SOAK N’ STROKE: Members can relax at the beach or pool after playing the “tropical links” course.
Maybe you’re the kind of person who thinks that life is simply better in the Bahamas, so much so that you spend at least one of your vacations there every year. Or maybe you wish you were that kind of person, but some inconvenience, or the “same old same old” business of staying in hotels, has been holding you back. Or maybe you just like the beach, golf, a bluewater spirit with luxury amenities. Either way, Peter de Savary has you in his crosshairs.
Back in December, de Savary debuted “one of the world’s great getaways,” as he puts it, a $250 million private retreat where you and your guests can play golf, enjoy myriad watersports, or soak up the sun on pristine private beaches while your investment appreciates. The Abaco Club on Winding Bay is the latest luxury property developed by the well-known British entrepreneur and former America’s Cup yachtsman. Located on Great Abaco Island, just an hour’s flight from West Palm, Fort Lauderdale or Miami, The Abaco Club expands on the hallmarks of de Savary’s other discriminating destinations: a staff attentive to your needs, casual elegance and the camaraderie of like-minded members.
Thirty-nine of the 60 estate sites, costing $1.5 million and situated on either one or two acres with 200 feet of waterfront each, are already spoken for by those who desire to design their own exclusive retreat. The Club also encompasses a village of 75 luxurious Bahamian-style oceanfront cottages on 500 acres with another 2.25 miles of beautiful beach. Seventeen of those, costing $1.75 million, are already reserved.
Fine dining, with awesome views of Winding Bay’s turquoise waters, is available upstairs in The Clubhouse, offering a bird’s-eye perspective from 65 feet above sea level. Casual diners can enjoy meals at the beach bar and grill on the lower level. Here, too, members can arrange daily expeditions in search of the Abaco’s elusive bonefish, deep-sea fishing on the club’s 43-foot Viking, scuba excursions on a dedicated 42-foot dive boat, or snorkeling over a coral reef just minutes away. If watersports aren’t in the day’s itinerary, you can also play tennis, ride horseback or be pampered by Elemis Spa treatments. For some, the crown jewel in this setting of azure waters will be the emerald fairways and greens of the golf course, billed as the first Scottish-style “tropical links” course in the world, the latest creation of Donald Steel and Tom Mackenzie, who have also designed courses for de Savary’s other exclusive properties in Scotland and the U.S.
Those who choose to arrive by sea will find arrangements convenient: Yachts up to 50 feet can anchor out in Winding Bay, while larger vessels may choose to drop anchor in Little Harbour, where passengers can be fetched by the club’s tender, or else tie up at The Abaco Beach Resort in Marsh Harbour. The international jetport, one of two on Great Abaco, has daily nonstop flights to Nassau (as well as to the mainland airports mentioned above). Members or guests arriving by private jet will disembark at the club’s private terminal. The Abaco Club is only a 25-minute ride from Marsh Harbour.
Club membership costs $65,000. (This is also available for those who do not own real estate, for whom the club maintains an accommodation rental program.) The Abaco Club at Winding Bay also extends the courtesy of a visit for nonmembers who are considering membership and wish to see this spectacular property firsthand.
The Abaco Club at Winding Bay, (242) 367-0077; www.theabacoclub.com.
