Ah, the allure of escapism. Who hasn’t fantasized about ditching the daily grind and jetting off to a tropical paradise? Luke and Steph are actually doing it, though perhaps with a touch more… dilapidation than your average postcard getaway. In HGTV’s “Betting on Paradise,” this intrepid couple is uprooting their lives (and two young daughters) to transform a crumbling hotel in Jacó, Costa Rica, into a luxury boutique destination. What could go wrong? Probably everything.
The premiere introduces us to Hotel Amavi, the fixer-upper in question, which I suspect is Costa Rican for “money pit.” The couple’s initial optimism is likely to erode faster than the hotel’s foundation once they realize the true extent of the decay. With the rainy season looming and investors breathing down their necks, Luke and Steph must rely on their combined construction and hospitality experience to pull off this ambitious gamble.
Will they succeed in creating a slice of paradise? Or will their dream turn into a tropical nightmare? Tune in to witness the sweat, tears, and probably a few mosquito bites, as this family bets it all on a dilapidated hotel in a foreign land.
Betting on Paradise premieres Tuesday, January 7, 2024, at 9:00 PM on HGTV.
