SimplyAbuDhabi XXXIII

1 9 3 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I i f a history of private islands is ever written, Laucala would feature prominently. Having seduced everyone blessed enough to set foot upon its idyllic shores, Laucala’s colourful history of ownership has ranged from cannibals, the late media mogul, Malcolm Forbes, and now the Austrian billionaire and creator of red bull, dietrich Mateschitz. A quest for celestial lands Forbes purchased the island of Laucala in 1972 after a long and arduous quest to find what he referred to as ‘the idyllic concept’: lapping water, leaping fish, virgin beaches, sunlight and solitude. After hearing about Laucala, located amongst the Fijian archipelago, he navigated his way to its celestial lands and discovered for himself Laucala’s stupendous beauty. rolling green hills, jungle-draped volcanic peaks, silver streams, exotic fish dancing amongst crystal clear waters and long empty beaches framed by lagoons and coconut palms swaying in the breeze. Pleased with his fortuitous find, Forbes, then the planet’s richest man, was envied by all as he routinely flew his private jet every winter to his very own slice of ‘idyllic concept’. Accompanied by a star-studded cast of guests in tow, many a tale of fabulous beach parties emerged amongst the grapevines of the elite. So smitten was Forbes with Laucala that he asked his family to bury his ashes upon its soil to mark his final resting place. Honouring his wishes, his spirit now lies amongst a grove of coconut trees. A cracked marble memorial embedded in the earth inscribes the epitaph: ‘While Alive He Lived’ Passion project Since then, the island’s ownership passed to another billionaire, dietrich Mateschitz, co-founder of red bull. Worth nearly US $19 billion, Mateschitz is both notoriously private and famously precise. not surprisingly, his personal paradise reflects both of these traits. After conducting a US$300 million investment and three years of construction, the resort opened for business in 2008—rejecting any recognised hospitality business model and adopting a total disregard for profit. in fact, making money was not Mateschitz’s mandate. rather, his dream was to create the ultimate South Pacific retreat. one that would later be defined as his ‘passion project’ and one that has since provided a platform for many of his grand experiments in agriculture, design and self-sufficiency. Put any successful person in charge of this type of ‘project’ and you may very well be faced with a series of failures. no personal reflection on the person in charge, rather, a remote island does tend to present itself with various challenges. After all, his predecessor, Forbes, indeed one of the world’s most reputed men of success, experimented with a plethora of various innovations on Laucala that failed to be fruitful. From corn, commercial fishing, kava, (the potent Fijian drink), even soap and beauty products—the result was a very expensive money pit and many a dead end. Put Mateschitz in the driver’s seat of this style of ‘project’ and a very different type of story starts to evolve. After all, he was the man who ignored the market research that said red bull tasted terrible, and instead forged ahead to build a gobsmackingly rich empire. Subsequently, the result of Mateschitz’s efforts is perhaps what some people may describe as a ‘private alternate universe’; equipped with any ‘thing’ and every ‘thing’ one could even have the creativity to imagine. A private alternate universe boasting a 25-key ultra-luxe resort, the most obvious of Laucala’s features include an 18-hole championship golf course (designed by the world- renowned Scotsman, david McLay Kidd), a state-of-the-art airstrip and a pair of planes trimmed in leather and burled mahogany to match. There is also a marina to berth the super yacht, and a spectacularly large glass-sided swimming pool. However, it’s important to note, this is where the predictabilities stop. After all, when Mateschitz is involved, everything is anything but predictable. Keen on sustainability and paddock-to- plate produce, there is a 240-acre farm with plots growing six varieties of mangos, 10 types of tomatoes, plus orchards of avocados, papaya, and passionfruit. Flocks of Fijian sheep, ducks, quail and heirloom chickens roam the paddocks and the island’s very own herd of Wagyu cattle are primed for guest’s gastronomic indulging. Home to groves upon groves of coconut palms, there are coconuts a plenty all