TWO thousand dollars.

“That was all the investment we had to start the resort,” Marcos said.

There probably couldn’t have been a more challenging time to take on Vatia Beach.

“We got the place pretty much abandoned and in ruins,” Marcos said.

Meanwhile, the 32-year-old was establishing his own business.

Marcos launched Canary Constructions and Management in September 2013.

He and his Vatia Beach partners signed the lease for the resort in April the following year.

The workload and lack of funds might have been enough to dissuade some people from taking on the project.

But Marcos knew what it was to start from nothing and build up.

“I was without any money and was backpacking and trying to look for a job,” he said.

He returned to Spain for 14 months before making Sydney his home.

When the chance to develop Vatia Beach arose, Marcos consulted his friend Eduardo Varela.

“Edu jumped in and said let’s go,” Marcos said.

Rafael Urbano is the most recent addition to the trio.

He replaced one of the original amigos, who had to return to Spain for personal reasons.

IMAGE: The new resort managers made upgrading the accommodation one of their first priorities. All six bures have been upgraded from the bamboo cabins the trio inherited.

IMAGE: The Vatia Beach Eco Resort reception desk and lobby area.

IMAGE: Development of a new garden pavillion behind the existing resort building.

CIRCUMSTANCES have tested the trio’s enthusiasm.

Not unexpectedly, money has been an issue.

“By the time we actually made our first dollar of income it was seven months,” Marcos said.

“I even moved to sometimes live in the car just to save every possible dollar.”

Eduardo lived at Vatia Beach during the first 14 months. Including when the property was otherwise uninhabited.

“At the time he was a lawyer – he had no idea about construction,” Marcos said.

Eleven months into the project, Tropical Cyclone Pam tore a chunk out of Vatia Beach.

“We lost part of the building,” Marcos said.

Aid agencies told the ABC Tropical Cyclone Pam was one of the worst disasters ever to hit the Pacific region.

The Spaniards also learned the Fijian government’s rules about international volunteers the hard way.

Several skilled and enthusiastic workers got deported for overstaying their welcome.

Special permission is required to volunteer for longer than two weeks.

Marcos and his partners are launching a crowdfunding campaign.

The money will assist with the resort’s development.

“We are quite drained – you can imagine,” Marcos said.

Plans for the resort's future, as posted on the Vatia Beach Eco Resort website. IMAGE: Vatia Beach Eco Resort




 

THE resort website features a sketch of proposed developments.

Ideas include a swimming pool, water bures, sand bures, a wellness centre, and a private pier.

But Marcos said the plan was subject to review.

“The first stage is to get our business to a more profitable level,” he said.

People are finding their way to Vatia Beach.

“At first, it was very slow," Marcos said. 

"We are still in a very slow stage, but not as slow as the beginning."

THE new management’s efforts are evident.

The six bures they inherited have been upgraded.

The former holiday house has become the hub of the resort.

Construction of a new garden-view accommodation pavilion is underway. 

It will include five bedrooms and four bathrooms. 

Marcos expects the new pavilion to be open from mid-year.