Paulson's Georgia Investment Rises as Blind Trust Becomes Joke | Bloomberg | 14 Jan 2009

Paulson and his wife, Wendy, paid $32.65 million to accrue a majority stake in Little St. Simons Island since 2003, county records show. Property values in the area have risen about 10 percent in five years, said Ann McCann of Sea Palms Realty Inc.

The island has five cabins that rent for $600 to $1,200 a night. Occupancy remains about 70 percent, even with the recession, said Joel Meyer, general manager. [compared to 'mass market' accommo] U.S. hotel occupancy fell 5.6 percent in the fourth quarter to 49.6 percent, according to Smith Travel Research in Hendersonville, Tennessee. ...

"It's heaven on earth," said Byron Brown, 57, an Atlanta advertising executive who with a group of friends has rented the entire island for visits of several days during the past 15 years. "It's the most peaceful, serene place I've ever been to. How do you put a price tag on that?"

A full-island rental costs $8,000 a night. Only 30 guests can be accommodated, so the cabins often sell out months in advance, Meyer said. The business about breaks even, with rental revenue covering the cost of year-round staffing, he said. No new development is allowed on the 10,500-acre (4,200-hectare) island, which is designated an "important bird area" by the National Audubon Society.

NB. 100% occupancy, 48 weeks x $8K "island rental," or $384K p.a., is the estimated total operating cost of this hospitality venture.

Little St. Simons has a conservation easement that reduces taxes in exchange for not developing the land, which locks the assessed value at $3.75 million for 10 years, said Bobby Gerhardt, Glynn County appraiser. ...

he Paulsons own three-fourths of Little St. Simons through Whimbrel LLC, a holding company named for a migrating shorebird. Paulson's disclosure forms for 2007 valued his half-interest in Whimbrel at $5 million to $25 million, and his wife owns the other half.

Pencil Maker

The rest of the island [25%] belongs to descendents of Philip Berolzheimer, an Eagle Pencil Co. executive who bought the land almost a century ago.