Bal Harbour

P H OTO BY © S L I M A A R O N S/G E T T Y I M AG E S (O C E A N C L U B); R O BY N DA M I A N O S ( D I L LY C L U B) WHERE TO STAY The Ocean Club was opened in the early 1960s by the wealthy American businessman and socialite Huntington Hartford, who filled it with world class names (Gary Player was the golf pro) and art. That gilt by association continues under the Four Seasons operation. The company recently masterminded a renova- tion of the 35-acre complex; book one of its villas for the plushest experience. The Baha Mar complex outside Nassau is the latest luxe hospitality addition: Among the trio of brands in the complex, you'll find Grand Hyatt, SLS, and Rosewood. Be sure to duck out at least once to the high-octane waterpark that's also part of the complex. The kids' club is impressive, too, with a focus on education and outdoors activities. If you're traveling without children, says Ragan Stone, opt for the Goldwynn Resort on Cable Beach, a new boutique option with 81 rooms, about two minutes' walk from the beachfront and with multiple oceanfront bars and restaurants. Make sure to check out IF YOU GO NASSAU PARADISE ISLAND BLACK BOOK accolades; its owners just added another site, the Dilly Club, at Atlantis Paradise Island. The Paradise Island Wine & Food Festival is a great excuse for a visit in March (13–17). In the Fall, there's also the Baha Mar Bahamas Art and Food Festival held in October. WHAT TO DO Golf is a prime pastime here—try the Jack Nicklaus–designed 18-holer at Baha Mar—as is riding; Mariposa Stables, run by Erika Adderley-Coello, is ideal for more seasoned horse-lovers. Diving and boating are options as well: The best dive site near Nassau is undeniably Periwinkle Reef, where the teeming, colorful fish are visible even in shallow water. And, before you leave, honor the island's rum-making culture by taking a tour of John Watling's distillery. LOGISTICS If you're flying commercial to Nassau's main airport, remember that it offers both TSA PreCheck and preclearance for Customs, streamlining journeys and allowing you to bypass any formalities when returning to the US. For the easiest experience, book VIP meet-and-greet for your arrival and departure with Royal Airport Concierge or Nassau Flight Services. the five-story installation by local artist Kishan Monroe at the property's heart. WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK Don't leave without trying a little cracked conch, the national snack. The best place for classic cooking is The Traveler's Rest in Nassau. London-based restaurateur Giorgio Locatelli branched out to the Bahamas in 2021, bringing his buzzy scene and riff on classic Italian food to Mogano. Baha Mar's roster of restaurants is surprisingly impressive: The standout is Marcus Baha Mar Fish + Chop House, Chef Marcus Samuelsson's beachfront fish restaurant.¤Bon Vivants is a craft cocktail bar and café that's earned international From Assouline's new tome, "The Ocean Club:" Jet-setting photographer Slim Aarons snapped this photo of guests lounging by the pool at The Ocean Club's Versailles Gardens in 1968. Available at Assouline, Bal Harbour which is connected to its nor thern coast by a pair of bridges (thank American socialite Hunting ton Har tford for that name—he rechris- tened it from Hog Island when he snapped up the spit of land on a visit in the late 1950s). Just west of Nassau, you'll find the most famous sand strip of all, the two-and-a-half-mile long Cable Beach. "So much of what The Bahamas is today is the fact they've never lost their beauty: golden sa nds, t urquoise sea s," says inter ior desi g ner a nd socia lite Ta ra Bernerd, a regular visitor thanks to her husband's love for the islands. The palette of this archipelago has provided ample inspiration for creatives like Bernerd and Elyett. The latter's elaborate, often beaded gowns nod to Junkanoo, the t wice-yearly national celebration that fuses African traditions into a fiesta of costumed parades and parties heav i ly redolent of a sun-soa ked Ma rdi Gra s. " The tex t ures, t he pat terns, the volumes, the detailing, I incorporate all of these—we're an island nation inspired by our African roots." Most of Elyett's textiles are island-made, such a s a recent collaborat ion w ith loca l brand Bahama Handprints. Some visitors draw exhilaration rather than inspiration from the outdoors here. Sabina St John is one of them. She and her husband come regularly to The Bahamas to the ultra-luxe resort community of Albany, a short drive from Nassau, where starchitect Bjarke Ingels has worked on new, high-profile homes. St John raves about the sailing and riding on and around the island. "The boating is stunning because the seas are so flat," she says. St John's favorite time to visit isn't in the win- ter, though, but rather the summer: the crowds are thinner, she says, and the waters of the oceans are ba lmy, usua lly in the upper 80s. Breezes ba•e the humidit y, too. For her, the appeal of The Bahamas any time of year is obvious. "There's complete privacy here. You can be with your family and not be bothered or mobbed by others," she says, "It 's ver y luxurious, yes, but in a funny way it 's a lso quite unspoiled. It 's just a wonderful lifestyle." The Dilly Club at Atlantis Paradise Island BAL HARBOUR 139

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