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A Baja Paradise
[Cameron and Stuart standing and listening]
Production: Take one. Was there a moment where it almost never happened?
[Was there a moment where it almost never happened?]
Stuart: Yeah, about three weeks ago.
[Los Cabos aerial view]
[LOS CABOS MEXICO]
I don’t know why I told you that.
[BAJA RENAISSANCE]
[Aerial view of restaurant patio]
Single-minded, focused laser is Cam.
[Cam looking at the camera with documents in his hand]
Cam: Stuart, big massive heart.
[The camera closing up on Stuart]
Stuart: Cam and I have known each other now for probably 15 years.
[Interview spots interchange between Cam and Stuart throughout the entire video]
[Cam and Stuart overlooking the construction of the resort]
Stuart: We met sometime when we were 40 in Vancouver. I worked in the stock market.
[Cam and Stuart walking through the construction site]
So this is the second leg of my career.
[Cam and Stuart walking through resort]
Cam: He had always talked about wanting to get involved in a business with me.
Stuart: We finished the Keefer Bar, and it was up and running. It was the right time for us to do something.
[A peacock grooming itself]
So we had a real estate agent brought us down here, we saw this mango orchard and that was it.
[Aerial views of the mango orchard before and after the resort was completed]
When we went into this, this was everything.
[Stuart entering the resort]
Cam: Yeah we both put all of our eggs in this basket.
[Stuart and Cam walking together and entering the resort kitchen; sit at a table planning]
Stuart: We had limited resources and we pooled them. We thought we had enough to build this thing initially.
[Stuart and Cam going over books with another man]
The money flew outta here like you would not believe, you know.
[Cam audibly gulps]
[GULP]
[Resort decorations]
Cam: And actually a lot of the design decisions were made because we were running out of money.
[Food is being served to restaurant patrons]
The tables you can see those are leftover floor tiles.
Stuart: We took a step back and thought let’s build a restaurant and bar.
[Chef cooking over old brick stovetop]
Get our feet back on the ground, we can generate an income.
[A server walking with plates of food]
Hopefully organically, we can grow from there.
[Sunlight shining through vine-covered stone beams]
We started construction three years ago to build what you see now.
[Drinks are being served to smiling patrons]
[Harvested ingredients are being placed in a basket]
Cam: Restaurant, tree-house hotel.
[The resort chef preparing extravagant dishes]
It’s farm-to-table but we put more of an urban edge to it.
Stuart: Who doesn’t like a tree house?
[Cam climbing up the stairs to the tree house]
Cam: There’s no solid walls, so you’re up there in this canopy of palm trees, and you can see out.
[Cam opens bamboo window pane and jumps backwards onto the bed]
Stuart: It is the most peaceful, vibrant, vivid colours.
[Aerial view of tree houses]
Cam: We kinda nailed this one. It’s… it’s pretty cool.
[Sunset over palm trees]
[String lights over trees on outdoor patio and pool]
To me retirement is just that weird concept.
Stuart: It’s kind of depressing.
[Stuart sitting by an outdoor fire pit surrounded by palm trees]
Cam: I don’t think that would happen for me; I think I always need to be involved in a project.
[Bartender making drinks]
Stuart: You know it’s funny as we get more and more people asking us if we would like to do this somewhere else.
[Food is being served to patrons sitting on outdoor patio]
I’ve got the energy.
Cam: The fountain of youth would be being occupied.
[Cam and Stuart sitting at a table, planning]
Stuart: I don’t know any other way to live now.
[Stuart pouring cream in his coffee]
I don’t recommend that for any of you.
[Stuart begins landscaping]
But you will achieve something regardless of the success of it, you’ll find out something about yourself. Yeah let me go back. I highly recommend it.
[Man taking photos of three female guests]
Cam: I wasn’t expecting to be as successful as it’s become.
[3 women toasting drinks]
[Cam and Stuart walking around, chatting]
Stuart: I’m excited to wake up in the morning. I get up at 5, and I don’t wanna leave. I don’t wanna leave.
[Aerial view of the resort]
[Presented by CIBC]