Traveltalkonline.com Forums

.


SXM Cruise Schedule TTOL Sponsors SXM Travel Calendar
Forum Statistics
Forums39
Topics39,554
Posts320,776
Members26,685
Most Online4,031
Dec 15th, 2024
Top Posters(30 Days)
jazzgal 39
RonDon 31
Kennys 22
Member Spotlight
RickG
RickG
St. John, USVI
Posts: 1,964
Joined: October 2004
Today's Birthdays
irish1223, JoeFitz, jonjoslin
Who's Online Now
17 members (SXMScubaman, CanuckTravlr, PGAWest, BHK, Todd_Melinda_K, ARC, Todd, GeorgeC1, MrEZgoin, Whale Tail, alecu7, IslandBoi, TRIM, IWIWSE, justsailing, 2 invisible), 430 guests, and 82 robots.
Key: Admin, Global Mod, Mod
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Rate Thread
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 205
P
panman Offline OP
Traveler
OP Offline
Traveler
P
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 205
Have a question or two if you are currently at Beachside Villas or there recently......

Can you give me an update on loadshedding for power and on the status of sargassum on the beach.
Thanks.

SXM Sponsors
.
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 83,984
Likes: 4
Traveler
Offline
Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 83,984
Likes: 4
panman--hopefully someone will reply. Looking at the loadshedding "schedule" for the past week or so, it seems to be somewhat better. Unless of course they are just not posting all the loadshedding they are doing.


Carol Hill
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 5,537
Likes: 4
Traveler
Offline
Traveler
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 5,537
Likes: 4
Hello ,
The power outages has improved vey much and keeps getting better .

Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 205
P
panman Offline OP
Traveler
OP Offline
Traveler
P
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 205
Thanks Kenny. How about the daily sargassum at BSV?

Joined: May 2002
Posts: 5,537
Likes: 4
Traveler
Offline
Traveler
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 5,537
Likes: 4
Well panman that comes and goes . Right now its clear .
When are you Folks planning to come would matter in general with the potential sargassum situation .

Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,007
Traveler
Offline
Traveler
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 3,007
BSV always cleans the beach if there is any sargassum.
Definitely not an issue.

Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 150
Traveler
Offline
Traveler
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 150
...I understand BSV does not have a generator.....

Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 83,984
Likes: 4
Traveler
Offline
Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 83,984
Likes: 4
leslie--that is correct


Carol Hill
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,711
Likes: 1
pat Offline
Traveler
Offline
Traveler
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,711
Likes: 1
Originally Posted by leslieridler
...I understand BSV does not have a generator.....


I spoke with Tracy from BSV yesterday and it’s true they do NOT have their own generator. They explored getting one but at the cost of $200000. it was too big a nut to crack and I get it. Ultimately if they did get one they’d have to pass the costs on to us in the unit rental prices and there’s only fourteen units to share it among.

Honestly, not saying it couldn’t happen but in all our stays we’ve NEVER lost power.
I would miss airco at night but the load shedding usually happens during the day so no generator wouldn’t be a deal breaker for me. But I also enjoy tent camping and have a sense of humor!

The OP also asked about sargassum on their beach and it’s true, the staff is out every morning before most guests have risen assuming there is any seafood in the first place.

BSV is my first choice place to stay and has been since we discovered it.😊😊


Respectfully,

pat



"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat
them."
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 83,984
Likes: 4
Traveler
Offline
Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 83,984
Likes: 4
Pat-- I believe we have lost power there for a short period of time, once or twice, but the situation with GEBE now is a whole new ballgame. I understand a generator is a lot of money and it is their decision whether to get it or not. But they have to realize that they will lose some business.

BSV is definitely still my first choice to stay, but I would be worrying about it if I were going soon. We don't plan to be there again until next summer. Hopefully by then, GEBE will have their sh*t together.

With regards to sargassum, they always manage to do an almost herculean job of cleaning the beach. Most of the time, there is very little seaweed there in general.

Last edited by Carol_Hill; 09/12/2024 10:05 AM.

Carol Hill
Joined: Sep 2022
Posts: 189
C
Traveler
Offline
Traveler
C
Joined: Sep 2022
Posts: 189
Pat, we owned a villa at Villas on Great Bay (not timeshare) and there were twelve units also like BSV. We didn't have much money as an owner but decided to get a generator installed during some renovations. For BSV it works out to about $16, 000 per owner. It makes such a difference for the guests not having to worry about power outages especially now with the current situation. As an owner, you are making good money charging $300/night or more. Some of these owners probably have their unit paid off and make up to $10,000 a month during high season. I think if a lot of guests complain or don't re-book, they might decode to install one and bite the bullet..

Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,197
Traveler
Offline
Traveler
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 13,197
To my knowledge, Beachside Villas is solely owned by the Mascarin Family and so they would have to foot the entire bill for the generator. That is the reason the rental units would have to increase to help pay for this and it could be a significant increase. I would love to have a generator there, but I do understand what that would entail.




Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 271
Traveler
Online Content
Traveler
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 271
I just couldn't resist putting my accountant's head to work on this. LOL!!! 😉😊

Assuming the $200,000 is accurate, and using a loan with interest amortized over 5 years, the additional cost per unit would seem to work out to around $10 per night to install the generators. Of course, there is also the cost of maintenance and fuel, plus allowing for vacancy nights, but the number isn't as overwhelming as it might seem. Of course, if GEBE gets their act together (???), it could end up being an unnecessary expense for what could be a rare occurence.

Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 733
Likes: 1
S
Traveler
Offline
Traveler
S
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 733
Likes: 1
I think the vacancy nights would severly skew your figures.

Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 271
Traveler
Online Content
Traveler
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 271
Define "severely". There's no question it would increase the number, but by how much?

If the average vacancy rate was say 50% over the course of a year, it would double the number to about $18 per night per unit, or about $126 per week. At 75% it would be $27 per night or $189 per week, which is certainly more significant. From comments here on this forum I know that there seem to be many times when BSV is sold out. I haven't stayed at BSV, so I'm not fully familiar with their actual weekly or nightly rates. Obviously it will also depend upon the individual renter, as what is severe to some may not be to others.

I'm certainly open to a better estimate if anyone has more accurate numbers.

The point of the exercise was simply to point out that $200,000 sounds like a big number, and it's certainly a significant expenditure. But that is often the case in situations where aggregate numbers are quoted. But when they are broken down into individual numbers they are often not quite so scary.

Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 685
Likes: 1
F
Traveler
Offline
Traveler
F
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 685
Likes: 1
Yes hopefully GEBE problems will get better soon but I would think $20,000.00 for a generator big enough for the entire BSV would be a good investment over time. As far as the sargassum it is a huge effort to clean it up , I have seen up and down Simpson Bay struggling to get the beach clean ...its normally wet a very heavy so picking it up after its dried is a bit easier.

Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 19,475
Likes: 4
Traveler
Online Content
Traveler
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 19,475
Likes: 4
"$20,000.00 for a generator"
20,000.00 or 200,000. Quite a range you're looking at.

Joined: May 2002
Posts: 5,537
Likes: 4
Traveler
Offline
Traveler
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 5,537
Likes: 4
For your info , we just our invoice quotation for a new 30 KW for 7 bedrooms for $ 23,000.00 , go figure .

Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,839
Likes: 2
Traveler
Offline
Traveler
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 17,839
Likes: 2
Originally Posted by foreversxm
Yes hopefully GEBE problems will get better soon but I would think $20,000.00 for a generator big enough for the entire BSV would be a good investment over time. As far as the sargassum it is a huge effort to clean it up , I have seen up and down Simpson Bay struggling to get the beach clean ...its normally wet a very heavy so picking it up after its dried is a bit easier.

$20,000.00 (20 thousand) would not get it done for a generator big enough to do all of BSV.


J.D.
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 227
Traveler
Offline
Traveler
Joined: Jun 2014
Posts: 227
They would also need a spot to put the generator. Is there room on the property to even place one?

Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 83,984
Likes: 4
Traveler
Offline
Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 83,984
Likes: 4
pburke--of course there's room for a generator, but apparently, they have decided not to do it. And Pat said $200,000.


Carol Hill
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 19,475
Likes: 4
Traveler
Online Content
Traveler
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 19,475
Likes: 4
Originally Posted by Kennys
For your info , we just our invoice quotation for a new 30 KW for 7 bedrooms for $ 23,000.00 , go figure .

Seems like a reasonable price. A 10kw ran us 10,000 3 years ago. 20kw was 15,000.

Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 4,397
Likes: 5
Traveler
Online Content
Traveler
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 4,397
Likes: 5
Cost per unit is not all that bad, if this was an issue that would continue into the future, but if GEBE does get their issues fixed then it is $200k that is just sitting there taking up space. Noting that it has been stated that power had not been an issue until the recent GEBE issues.

I have a dream that GEBE will get this solved by November.


I prefer the Isle seat
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 5,537
Likes: 4
Traveler
Offline
Traveler
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 5,537
Likes: 4
Actually the yes for the actually price of the unit $ 13,000.00 but plus labour and materials is the nine . No rush will wait till the high demand goes back to normal lol or just do Solar Heart for our pool pump.

Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,711
Likes: 1
pat Offline
Traveler
Offline
Traveler
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 14,711
Likes: 1
The number I was quoted was $200,000.00 - not 20,000.
I think they would be crazy to spend that kind of money today, given the GEBE problem is supposedly on its way to being resolved. But that’s merely my personal opinion and I know most will disagree.
We had a major power outage of about a week and a half a few years ago. The manual generator got very old very fast so after the situation from the storm outage was resolved we installed an automatic whole house generator. We’ve had it about five years now and used it once very briefly in all that time for less than an hour. We appreciated having it but the annual maintenance fees are hard to take.


Respectfully,

pat



"Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat
them."
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 83,984
Likes: 4
Traveler
Offline
Traveler
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 83,984
Likes: 4
Pat--as you have said, you can do without a/c for a while. I am very much on the opposite side of that equation. We were very uncomfortable in June this year with the outages.


Carol Hill

Link Copied to Clipboard
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.5