One&Only Ocean Club

Bahamas
The Caribbean

The Experience

Living up to its name, Ocean Club boasts the one and only 12th-century Augustinian cloisters in all of the Bahamas, and the only garden modeled after Versailles. All of which makes a wonderful sideshow--especially at night when the ancient pillars and statues are discreetly illuminated. But the main attractions are sand, sun and sea in a marvelous location along one of the Bahamas most striking shores. Once the posh private estate of Swedish tycoon yachtsman Axel Wenner-Gren, the resort straddles Paradise Island, the Atlantic on one flank and Nassau Harbor on the other, the rooms, restaurants and sports facilities scattered through wondrous tropical gardens. The club stared alongside Daniel Craig in Casino Royale, the lobby transformed in the movie casino and James Bond himself sipping a martini at the resort’s beachfront bar.

The Rooms

Although exteriors are old-school plantation, Ocean Club rooms are comfortably modern inside, a blend of earthy colors, retro plantation furnishings and all the requisite 21st century toys--satellite TV and radio, DVD players and high-speed internet service (complimentary laptops available upon request). They are also endowed with 24-hour butler service and some sort of patio or balcony with either garden or sea view. At the top of the food chain are the three- and four-bedroom Villa Residences, arrayed along the beach and outfitted (in the words of One&Only) with the “spoils of privilege”--their own expansive sundeck and infinity pool, indoor/outdoor rain showers, personalized wet bar, and the option of having one of the resort chefs prepare your meals in the villa kitchen. Those with 007 fantasies should book Villa 1085, where Daniel Craig frolicked on-screen with leading lady Eva Green.

The Service

Although One&Only worldwide has a reputation for exemplary service, the Bahaman branch has consistently earned low marks in this regard. But with around 70 hotels in Nassau and environs it’s not surprising that quality staffers are hard to come by, even at the Ocean Club.

The Highlights

Even with such awesome rooms, Ocean Club is still all about the great outdoors. The French cloisters and gardens are certainly worth a romp, as is the resort’s white-sand strands. The 18-hole Ocean Club Golf Course is one of the best in the Bahamas, the fairways arrayed along aquamarine bays and many of the greens perched on coral bluffs shaded by swaying palms. You can also work up a sweat on six tennis courts (four of them lit for night action). There’s a small spa with European and Asian treatments, many of them based around local ingredients like lime or coconut. Two ingredients that also feature in some of the dishes served at the French-Asian fusion Dune Restaurant with its slick modern décor and breezy ocean views.

 

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