The months from November through February are particularly hard for me. I’m someone who’s mood is greatly impacted by sunless, grey skies. I learned many years ago a trip to a bright, warm, and breezy destination during those months does wonders for my soul.
How kismet it was then, as if on cue, an invitation to check in to one of the Caribbean’s most exclusive properties for four days during the second week of November appeared in my life. Experiencing the greatness (and glamour) of The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort, Bahamas, is a core travel memory I’ll treasure forever, and one I hope to repeat in the not-so-distant future.
Here are five highlights from my stay in paradise, and why you should put The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort, Bahamas on your bucket list as a dream vacay. It’s the perfect spot for a romantic break, BFF trip (which I did), and the ideal destination for solo break because this is a place made for pampering, relaxing and resetting.
The Secluded Property
The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort, Bahamas is a luxury hideaway on Paradise Island, tucked away from busy tourist life in Nassau. First opened in 1962, the resort has the most spectacular private grounds, a dreamy mix of verdant tropical landscapes and architectural, European-inspired gardens (read on for more on this). Of course, there’s also the gorgeous ocean views—the resort is built on an eight-kilometer stretch of pristine white-sand beach. When you enter The Ocean Club gates and drive up the winding road to the hotel’s grand, Colonial manor style main house, you feel as though you’ve landed in a magical, secret paradise that’s very far away from the everyday. This is exactly the reason celebrities have loved to escape to The Ocean Club for more than sixty years. Famous visitors have included everyone from The Beatles to Sean Connery, Beyoncé, and Cindy Crawford.
The Quiet Luxury Rooms
This resort is intimate, with a total of just 107 accommodations (90 guest rooms, 12 suites and five two-bedroom villas and villa residences), housed in low-rise, open-air buildings inspired by traditional Bahamian style. Each has a balcony with sweeping ocean views (hot tip: don’t miss having in-room breakfast on your private veranda). Room décor is airy and Zen with a soft neutral palette serving as the perfect contrast to the brilliant blues and greens outside your sliding glass doors. A spacious, open concept bathroom complete with soaker tub and rainfall shower make rooms at The Ocean Club absolute perfection.
The World Class Dining
Celebrated Michelin star Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten is the culinary master behind The Ocean Club’s signature beachfront resto DUNE, which is the dreamiest spot to ease into your day with breakfast; take a beach break for lunch; or enjoy the alluring ambiance of the Bahamas at night over candlelit dinner. DUNE’s cuisine features a creative mix of local and global tastes inspired by chef’s globetrotting. Star dishes on the dinner menu include spiny lobster three cheese pizza, Bahamian conch salad and yellowfin tuna tartare. Ocean Blu is another breezy beachfront eatery on property with a focus on Western Caribbean meets Latin American tastes. Both restaurants have a buzzy evening bar scene, and there’s also another iconic spot-on property you must enjoy cocktails at: the Martini Bar And Lounge located in The Ocean Club’s main house. The intimate space is not only chic and serves the best martinis in the Bahamas, but also cinematically famous thanks to a visit from Daniel Craig’s James Bond in the 2006 film Casino Royale.
The Local-Influenced Spa Treatments
One of the things I love most about travelling is getting to experience local wellness therapies. At The Ocean Club, spa therapies are enjoyed in tropical-luxe outdoor suites. I experienced the healing Bahamas Rhythm Massage which was a 90-minute mind-body session in which my therapist incorporated a variety of modalities from breathing exercises to vibrational percussive instruments tapped on my body to free up tense fascia and open energy channels. The service finished with a heavenly deep tissue massage. The balancing effects of this treatment stayed with me for days.
The Versailles Terraced Gardens Walk
Paradise Island is not the typical spot you’d expect to experience one of the world’s most legendary, formally designed landscapes. The Versailles Terraced Garden is an incredible feature of The Ocean Club (it measures seven square meters wide and stretches for almost half a kilometer) comprised of manicured lawns and lush gardens, stone and bronze statues which imported from Italy expressly for the gardens. The landscape feature was incorporated into the property in the 1960s by the owner-of-the time, American businessman and philanthropist George Huntington Hartford II. Walk the gardens early in the morning to immerse yourself in all its artfulness and serenity. At the apex of the garden walk you’ll arrive at one of its star features, the iconic 12th Century marble cloisters from which you can enjoy superb views of Nassau Harbour. My favourite at The Ocean Club was the Versailles Pool, an adults-only oasis of calm set against this glorious garden backdrop. This is where you could find me every afternoon, under the shade of a swaying palm, enjoying the best tuna poke bowl of life, soaking up every precious moment of a most restorative, re-energizing, and indulgent getaway. —Alison McGill
All photos courtesy of The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort, Bahamas
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