The Best Honeymoon Resorts
Sandals Royal Bahamian (Cable Beach, New Providence
Island; tel. 800/SANDALS or 242/327-6400)--This Jamaican
chain of couples-only, all-inclusive hotels is the honeymooners'
favorite. The Bahamas's branch of the chain is more upscale than
many of its Jamaican counterparts, and it offers 27 secluded
honeymoon suites with semiprivate plunge pools. Enthusiastic
staff members lend their experience and talent to on-site
wedding celebrations; Sandals will provide everything from a
preacher to flowers, as well as champagne and a cake. It's more
expensive than most Sandals resorts, but you can usually get
better rates through a travel agent or a package deal.
Nassau Marriott Resort & Crystal
Palace Casino (New Providence Island; tel. 800/222-7466
or 242/327-6200)--If you're bored with the idea of honeymooning
in an isolated village, with just you, your loved one, the moon,
and the stars, head to this flashy, high-tech megacomplex, where
bright lights and a mind-boggling assortment of diversions will
help you while away your time.
Compass Point (New Providence
Island; tel. 800/688-7678 or 242/327-4500)--This choice
is the charming and personalized statement of entrepreneur
Christopher Blackwell; it's purely for those who shun
megaresorts. The accommodations are found in floridly painted
huts or cottages, some of which have kitchenettes and some of
which are raised on stilts. Completely in harmony with its
lovely natural setting, it's still state-of-the-art.
Graycliff (Nassau, New Providence
Island; tel. 800/688-0076 or 242/322-2796)--This is the
only member of the prestigious Relais and Châteaux chain in The
Bahamas. The structure is at least 200 years old, and although
many of the accommodations are much newer, they all still have
old-fashioned charm. The setting, in a garden in the heart of
downtown Nassau, lets you experience the everyday Bahamian life
that you wouldn't see within the confines of a megaresort.
You'll have lots of well-to-do vacationing corporate execs among
your fellow guests.
The Ocean Club (Paradise Island;
tel. 800/321-3000 in the U.S., or 242/363-2501)--It's
elegant, low-key, and low-rise, and it feels exclusive. The
guests are likely to include many older couples who might be
celebrating second (or third) honeymoons. With waterfalls,
fountains, reflecting pools, and a stone gazebo, the Ocean
Club's formal terraced gardens were inspired by the club's
founder (an heir to the A&P fortune) and are the most impressive
in The Bahamas. At the center is a French cloister, with
carvings from the 12th century.
Xanadu Beach Resort & Marina
(Grand Bahama Island; tel. 242/352-6782)--Despite its
contemporary exterior, the public rooms of this resort contain
many expensive decorative touches that might have been chosen by
a reclusive billionaire. And sure enough, the builder of this
resort was Howard Hughes, who lived in its penthouse for many
years. The comfortable, contemporary bedrooms are suitable for
an extended honeymoon; from here, you'll have easy access to the
island's restaurants, beaches, and casinos.
Green Turtle Club (Green Turtle
Cay, the Abacos; tel. 242/365-4271)--Honeymooners
appreciate this resort's winning combination of yachting
atmosphere and well-manicured comfort. The setting is small (31
rooms) and civilized in an understated way. The charming,
clapboard-covered village of New Plymouth is nearby, accessible
by either motor launch or, even better, a 45-minute walk across
windswept scrublands, which seem far removed from everything.
Bluff House Club Beach Hotel
(Green Turtle Cay, the Abacos; tel. 242/365-4247)--This
place was named because of its location on an 80-foot-high
cliff, above a pink sand beach. Its 12 acres front the Sea of
Abaco on one side and the harbor of White Sound on the other.
The accommodations are very private, with a rustic, seafaring
decor that has its own kind of elegance. In addition to rooms,
the hotel offers beach and hillside villas, and colonial suites
with private balconies that overlook the water.
Pink Sands (Harbour Island,
Eleuthera; tel. 800/OUTPOST or 242/333-2030)--You can
have a spectacular getaway at this elite retreat on a 28-acre
beachfront estate owned by Chris Blackwell, the famous founder
of Island Records. Its location on a 3-mile stretch of private
pink sand, sheltered by a barrier reef, is just one of its
assets. You can ask for a bedroom that evokes an upscale
bordello in Shanghai to put you in a romantic mood, and you can
also enjoy the best meals on the island.
Stella Maris Resort Club (Long
Island, the Southern Bahamas; tel. 800/426-0466,
242/338-2051, or 954/359-8236 in Fort Lauderdale)--On the
Atlantic, built on the grounds of an old plantation, Stella
Maris has become a social hub on Long Island. Sailing is
important here, as are diving and getting away from it all. Many
of the guests hail from Germany, and they lend the place a
European flair. This sleepy island itself is one of the most
beautiful in The Bahamas, and honeymooners fit into the grand
scheme of things perfectly.
Point Grace (Provo, Turks and
Caicos; tel. 800/858-2258 or 649/946-5555)--One hundred
years ago, a discerning woman found a honeymoon cottage here
and, according to reports, had a blissful honeymoon as a prelude
to a long and successful marriage. Today's honeymooners can also
head here, booking a suite at one of the most elegant hotels in
the country, which stands on a spectacular beachfront. With your
bride or groom, you can wander about the complex in an
Indonesian sarong before retreating to the utter privacy and
seclusion of your honeymoon suite
