Sometimes all it takes is a well-meaning thought to catapult into a spark a massive philanthropic movement. Other times, a good thought remains exactly that, just a thought. For the last 20 years, Hollywood A-lister Leonardo DiCaprio has achieved many philanthropic milestones, but his planned eco-resort on Blackadore Caye in Belize has yet to materialize. It all began in 2005 when DiCaprio, together with hotel entrepreneur Jeff Gram, purchased a $1.75 million, 104-acre island located west of Ambergris Caye and near the Belize Barrier Reef. It was intended to be developed as an eco-friendly resort with a 2018 opening.
The project, dubbed Blackadore Caye, a Restorative Island, was meant to feature all the usual luxury trimmings, including sprawling villas, infinity pools, and secluded beaches. DiCaprio shared with the NYT, in April 2015, “The main focus is to do something that will change the world.” However, the project was met with repeated delays. There is no resort in sight even 11 years after the initial unveiling, approximately eight years past the original opening target, and 21 years after the reported island purchase.
A local Belize-based travel website reported that Blackadore Caye was still undeveloped as of September 2024. Back at the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation’s July 2015 Saint-Tropez gala, real estate investor Tom Barrack reportedly won an estate home on the island with a bid of more than $11 million. In total, the 2015 plan proposed 68 vacation villas and 48 estate homes with private residences priced between $5 million and $15 million.
According to Travel Weekly, this one-of-a-kind resort was also slated to include restaurants, a spa, a Deepak Chopra renewal and anti-aging center, advanced water purification systems, and circadian lighting designed around guests’ sleep-wake cycles. Another hurdle came in the form of opposition from local fishing guides and conservationists over potential damage to marine habitats and fishing access. The developers were left with little choice but to drop the overwater accommodation and the planned airstrip. The revised 2016 proposal comprised 36 resort bungalows and 36 estate homes
As of November 2026, the resort remains unopened, with no confirmed new opening date. Plans for splurging BZ$800m, creating 400 jobs, and adding over 3% to Belize’s GDP were never actualised. Aerial photographs taken in June 2021 showed the island is home to a couple of dying palms, an algae covered shoreline, and a few wooden shacks. A decade after its grand announcement the project exists only as a permit on paper, a far cry from the world class eco-resort it was born to be.
