Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
WOMAN: Yes. Beautiful.
NARRATOR: Hilary Grant has always had an eye for detail.
You get so much brilliance out of it.
So when a gemologist job in St. Maarten came up,
she knew it would be a golden opportunity
to leave California for the Caribbean.
It's quite a bit different from the West Coast, isn't it?
Yes, it is.
Basking in the island's pristine beauty
with her husband, Shawn, may seem ideal...
Wow. Look at that -- right when you walk in.
...but even the best gem can have its flaws.
Is that a plane?
Yes.
Will Hilary's pursuit of the perfect place...
We don't really have that great ocean view.
...put Shawn into a corner?
SHAWN: I could maybe work out of the bedroom,
but that would be definitely a compromise.
When paradise goes under the microscope
in the Dutch country of St. Maarten.
Are you kidding me?
[ Doorbell rings ]
-- Captions by VITAC --
Closed Captions provided by Scripps Networks, LLC.
All right! Just get you guys to sign up right here.
Perfect.
Shawn and I met about 6 years ago.
A mutual friend set us up on a blind date.
That's what I'm talking about. There you go!
Things went really well, obviously.
We recently got married.
You guys ever ride one of these before?
No. First time.
No? First time.
SHAWN: When Hilary mentioned St. Maarten,
I had to look it up on a map.
But I'm a software developer.
I could work remotely from home.
And after seeing some of the pictures,
it seemed crazy to pass it up.
MOSHE: Hilary.
Nice to meet you.
We had a fantastic life in Los Angeles.
But when this job opportunity became available,
it just seemed like it was the perfect timing for us.
This is beautiful.
I think, as a gemologist, you really would appreciate it.
I know Hilary enjoys having the finer things in life.
But I like things a little simpler.
[ Laughing ]
No doing laps around me.
I think that Hilary's got a good eye
for what we're looking for,
but I might be a little more inflexible on price.
[ Laughs ]
So we'll see what happens. It's gonna be very interesting.
We'll see how that goes.
HILARY: I think there's definitely gonna be some challenges,
since we've never been to the island before.
But with challenges come some great adventures,
and, hopefully, everything turns out well for us.
St. Maarten is a vibrant, multi-cultural place.
It's been through so many colonial empires,
been fought over for so many years,
and now it's half-French, half-Dutch.
And so, with two capitals, you have a diverse mix
of cultures from all over the world.
The beaches and the water are the main attraction,
so rental prices here may be considered high.
Welcome to the friendly island.
BOTH: Thank you!
But you get what you pay for.
So, what can I do for you guys today?
SHAWN: Well, we're looking for
a three-bedroom, two-bath apartment.
HILARY: And, I think, something that's modern,
in terms of decor and appliances --
You know, washer, dryer, dishwasher.
Well, we do have those things on the island.
We can get them.
I think I'd like to be close to,
like, restaurants and nightlife.
And something with a beautiful view.
You know, we moved to such a gorgeous island.
We want to be able to enjoy it.
Sure. Of course. That's why we all live here.
And in terms of commute,
I'm gonna be working in downtown Philipsburg,
so something that's not too far away from that.
I don't want a really long commute.
All right.
Realistically, it's gonna be very tough.
Simpson Bay has a drawbridge in the middle of it,
which makes commuting a little difficult
if you catch it at the wrong time.
If the bridge is up, you can be late for work.
So, tell me about your budget.
Well, we're looking around the $2,900 range.
$2,900.
You know, I have to say right out
that for a three-bedroom, it's gonna be very tough.
Well, I work from home,
so we could probably make do with two bedrooms,
as long as it had
sufficient amount of room for me to be able to work.
Okay.
HILARY: Shawn's not so flexible about the budget.
Me -- I'm a little bit more flexible.
If we found something
that was just absolutely perfect and fantastic,
I think we could squeeze a little bit.
[ Laughs ]
NARRATOR: Kyle knows some of the best views on the island
are on the other side of the drawbridge,
so he heads a bit far from Philipsburg
to see where Hilary's priorities lie.
Okay. Right now, we're in the upscale neighborhood
of Beacon Hill, as you can see.
This is really beautiful.
Yeah, very serene.
And what I'm gonna show you
is a Mediterranean-style condo --
two-bed, two-bath, very tastefully furnished.
SHAWN: What is the price on it?
$2,500.
HILARY: Great.
How close are we to downtown Philipsburg?
It seems like we drove quite a ways.
Yeah. We're right next to the airport,
so it's quite a way. Yes.
Well, I'm not sure if that's gonna work for me.
SHAWN: Okay.
KYLE: Please, come in.
SHAWN: Wow. Look at that.
Right when you walk in, you can see the ocean.
HILARY: Wow. That's gorgeous!
Before you get distracted with the beautiful view,
let's take a look at the kitchen.
As you can see, all the modern conveniences.
HILARY: These are beautiful countertops.
It's a little small, but overall, it looks very nice.
Okay.
As you can see,
it's open plan right through to the sitting area.
I love the decor,
but is that considered the office space?
At the moment, yes.
That might be a difficulty.
Yeah. It's a valid concern,
but let's see the rest of the apartment
before we make our judgments.
Okay?
Is that a plane?
[ Laughs ]
So we're that close to the airport, then.
That close to the airport, yes.
Ah. Okay.
It's definitely a great view, and we're right on the beach.
But I don't think there'd be a lot of working going on
when 747s are driving right by your window.
That's true.
KYLE: Here we have the guest bedroom.
HILARY: This is beautiful.
How about using this space in the corner here for your office?
I need a fair amount of space, though,
and if we have friends and family visiting,
it could be difficult.
Okay. All right.
Overall, I think it has a really nice, modern, beachy vibe.
Looks like you can actually see the ocean from bed.
Wow.
But I think it has some things that we really need to consider.
That's amazing.
A nice, large deck.
It's kind of blinding, isn't it?
HILARY: [ Laughing ] Yeah.
So, tell me your impressions, overall.
I really like that it's under budget.
But unless we give up the second bedroom,
I'm gonna be working from the living room
with airplanes flying in front of me all day.
I really love the kind of open feel that it has,
especially with these views.
But I'm really concerned about my commute to work.
It just seems like it's a lot of extra driving to have to do.
Well, you might be talking about a difference of 15 minutes.
I mean, it's not that far, really.
Views like this are priceless.
Yeah, I was gonna say, the views really are --
Let's see if you can top it with the next one.
[ Laughs ]
Ready to go and see another?
Well, here we are
at one of the more desirable locations on the island.
NARRATOR: To bring Hilary closer to her vision of paradise,
Shawn may have to pay the price.
It's a two-bedroom, and it's $3,000 a month.
That's a little bit above our budget.
It definitely seemed like
it was a little bit closer to work for me, though,
so I think that's a bonus.
Yes.
Wow. Look at all these little market shops.
Is that not cool?
It's neat.
NARRATOR: Founded in 1763 by Dutch navy captain John Philips,
Philipsburg is the capital of St. Maarten's Netherlands side.
This must be the infamous Front Street.
Tiny, little streets.
It's bustling ports bring a steady stream of visitors
to the Caribbean yearly.
But even at its peak,
the hustle and bustle here is a far cry from California.
HILARY: Well, I know, for myself,
it's gonna be really tough to leave the L.A. area.
I thought we were getting away from traffic,
not driving into it!
I think here, we're gonna have to adjust to island time.
There's definitely a laid-back atmosphere --
people walking in the little streets,
tourists everywhere.
I'm definitely not an island-time person,
so I think that's gonna be a difficult adjustment,
for me to be a little bit more laid-back.
While Hilary is rushing to her gemology job...
How close are we to downtown Philipsburg?
It seems like we drove quite a ways.
Yeah. We're right next to the airport,
so it's quite a way.
Well, I'm not sure if that's gonna work for me.
NARRATOR: ...Shawn will be working from home,
if he can find the space.
Looks very nice for the price.
But if that is the office,
then that might be kind of difficult.
Yes.
And Hilary's discerning eye spies a few more facets.
Is that a plane?
Yes.
So we're that close to the airport, then.
That close to the airport, yes.
NARRATOR: Trying to make up for House 1's location
and office issues, Kyle lines up a place
on the right side of the bridge for Hilary
but on the wrong side of the budget for Shawn.
KYLE: Okay. So, here we are --
Simpson Bay Yacht Club,
one of the more desirable locations on the island.
Wow.
And I can also see the marina there,
Yes.
This is a two-bedroom, single-level unit,
and it's $3,000 a month.
Okay. Well, so that's a little bit over our budget.
It's a little over your budget, yes.
It definitely seemed like
it was a little bit closer to work for me, though,
so I think that's a bonus.
Yes.
KYLE: The apartment here in Simpson Bay, I think,
covers a lot more of the things that they're looking for.
It's on the right side of the bridge,
so I feel quite confident
that we're gonna get a good result on this.
Here we go.
Come in.
A modern kitchen.
Please, take a look.
I like the modern look. It's got a good feel to it.
Nice, open floor plan.
Yeah. The only thing I wish that you did have
was that great ocean view.
KYLE: Yeah. Unfortunately,
I cannot manufacture a view for you, but --
Mm-hmm.
I just didn't get the same feeling as I walked in,
and I feel like here,
when we're spending a little bit more,
I should really get that "wow" factor when I walk in.
We have the master bedroom.
It's nice. It's open. It's large.
Feels a little cold.
It needs -- I don't know -- something --
maybe some rugs or a little something.
But it's bigger than the last one we saw.
Yeah, that's very true.
SHAWN: It feels very functional.
It had a lot of the things we were looking for.
It didn't quite have the "wow" factor with the beach view.
But, to me, it seems like
it's more important that we cover all the other bases.
KYLE: And here we have the guest room.
Nice.
One thing I haven't seen so far here is
a place where I could actually set up somewhere to work.
Well, I've got a little surprise for you.
Have a look over here.
Let's see what we got.
That looks like a little secret passageway.
Oh. Got a hidden office.
Exactly.
It's not large,
but it would give me a chance to set up a workstation...
Right.
...and maybe do a little tinkering.
Tinkering?
[ Chuckles ]
Tinkering with hobbies and things like that.
Okay. Good for you.
[ Laughter ]
Here we go -- onto the terrace.
Nice, open space.
Right there, you've got tennis courts.
You've got two pools.
You can just step out of your back gate
HILARY: Wow. Nice.
Well, the one thing that
I really am missing at this place, though,
Right.
...where you could just feel like
you could reach out and touch it.
Right.
But it's a nice, little community
that has a marina right there.
I like that I've got a little place of my own
to be able to work from.
Yeah. Plus, I love the proximity to work.
I think, for me, that's huge.
It's beautiful. It's just not the ocean.
Okay. Okay. Gotcha.
This is really beautiful.
NARRATOR: If Kyle is going to
finally match Hilary's idea of perfection,
ponying up more money
may be just the beginning of the sacrifice.
It seemed like it took us about 30 minutes to get here,
so I'm really worried if that drawbridge goes up,
it's gonna add to my commute.
KYLE: Yeah. But I think you're gonna be blown away by it.
All right. Let's check it out.
Let's go.
HILARY: Wow.
All the people here at the beach are excited about this.
It's gonna be good!
NARRATOR: Leaving California
for her new life as a gemologist in St. Maarten,
Hilary knew it would take some getting used to.
What do you think?
Is it gonna come, like, straight overhead?
I think we're in a pretty good position.
But being no stranger to testing new waters,
Shawn is ready to take whatever comes his way.
I really enjoyed being able to change my life,
moving from Canada to southern California.
And I really felt like it would be a great opportunity
to try and transform myself again.
HILARY: Oh, my gosh. Look. Can you see it?
It's massive.
[ Laughing ] That's so low! That is ridiculous!
I don't know anything about the island yet.
Are you scared? Are you gonna run?
I might. [ Laughs ]
But with new opportunities come new adventures,
and I'm excited to try everything that it has to offer.
SHAWN: Are you kidding me?
[ Laughing ]
NARRATOR: Since touching down in St. Maarten,
Shawn has been open to any property
that has office space within their $2,900 budget.
KYLE: This is a two-bedroom unit, and it's $3,000 a month.
That's a little bit above our budget.
But Hilary's eye is toward the finer things,
and catching it is much harder to do.
HILARY: One thing that I really am
missing at this place is that great ocean view.
But I like that I've got a little place of my own
to be able to work from.
But it's still a little over budget.
NARRATOR: Real-estate agent Kyle Holland is struggling
to match their criteria in this expensive market.
So he throws their wish list out completely,
hoping to woo them with the "wow" factor.
KYLE: Okay. Here we are, guys, at Blue Mall Residences.
HILARY: Wow. This is really beautiful.
What I'm gonna show you is a super-luxurious, two-bed,
single-level apartment with fantastic views.
It seemed like it took us about 30 minutes to get here,
so I'm really worried if that drawbridge goes up,
it's gonna add to my commute.
Yeah. But, you know, this is a destination in itself.
It's quite a beautiful area to be in.
SHAWN: What's the cost per month?
Oh.
That is really expensive.
Well, it is over budget,
but I think you're gonna be blown away by it.
All right. Let's check it out.
Let's go.
Here we go.
You guys asked for a view.
HILARY: Wow.
That's the type of view I think we were looking for.
It's gorgeous.
That's amazing.
KYLE: So, you wanted modern.
Take a look around.
This is very modern. Very tastefully furnished.
It looks very brand-new, basically.
Yeah. It just seems kind of small.
Definitely not a lot of counter space
for me to be cooking dinner and everything, but --
It is a compact space.
But it's high-end.
SHAWN: This apartment really grabs your eye
right when you walk in the door.
You've got a great view, and it's very modern living.
It's the sort of thing
where you dream of living in a place like this.
If this is the guest room,
I'm gonna be excited to see the master.
Very nice.
KYLE: And every room has this view.
Amazing.
Nice.
Yeah. This is beautiful.
I see that there's a desk in the corner,
something that I could actually use for workspace.
It's not ideal, but it could be workable.
Yeah, I'd have to learn to sleep with a sleep mask on.
Possibly.
HILARY: Overall, I think Kyle really delivered on this apartment.
But I think the couple pitfalls were that
it was a little smaller than we were hoping for,
and there wasn't a clear, defined workspace for Shawn,
and definitely really far from work for me.
Okay, guys.
It doesn't get any better than this.
Wow. Look at that view.
That's amazing, isn't it?
We've moved to paradise.
SHAWN: I think this apartment is spectacular,
if we could just bring the price down.
Right. You're quite specific on the $2,900, right?
Okay.
You were also quite specific on
it having three bedrooms,
but we've managed to get around that.
I could maybe manage to work out of the bedroom,
but that would be definitely a compromise
I would have to make in terms of work.
Right, 'cause the positives
far outweigh the negatives there, right?
Well...yeah.
That makes this decision much harder.
Yeah.
I know!
Well, we didn't kill each other.
Yeah.
NARRATOR: Too much, too bland, or too loud?
Hilary and Shawn need to decide
which option will be too good to pass up.
There were things I liked about each one,
and each one had their little difficulties.
Well, I don't know. What do you think we should do?
Well, we made it!
I know! What'd you think?
Well, we didn't kill each other.
Yeah.
NARRATOR: Hilary's gemology job brought her and Shawn to St. Maarten
with the hope of finding a flawless property.
They've learned quickly how rare that actually is.
There were things I liked about each one,
and each one had their little difficulties.
Their budget is $2,900 a month.
House 1 comes in $400 under.
Oh, my gosh.
Look at that. Right when you walk in, you can see the ocean.
Shawn would have to set up his office in the living room,
but contending with drawbridge traffic
is only a blip on Hilary's radar.
Is that a plane?
KYLE: Yes.
[ Laughs ]
NARRATOR: House 2 is the closest to Hilary's work,
with a separate office space for Shawn.
It's not large,
but it would give me a chance to set up a workstation.
KYLE: Great.
NARRATOR: It's over budget at $3,000 a month,
and Hilary is sour on the scenery.
One thing that I really am missing
Right.
NARRATOR: Busting the budget at $3,250 a month,
House 3 is the farthest from Hilary's work.
It seemed like that was about a 30-minute drive.
NARRATOR: The breathtaking views, however, have Shawn thinking twice.
I could maybe manage to work out of the bedroom.
Right, 'cause the positives
far outweigh the negative there, right?
Well, from a practical standpoint,
Blue Mall was way over budget.
I really thought it was great.
I really liked the view.
But it was just too expensive,
and it was quite a ways away from your work.
Yeah. I think the views were spectacular.
It was nice and modern.
But I do think we can check that one off the list.
Perfect.
What did you think about the Simpson Bay Yacht Club?
The Yacht Club was a really cool, little community.
We had swimming pools right there, and the marina,
and the tennis courts, and had extra space for me to work from.
Yeah, I thought it was a great place.
But the minute I walked through the door, though,
I didn't get that "wow" factor.
And that's something I was really kind of looking for.
And it's still over budget.
That's true.
So, what do you think about Bay View?
The minute I walked in there,
those views were just spectacular.
It just really took my breath away.
I loved that it was modern, and the look and feel,
but I didn't really like
Yeah.
The problem for me was that there wasn't
a lot of space there for me to carve out for work.
But it was under our budget, and that's a big deal.
Yeah. This is tough.
Well, personally, even though Bay View was less money,
it was right beside the airport,
so there was a lot of airport noise.
I know it does seem like we're not gonna get away
from airplane noise on the island,
[ Laughs ]
So I think I know what I want. Do you know which one you want?
I know what one I want.
Yacht Club.
Simpson Bay. [ Laughs ] Good.
Awesome.
Hilary and Shawn are choosing practical over pretty
with House 2.
But the rewards of a short commute
and separate office space
far outweigh being slightly over budget.
HILARY: What do you think you're looking for?
WOMAN: White gold, nice and shiny.
Yes, yes.
All right!
I'm really loving life here in our new home.
Work has been going extremely well for me.
MAN: That's beautiful.
I feel like I've finally settled in and have my groove there.
HILARY: It's a perfectly matched set,
and that's why you get so much brilliance out of it.
It's been a wonderful start to my career.
Did we find the winner?
Hmm. I think we might have!
[ Both laugh ]
HILARY: Want to come help me?
SHAWN: I can do that.
One of the biggest reasons I like this place
was because it was the shortest commute for me to work.
KYLE: This is location, location, location.
No question about it.
Thank you! [ Laughs ]
HILARY: But it was also the perfect space for us.
SHAWN: We've got a very modern space.
Lots of room in the bedrooms, and I got my workspace.
Having this space allowed me to get away from home
while still working from home.
And, for me, that's what sealed the deal, I think.
Hi! Hello! How are you?
We've heard about your famous guavaberry in your rum.
We'd love to!
SHAWN: It's been a lot of fun exploring the island.
There's definitely things to learn.
Is there a traditional way to drink it?
Straight.
Bottoms up!
The lifestyle here is definitely different than California.
I can't believe we actually live here.
It was a little tricky when we first got here,
being someplace where we knew nobody
and really had to rely and depend on each other.
And I think that's brought something new
to the relationship.
SHAWN: I think we've found a great place,
and now we can really start to enjoy life here.
It's been a really great journey for us.