch reruns of GTs. 

[Vivigirl10]

Quote

As someone else posted, you want a nice place for fundraising AND a place for kids to run around? 

Glad I wasn't the only one who found that episode super confusing.  It made no sense.  If they were truly looking for both a bunk house for the kids and an upscale retreat for fundraisers, than the 2nd place was a perfect fit.  The one they chose was awful and then to find out that the owner was just going to kind of "lend" it to them on an as-needed basis?  What the????

[Rena]

I just watched three episodes of Island Hunters. At first I thought this is very interesting and exciting but on a second thought it looks so staged like the St. Regis paid so they can show their resort on TV. 

Lyuba is definitely Russian and looks so superficial and dumb. I guess she is not planning to have kids with this guy unless she wants to give birth under a palm tree and with no doctor to monitor her pregnancy. 

I think it will be really boring to live on such a remote island. It is nice for a month maybe but not for longer.

Anyway, extreme TV shows like this make me appreciate and enjoy the place where I live now ?.

[Gregg247]

They recently reran the episode where the father and daughter were looking for islands just outside of Charleston, SC.  I'm from Charleston, and I had no idea people paid actual money for those tiny slips of dry land out in the middle of all that marshland.  Talk about suckers!  If they don't get eaten alive by mosquitoes, it'll only be because they were trying to outrun all the snakes (and the occasional alligator) that show up on shore.  Plus, what happens when the A/C goes out in the middle of July?  How do you get the repairman out there?  Do you meet him at a dock somewhere and ferry him and all his equipment out to your island?  That sounds time-consuming, expensive, and awkward.

"Island Expert Chris Krolow" really makes the show for me.  I love when he pulls out the machete and releases his inner Indiana Jones on some unsuspecting deserted island. You show'em who's boss, Chris! haha  

Seriously, he has about the best job I can think of, travelling the world and showing rich people really expensive real estate.  I always wonder if he gets a standard real estate commission, or if he gets reimbursed for the helicopters, speed boats, and all the exotic drinks at the outdoor clubs prior to taking the island tours.  (A 10% commission on a $20 million island could keep Chris awash in ill-fitting polo shirts and flip flops for years!)

Edited July 25, 2016 by Gregg247

[Kohola3]

Quote

 Talk about suckers!

I guess if they can afford that lifestyle, they can afford to handle all of the issues that crop up.  But I do believe that many have them have never thought through all of the possible issues that could crop up and make life miserable.  To me, hurricanes on the east coast would be the biggest thing to worry about.  Those tidal surges could  wipe everything out.  And if you are not familiar with the area, you may not be aware of the annoying (and downright destructive) wildlife you are likely to encounter.  Again, I would love to see some follow up a couple of years later to see if they still own those places.

I have a place on Lake Huron and fighting against the weeds alone is a full time job!

[Kohola3]

A double-header yesterday that had me drooling.   Two of my favorite places in the world (there is not enough money in the world to tempt me to buy a place south of the 45th parallel north) - Alaska and maritime Canada in one hour!  Liked both the couple in Sitka and the woman who apparently has way more friends than I do.    

I did not, however, understand the 1/7 equity thing with the island off Nova Scotia.  Any Realtors out that that can explain that whole thing?  That house - wow!

[JasmineFlower]

Did anyone catch the profession of the Canadian couple buying an island in Vanuatu to be closer to family? Their reasoning was a bit of a stretch to me on many fronts, and that held water in the end when there was no mention of their kids or grandkids. But anyway, I seem to remember seeing her chomping off a leaf in the after scenes like that before, so I think it may have been a repeat that I just didn't watch fully in the past.

I thought it was nice to see the episode to rent an island in Croatia, just for the price alone. I assume this is somehow helping some industry - island renting I presume - but it's hard to imagine this being an inspiration to many given the ridiculous prices on so many of them. I've hardly seen all of these episodes, as this isn't a favorite "Hunters" of mine, but I only remember two other episodes that had places for less than $10k for a weekly rental and none that were this low. So, for that reason alone I appreciated the more accessible nature of this episode.

@Kohola3 I'm not completely clear on the 1/7 equity either outside of the norm. I'm not a realtor. And it was hard to read what the after was for her. She appeared to be living there, talking about gardening and having friends over. But I think it's more likely she's there for extended times and she's living there for the month or the summer, not all the time, which would make more sense with the equity ownership. I took the 1/7 equity share at face value, that she owned a 1/7 share of the island investment. Now whether that means there are 7 other owners, or whether that means the main owner just holds the other shares and may or may not sell the rest, I'm not sure. But clearly I think the majority owner/builder wasn't using the island all the time and came up with a way to make money off the place when he's not there. It's an interesting idea for an island and better for someone like her who probably didn't want to just rent something here and there and wanted to invest. She had an unreasonably long list for her budget as evidenced by the 1/7 share. I think it's safe to assume the island she co-owns is valued around $15 million, so her $2 million or whatever was always a far cry from what she had envisioned.

[Irlandesa]

I saw the Croatia episode On Demand last week and have been waiting to discuss it.  It was nice to see an affordable island.  I also like when they show islands with buildings on them since the islands can sometimes blend together. 

But I think the rentals would drive me crazy.  Islands with no trees just sitting under pure sun? (I hate the sun.)  And that beetle noise would make me go crazy quickly.

[TVForever]

I'm just interested in real estate generally, that's why I check out all these shows. But personally, the idea of living on an island all by myself doesn't appeal to me at all.  I can get with buying one in order to develop a resort, but just to have a single family home on several acres surrounded by water? Why? You don't need to leave the mainland (and all the very practical amenities that come with that) to get real privacy if that's what you're after. Heck, if you've got a few million to buy an island, you could buy multiple acres at the shore. Reliable utilities, builders and repair people that could actually reach you, errands that don't require a major logistical effort- you'd be surprised how much these things we take for granted actually matter.  Trust me, there is no envy here for these island hunters. For their budgets, maybe, but not for how they aspire to live.

[KLovestoShop]

If I had a few spare millions, I'd buy a really nice, big boat and sail that around all those islands.  I just always wonder when you buy an island that's not near a large mainland place, where do you get utilities?  Where does the toilet water go?  A septic system?  If you rely on propane for power, how is it delivered?  I just don't know what you use other than propane for things like heating and cooking.

[topanga]

I liked the recent episode about a family moving to an island off the coast of South Carolina. Never realized those homes would be so expensive. For a duplex (4 bedrooms, maybe), they paid $700,000. 

What I liked most was the family itself. Three cute kids.  And the husband and wife supported and seemed to actually like one another. Like when the husband made a corny joke about the wallpaper in the kitchen looking like the ocean. The wife didn't laugh, but without missing a beat, she tagged his joke with a line about not being sure if she needs to hold her breath or not. A simple, but very sweet way for treat your spouse. Behavior I don't see a lot of on these shows. 

[MaKaM]

So there was an episode today about an older lady looking for a luxury island home in Nova Scotia(?) so she could have like 20 friends over. Well, she clearly didn't pick the island with a rustic cabin or the island with the nice-but-antique houses. She got a 1/7th share of a super-fancy house that they never mentioned how her share is divided. Like does she get a permanent bedroom, is it on a weekly timeshare basis, monthly? Has no one else bought in (for $2.something million) and she gets to be there full time? I missed the beginning because I was under the impression it was going to be her home but I don't think you can live permanently in an equity share house so she must have a house somewhere else.

The house was fantastic though. Not sure if it was $14 million fantastic, but super nice for sure.

I'd have picked the vintage house island because there was totally enough space to subdivide and make back some money.

Edited June 10, 2017 by MaKaM

[Kohola3]

There were lots of similar questions about that situation when it first aired.  If you look back there was quite a long discussion about theories on how it would work.

[SPLAIN]

New episode featuring couple George and Mike with a $10 million dollar budget searching in Tahiti. They actually looked more like brothers than a couple.

George was a whiny bitch. That's all I got.

Tahiti is on my bucket list.