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R ealizing his passion, Thesen soon became completely engrossed in the development process. He explained, "The idea was that I would be an investor, take my income, and tell my friends, 'Oh yeah I have a hotel in the Caribbean.' But it didn't quite turn out like that. When we built this place I was carrying sinks. I was plumber's mate; I was whatever I needed to be. Like a mountain goat going up and down the bloody hill." The resort would be Thesen's first taste of entrepreneurship, and the road to opening wasn't without its challenges. Perhaps the largest hurdle was creating Hermitage Bay's open air design, which was constructed without an architect. "These posts were a spray can marking in the sand," he said placing his hand on a support beam as we sat overlooking the beachfront patio. "People say it looks Asian inspired. I've never even been to Asia, but my theory is if you're building in this climate, this is the obvious way to do it." As it turns out, Thesen was right. With humidity being so low in Antigua, the concept lends itself well to each of the resort's three open air suite types: beachfront, garden, and hillside (which can all be partially opened to allow air to flow through). While I personally prefered the hillside suite, which includes a private plunge pool and a view of the entire bay, each of the suites have their own unique charm. Like a cabin with a tropical spin, but each is built to maximize privacy. Years later, Thesen would become the resort's sole proprietor, and many of the local staff who helped make Hermitage Bay what it is today are still there. "When I look back, there were a series of inconsequential decisions, a whole series of one's and zero's that had to stack up perfectly in VUE ON TRAVEL V U E N J . C O M 99

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