Site Visit – Wyndham Halcyon Retreat Golf and Spa
Sunday 20th May to Wednesday 23rd May 2018.
Jamie Johnson, CEO of FJP Investment talks about his recent site visit to the Wyndham Halcyon Retreat Golf and Spa.
I recently returned from the Wyndham Halcyon Retreat Golf and Spa Resort and I am happy to share the site visit report with you, along with up to date photographs and videos.
At FJP Investment, we conduct regular site visits to all of the projects we introduce to our investors as part of our Due Diligence. We see this to be fundamental in order for us to truly understand what we are introducing to our investors and to ensure investors are kept up to date with their investments.
Some site visits are nicer than others, 3 days at a French Chateau in the Lake District of France was not to be missed!
I arrived late Sunday afternoon to be greeted with a smile along with a “Bonjour Monsieur” – I certainly had arrived; my recollection of French studies as part of my schooling only allowed me to simply say “Bonjour”!
It was straight to the room to freshen up and then down to the restaurant for dinner. With the Chateau very much into the wedding season, the restaurant of course was full of diners.
Halcyon – Drone Site Visit May 2018 from Halcyon Developments on Vimeo.
I decided on Duck for my main followed by freshly made Eclair with seasonal fruits.
After a superb dinner, I retired to my room in preparation for the next few days in which I fully intended to get to know everything I could regarding this resort.
A little background to the Chateau itself. Purchased some 7 years ago in a state of disrepair and a grand vision for what it has become today, the Chateau underwent 3 years of back and forth with the French planning department, where full planning permission was given to build 220 units made up of apartments and cottages, an 18-hole professional golf course, kids play areas, indoor water park, World-class spa and an award winning fine dining restaurant.
As of today, the Chateau has been fully renovated and is operating as part of the world’s largest hotel company and is the first in France under the brand – Wyndham Hotels and Resorts.
Wyndham Hotel Group operate a global portfolio of over 668,524 rooms across 71 countries. Wyndham are the world’s largest hotelier by number of beds and this certainly bodes well for what we are doing in terms of seeing the beds filled and with the hotel operating to the very high standard that Wyndham require.
Monday morning arrived, and I was greeted with sun glares through the French style windows. I sat for a moment gazing out to the first of the two fishing lakes, I could instantly see the reasons as to why this was the place to build this resort, the views are simply amazing, and everything is perfect for those wanting to holiday in pure tranquillity.
Halcyon Luxury Golf and Spa Resort from Halcyon Developments on Vimeo.
With breakfast and a nice cup of tea out of the way, it was hi-visibility vest / hard-hat on, and off for a 4 hour walk around the 220 acres of grounds. We visited the site where the current construction activity is taking place, there are a good number of finished units which was pleasing to see, we were able to see with our own eyes the quality of the end finish which is second to none.
My opinion is that Halcyon are building this resort to a very high standard, and are not in any way cutting costs on cheap materials. The standard of the finish is very high and the Resort will stand out as a truly luxury golf and spa retreat.
The Spa itself is situated within a beautiful 16th century turreted chateau close to glistening lakes, the spa is a completely unique facility, set to become one of Europe’s top spa destinations. You will see from the photos the Spa is not too far off from nearing completion.
The Golf Course was commencing construction, with mounds and bunkers being positioned according to the professional designs. This was really pleasing to see and I very much look forward to returning in a short while to see the further development and provide you all with a real time update on how the resort is progressing.
After a long walk through beautiful fields and seeing and meeting the construction workers, I was pleased with where we were at and convinced that all is heading in the right direction.
The last couple of days were a mix of enjoying the Chateau, taking walks through to the fishing lakes and visiting the surrounding area.
I want to take a moment to say thank you to those who have backed this project and we very much look forward to taking you on the journey with us, by providing you with regular updates, photos and videos at key stages of the development.
If you would like to keep up to date on the progress of this project, we release regular construction updates via the FJP Investment app. The app is available on iOS and Android.
