Dany Island, an island in the Espiritu Santo region of Vanuatu which was previously only available for exclusive use, is reopening as a barefoot luxury resort.
Entrepreneur Dany Girgis, who owns the island roughly 1.5 kilometres from the island of Santo, and transformed it into a marine sanctuary, has spent the last year building six new private villas nestled among the gardens.
He says the addition of the villas means guests no longer have to only exclusively hire the entire island, although they can still do that too.
Girgis was in his mid-20s when he bought the island almost a decade ago.
“I quit my job and started investing in property, and my dream was always to own a private island. So I came to Vanuatu and went from island to island in search of the perfect fit.
“At the time, I was selling Vanuatu as a travel advisor, and this one was about to hit the market, and while I was on the boat going there, I could already tell it was going to be perfect. The next day I came back on a kayak and did some snorkelling, and I realised the potential it had, so I bought it.”
Changing local perceptions
Girgis says when he bought the island there was no infrastructure, and the locals were using it as a fishing spot, anchoring on the coral.
“I started by talking to the people fishing here and asked them not to use nets and then no anchoring, and by building a rapport and them understanding that the tropical fish here weren’t really the best fish to be catching anyway, it started to work.
“Tourism is so important to Vanuatu too, and given the Hawksbill Turtle breed here, I spoke to the local chief and he put a leaf up which indicates not to fish here and that helped too.”
He says by then also educating surfers to help protect the coral and working with the local environmental office, he eventually gained marine sanctuary certification, and the area is now a refuge for endangered sea turtles while preserving the coral reefs.
Girgis says it’s been humbling seeing how much that has changed the surrounding waters.
“I just want to keep going and the longer the marine sanctuary is in place, the more marine life grows here, and last season we had 1,600 turtles who made it to the ocean in eight months, and this season it’ll be even more.”
The suite spot
Girgis says it was a desire to want to share the island with more people that made him want to open it as a barefoot luxury resort.
As well as six villas, he’s added a restaurant focusing on using local produce and has snorkelling tours so others can appreciate the marine life.
“We spent a year building the villas. The furniture has been crafted by locals with local hardwood timber. They are minimalistic, but that’s the luxury; it’s all about the white sand beaches, the simplicity.
“I want people to experience being close to nature in paradise… it’s just the most beautiful sunset, and the night sky is amazing, but you’re still close to the mainland. There’s a good energy here and I think that’s what makes it luxury, the views and nature.”
Dany Island officially opens this month.
For more information, visit Dany Island.
