by Gerard and Cindy Braud
He was as dark as midnight, with eyes like the yellow Caribbean moon. As two anxious Americans scampered to get into his taxi, he said – in his thick, Bahamian accent – “Relax, mon. Slow down. What’s your hurry? You are on vacation.”
Although ten years have gone by since we heard those words, they still remain one of our smartest travel tips. It was the words of that taxi driver that inspired us to make a long-overdue visit to Grand Bahama Island to “relax mon, slow down” and do absolutely nothing.
Our goal was simple: we wanted to do nothing. We wanted a resort with virtually no tourists. We didn’t want to see any attractions. We didn’t want to go shopping. Eating on the property was preferred to our usual treks to uncover hole-in-the-wall classics. We didn’t want wake-up calls. We didn’t want to be anywhere at any particular time.
Impulse would be our guide.
On the western tip of Grand Bahama Island we found an incredible resort called Old Bahama Bay. It is so small and new, chances are you have never heard of it – but Conde Nast Traveler did place it on its Hot List of new hotels. There are only 49 rooms, in six new classic-Bahamian-style buildings, right on the beach. Coconut palms, sea grapes and Australian pines provide just enough shade without disturbing the ocean view. The post-card-beautiful beaches are tan, groomed and spotless. The water along the shore is crystal clear, turning to aquamarine and, eventually, with depth, to sapphire blue.
We picked a lone palm on the beach and set our two chairs beneath it. The ocean was ten steps in front of us, the Conch Bar & Café was 25 steps to our right, the swimming pool was perhaps 45 steps over our right shoulder and our room was about 65 steps over our left shoulder. The only sounds we heard were lapping waves and the Soca music that Terrance the bartender played. This was paradise.
The Conch Bar is a great little thatch-roofed beach bar, with only eight stools. We claimed two of them and asked Terrance what his special drink was.
“I make a mean Goombay Smash,” he grinned.
“What’s in it?” we asked, as if it would matter.
“It has dark 151 rum, coconut rum, pineapple juice and a splash of apricot brandy,” he said, “but the lady might like a piña colada, with a Bailey’s floater.”
Trusting souls that we are, we took the tall, lanky bartender’s advice. Other than an occasional cleansing beer – a Bahamian Kalik – we maintained an appropriate diet of Terrance’s drum rinks – uh, rum drinks – for five days, as we gazed out over the perfect blue ocean.
When we needed a break from sitting, we walked the beach, watching the tide move in each morning, then out again each afternoon. We would see a conch and turn it over, just to watch it extend two eyes on tentacles and a long, claw-like muscle to flip itself right, then scurry across the ocean floor away from us. On afternoon walks at low tide, harmless stingrays would graze through the underwater grass beds looking for an early dinner.
Nearby, we met a Bahamian fisherman named Alvin. Every afternoon he pulled his boat into the shallow water to clean conchs he had caught; he would sell the meat to yachters in the marina. He was always happy to offer us the clear, spaghetti-like vein from inside the shell, an island delicacy said by locals to be an aphrodisiac.
The water was so inviting that each day we would grab our mask and fins to snorkel along the beach. The sea grass was filled with lots of colorful juvenile fish, while the nearby sand flats attracted their larger cousins. The developers at Old Bahama Bay designed seven snorkeling trails along the private five-mile stretch of beach, or just a short kayak ride away at a nearby cay.
Lunch at the beach bar was always great, complete with grilled burgers, conch fritters and conch salad. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are also served at the dockside restaurant overlooking the marina, with fine dining available in Aqua, an all-new Bahamian-style restaurant with a local chef.
The vision for the development includes a mix of hotel cottages, private homes, a full-service marina, a private golf course and an airport. There are already 72 full-service boat slips, with space for boats up to 160 feet. Just 52 miles from Fort Lauderdale, this is a perfect port of call for the South Florida yacht crowd. Hollywood types, who shall go unnamed, are said to be purchasing houses here. One pregnant New York-based actress and her husband spent the week with us. We didn’t bother them, and they didn’t bother us!
Oceanfront one-acre home sites range from $875,000 to $1.5 million. Smaller home sites with private marina docks start at $275,000. If an occasional visit is more your style, you can own one of the 500-square-foot junior suite hotel rooms for just under $400,000.
Those who buy at Old Bahama Bay are truly getting in on the ground floor of this project. Whether you buy or just visit, when it comes to solitude and relaxation, Old Bahama Bay goes down as one of our best Great Destinations.
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