Living the high life in the Bahamas
Getting to this ‘sun-drenched’ archipelago is now easier than ever
A tax haven with “icing-sugar beaches, glassy aquamarine waters and rainbow coral reefs”, the Bahamas is popular with “moneyed jet-setters seeking financial perks”. Johnny Depp, Beyoncé and Nicolas Cage are among the stars to have bought “castaway isles” here. The island is within reach of mere mortals too, said Alicia Miller in The Times. Getting to this “sun-drenched” archipelago just south of Florida is now easier than ever – Virgin has recently launched a twice-weekly direct route, and BA is upping its service to six flights a week. But on arrival, you will have to brace yourself for the prices – almost everything is imported, so it is one of the world’s most expensive places.
The most “glamorous” new resort in the “glitzy” capital, Nassau, is the Rosewood Baha Mar, which opened in 2018 as part of the new Baha Mar complex, “a $4bn redoubt that rises theatrically from its island surroundings”. The hotel has the largest casino in the Caribbean, a vast art gallery and “celeb-chef” restaurants. But even if all that appeals, don’t spend your whole time there – head instead for one of the “Out Islands”, which are “sleepier, more raw and, arguably, even more exclusive”. The “chichi” boutique hotels of Harbour Island (such as The Landing) are popular with “the stylish set”. Or you might head for Kamalame Cay, a “smear of sand” with palm trees and “a perfect row of villas” just off the coast of Andros, the largest and wildest island.
The eponymous family-owned resort attracts “crowd-shy” celebrities such as Serena Williams, who spent her honeymoon here. The main activity on offer is bone fishing, and there is also good snorkelling (on the world’s third-largest fringing reef). But the resort’s chief selling point is the cay’s natural beauty – the “creamy, sparkling sands”, the dazzling sunsets, the views of other green islands beyond – and its sheer peace and seclusion.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 evergreen cartoons about Trump annexing Greenland
Cartoons Artists take on changing priorities, taking a putt, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The New Jersey 'UFO' drone scare
In the Spotlight Reports of mysterious low-flying aircraft provoked outlandish theories, but old-fashioned hysteria appears to have been to blame
By The Week UK Published
-
Elon Musk's support for AfD makes waves in Germany
Talking Point The tech billionaire has faced a vocal backlash after backing far-right movement shunned by mainstream parties
By The Week UK Published
-
Better Man: Robbie Williams's 'dynamic' monkey biopic is 'occasionally over ripe'
Former Take That star is replaced with a CGI chimpanzee in musical-stuffed film
By The Week UK Published
-
Properties of the week: dreamy ski chalets
The Week Recommends Featuring homes in Norway, Austria and France
By The Week UK Published
-
Nicci French: crime-writing duo Sean French and Nicci Gerrard share their favourite books
The Week Recommends The pair choose books by C.S. Lewis, Charlotte Brontë and more
By The Week UK Published
-
Versailles: Science and Splendour – a 'blockbuster' exploration of 18th-century innovation
The Week Recommends The show highlights how three French monarchs were fascinated with scientific research
By The Week UK Published
-
The Tempest: classic 'lost at sea' in Jamie Lloyd's production
Talking Point Sigourney Weaver gives 'wooden delivery' as Prospero at Theatre Royal Drury Lane
By The Week UK Published
-
Gobsmacked!: Ben Yagoda charts the 'British invasion of American English'
The Week Recommends New book shows how British words such as 'kerfuffle' have filtered into American usage
By The Week UK Published
-
Holidays in the winter snow
The Week Recommends Sample winter sports in less-obvious locations
By The Week UK Published
-
The ultimate films of 2024 by genre
From the Magazine In a year dominated by sequels, here are the releases that impressed the critics, from Hollywoodgate and Twisters to Poor Things and Atomic People
By The Week UK Published