Fashion mogul Chris Burch built a five-star resort on a remote Indonesian island - and it's officially the best in the world
Burch, together with hotelier James McBride, bought a beach hostel on the Indonesian island of Sumba in 2012. The duo spent $30 million renovating the hostel, then reopened it as a five-star resort called Nihiwatu in 2015.
Nihiwatu was voted the best hotel in the world by Travel + Leisure in 2016.
In an interview with Business Jet Traveler in 2015, Burch said, "I bought it for my children and as a piece of something that I hope we can preserve and give back to the community. When you're in a place where the palette is so beautiful, you can do things that you can't do in other places: build a spa under a waterfall, go to places where no others have been, have a butler in every room."
"Nihiwatu has turned into more than I expected, which is rare because most times things turn into less."
According to the Wall Street Journal, Burch splits his time between Miami, the Hamptons, and his resort in Indonesia. Nihiwatu has 27 private villas, including Raja Mendaka, Chris Burch's private home. That particular section has a main house and four additional villas, each with its own private plunge pool.