The Gibson Family
“The idea for SandCastles really began on a beach on St. John many years ago,” recalls company President and CEO Bobby Gibson. “We were vacationing and had fallen in love with this beautiful island. I was very young and as we walked the incredible beach, my mom and dad were discussing how we could spend more time there -- buy a vacation villa, or at least stay somewhere more home-like than our hotel.”
That conversation and the Gibson family’s love of tropical vacationing grew into the idea of the luxury villa rental company that would become Villas Caribe. The firm has become one of the world’s acclaimed experts in the field, with thousands of stunning villas in a portfolio reaching from the Caribbean, Mexico, South America and Hawaii, to Europe with the inception of sister company Luxury Villas International.
Nearly 20 years later, while the cost of buying a villa and its upkeep has become ever higher and less affordable, the Gibsons have never given up their dream of villa ownership. But they knew that for them, as for most, the expenses associated with the purchase and upkeep of a spectacular vacation home they’d only use about four weeks a year just didn’t make financial sense.
“That’s when it hit us,” says Gibson. “With shared ownership, it would be affordable and practical. And Villas Caribe gives us the ability to rent the villa during unused weeks as well as create a 5-star, hassle-free vacation experience for each co-owner, complete with concierge services.”
And so the concept of SandCastles was born.
The company’s principals, Bobby Gibson, his mother, Janis, and his father, Bob, bring over 50 years of combined experience in the luxury villa rental and real estate business to the endeavor. Their expertise and wide knowledge is invaluable as they help SandCastles clients find the ideal shared ownership villa in the most magnificent locations the world over, and realize their dreams of owning a vacation paradise.
SandCastles Management Team
Bob Gibson, Chairman
Bob Gibson has over 20 years background in the luxury travel and villa vacation industry. Prior to Villas Caribe, Bob was the publisher of one of the first luxury villa property magazines, Island Villas, to exclusively showcase luxury properties for purchase, investment, and rental throughout the Caribbean.
Bobby Gibson, President and CEO
Bobby Gibson oversees all executive and operational functions at SandCastles, Luxury Villas International and Villas Caribe. A graduate of University of Pennsylvania, his studies at the Wharton School and the Annenberg School included Mass Media Marketing and Statistics, with an emphasis on E-Commerce. Bobby has been selected to lend his expertise to several corporate advisory boards including the Vacation Home Expo and the Specialty Lodging Advisory Board for the Expedia Corporation.
Janis Gibson, Vice President
Janis Gibson co-founded Villas Caribe nearly 20 years ago as a natural extension of her tremendous personal interest in luxury travel, and holidays spent enjoying the villa experience. A villa pioneer traveling through villas in Europe, Mexico and the Caribbean in the early 1980's, today she is an industry leader.