One&Only Ocean Club Bahamas Resort
The weather in Pittsburgh can be unbearably cold and grey, and our winter stretches on to what seems like an eternity. If you can, avoid the Pittsburgh tundra at all costs by visiting the One&Only Ocean Club in the Bahamas. If there was an Olympics of relaxation, one trip here and you’d win the gold. This paradisal island attracts many to its world-renowned resort, including celebrities Sean Connery, Oprah Winfrey, Selma Hayek, and Lenny Kravitz. They have found their hideaway here; enjoying its white sand beaches, warm Bahamian waters, and even the stars in the never-ending night-blue sky. Its stunning atmosphere has even attracted several film directors to its shores to shoot movies like Casino Royale and The Wolf of Wall Street.
The utopia first took shape in 1939 when Swedish industrialist, Dr. Axel Wenner-Gren, discovered the island while sailing on his private yacht during a world cruise. He called his new idyllic land, “Hog Island.” He named his getaway resort “Shangri-La” and, naturally, modeled it after the Chateau de Versailles.
In 1961, Dr. Wenner-Gren sold the tropical getaway to the grandson of the founder of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company, and owner of possibly most posh name in history, Huntington Hartford. This wealthy playboy’s first item of business was to officially change its name from “Hog Island” to “Paradise Island,” which we can’t help but think was a good idea.
Hartford quickly commissioned that a 52-room hotel and multiple four-bedroom cottages be built, and subsequently dubbed them the Ocean Club. The small harbor was transformed into a lavish, 65-craft yacht basin. Hartford lavishness knew no bounds, for he also ordered the creation of an 18-hole golf course and a water-taxi terminal.
In December 2000, the Ocean Club was once again redecorated to finalize the resort’s title as one of the Bahamas’ and Caribbean’s most beautiful locations. To celebrate the island’s rich history and give the resort a name it truly deserves (unless you know another place with water-taxi services), in September 2003, Kerzner International renamed the property the One&Only Ocean Club.
Next time you’re in a winter slump, we here at Maniac want you to visualize the breathtaking Versailles-inspired gardens, which cover almost a quarter of a mile in area. Picture yourself being greeting by two Empress Josephine into the garden’s marble fortress, which feature bronze statues imported from Europe gleaming back at the sun.
Repeat after me: I am a Grecian goddess/empress and have no idea what cold air feels like on the skin.
To ensure that you stay in character, the resort’s guests are treated like royalty. Can you say personalized butler services? Daily fruit bowls? Afternoon champagne are offered?!
If your are exhausted by luxury, DO NOT PANIC, a pillow menu (you’ve read that correctly) and nightly turndown services are also offered.
For those who like to do things on vacation (interesting perspective!) daily activities for recreation and relaxation are offered. Guests can shoot 18 holes on the lavish seaside golf course, practice their tennis game recreationally, or learn a few tricks from either sport’s on-staff professionals. If tennis and golf are not your particular fortes, scuba lessons, fitness programs, wind-surfing, sailing, VIP children’s programs for the kids, and yoga classes are also available. Because why not.
The One&Only Ocean Club Bahamas is the stuff of daydreams. But life is too short to not make this one a reality. Discover more they have to offer here.
Photos Courtesy of One&Only Ocean Club Bahamas
