It does not appear that a knight on a white stallion will gallup through Coral Bay to rescue Maho Bay Camps next spring.
Travel publisher Arthur Frommer says the phenomenon of an eco-friendly, budget-priced Caribbean idyll for adventurers and families is being snuffed out.
“The owner of the land on which Maho Bay sits, a hillside overlooking one of the most enthralling ocean views and beaches in the Caribbean, has given final notice that it will take over the property in just nine months,” Frommer wrote this week.
While Maho Bay, or whatever it is to be called, will still welcome guests, it will be converted “to far more expensive accommodations for wealthy vacationers.”
More than a year ago, Maho’s founder Stanley Selengut announced he’d been unsuccessful in negotiating a new lease for the property. He set a closing date of July 31, 2012.
Since then, there have been efforts, both private and semi-public, for the land to be acquired and kept as an eco-resort. No buyers came to the table, even though the price for the land was reportedly reduced from $31 million to $19 million.
Update:
The general manager at Maho Bay Camps was unable to confirm the takeover or conversion included in Frommer’s news. “We have not been told anything that would reflect this decision,” Adrian Davis told the Inquiring Iguana. “I can confirm that our lease expires on the last day of June, so we will be open for guests until May 15th."
Also unclear is whether Frommer's information is new. Uncertainty about Maho Bay has been the status quo for more than a year.