Page 68 - Forbes - Asia (April 2019)

FORBES LIFE

Nihi boathouse

Treehouse villas

Treehouse villas
interior

It was in search of an off-the-grid getaway destination
that Burch stumbled onto Nihiwatu. While more than 5 mil-
lion tourists visit Bali every year, official figures show only
about 15,000 visit Sumba. Many are heading to the Nihi
Sumba resort that Burch and South African hotelier James
McBride have been building on the foundations of the Nihi-
watu property.
Nihiwatu, the name of the beach in front of the resort, is
popular among surfers drawn by the perfect wave breaking Only few surfers are allowed to go at one time
just off its shore. When Burch first arrived in 2012, the re-
sort had six bungalows and two villas
Burch considers Nihi to be probably
overlooking a 2.5km stretch of beach,
on the edge of a property compris- the most irrational, emotionally-driven
ing nearly 500 acres of unspoilt wilder-
ness. The original founders also started investment he’s ever made.
the Sumba Foundation to provide edu-
cation, medicine, clean water and other vital services to the Burch invested a total of $35 million into Nihi Sumba.
local communities, a work that Burch has continued. To transform the original, rustic resort into a truly world-
“When we first came to this resort in 2012, it was a very class destination, Burch partnered with McBride. Burch got
small place, but it had such a spirit to it,” Burch says. “Claude to know McBride when McBride was the general manag-
and Petra Graves had done such an amazing job of build- er of New York’s Carlyle Hotel, where Burch lived for a spell.
ing this ‘lost world’ at the ends of the earth.” When Burch “James was a friend to me, he was so kind to me while I lived
learnt that the couple were open to an offer that would allow at the Carlyle,” Burch explains. “And I came to realize, this
the resort to improve and grow, he acquired a majority stake guy is a true genius. So when I was considering buying Nihi,
in 2012. With that transaction, plus the purchase of approx- I convinced James to come have a look—and we agreed that COURTESY OF NIHI SUMBA
imately 100 acres of additional land, and the rebuilding and together, we’d build it as we envisioned it, together. It was a
expansion of the resort to its current footprint of 33 villas, real collaboration.”

64 | FORBES ASIA APRIL 2019