Many of us fantasize about buying our own island, but few of us get to bring our dreams to life. Chattanooga developer and president of Associated Island Developers David Harris is one of the few.
Virtually untouched and sporting four miles of exquisite coastline, the 120- acre island Harris recently purchased is an oasis located in Exuma, Bahamas, just a 15-minute boat ride from Exuma’s capital, Georgetown, and only a two-hour flight from Atlanta. “You should see the water,” says Harris. “It makes the water in Hawaii look like the Tennessee River. It’s the clearest turquoise you’ve ever seen.” But Harris doesn’t intend to keep this island all to himself-he’s turning it into Escape Cay, a self-sustaining luxury vacation destination. Escape Cay will host a private, residential community with 36 waterfront homes and the Macana, a full-service resort on a six acre peninsula with thirteen overwater bungalows and a fine dining restaurant.
“I didn’t think I would get to do something like this, and I’m really excited that it’s going to happen,” says Harris. “It’s my dream.” An avid scuba diver, Harris has always loved the Bahamas. When he and three friends purchased a private jet together and found they were able to fly nonstop to the islands in about two hours, they started looking at vacation houses.
“Me being a developer, I didn’t like any of the houses I saw,” Harris says. So he made his own, on his own island to boot. In a year and a half, Harris went from looking for a nice vacation home for his family to purchasing an island nine miles south of an international airport and turning it into a destination. “All these doors started opening,” Harris says. “It fell into our lap.” Harris’ goal with the waterfront homes is to provide an affordable private island experience to prospective buyers. Many of the buyers, he speculates, will be Chattanoogans-some have already expressed interest and Harris has sold two houses so far. As for the resort, Harris hopes to offer all the amenities vacationers would expect on a private island.
In addition to making dreams come true for Harris and his clients, Escape Cay will feature a home where children from the Make-A-Wish Foundation can stay if they so choose. Another home on the island will serve as a vacation