Private Island for the Rich and Famous | C151 Press

Rejuvenating the Rich
finance24.co.za
July 8, 2004

Rejuvenating the rich
08/07/2004 08:33 - (SA)
Petro Lowies

Johannesburg - The rich become richer and now it would appear that they are also becoming younger.

Developers in Bali are planning luxury rejuvenation resorts, but don?t pack your bags yet - they are being built for the exclusive use of the celebrities and the generally super-wealthy.

Dr Robert Goldman, chairperson of the American Academy against Ageing (A-M), has signed a contract worth $30m (R188.4m) with Bali property developer Hanno Soth, chairperson of Pt. Hanno Bali. The two of them intend to develop the resorts under the name Club 151 (C151).

New developments in medical technology, notably rejuvenation cures, can make a difference to how people look and feel. However, it is only the increasing indulgence of the really affluent in such technology that has created an industry turning over billions of dollars per year.

Simultaneously, it is stoking the research fires for the development of even more advanced technology.

It is surmised that as a result of intensified research, these products may soon not only be available at the whim of the ultra-rich. The Club 151 (C151) products are being marketed worldwide under the brand name One Life+.

A-M is a non-profit-making organisation with 11 500 doctors and scientists spread over the world who research and develop drugs that can prolong life.

According to Goldman, they will only be able to offer the treatment to a limited clientele. That makes islands ideal.

The 11 islands owned by Pt. Hanno Bali are strung along the Singapore coast in Indonesian waters. They are between one and 60 ha and can only be reached by helicopter or private yacht. It is illegal to venture within a 2km radius of their shores.

"We knew we hit gold when we started investing in these islands," Hanno Soth says.

"An exclusive island is not only everyone?s fantasy holiday, but in today?s world it is also the only way to really get away from it all. So the richest of the rich these days want to invest in such an exclusive place."

Combining it with rejuvenation makes it even more irresistible to the rich.

Francois Veruli, property economist, says faraway places are increasingly popular as getaways. "Even South African entrepreneurs are targeting the rich and famous for a safari of plastic surgery, a new concept with images of a new lifestyle."

Edited by Fadia Salie