Though the bustle of downtown Nassau is just a short drive from the One & Only Ocean Club on Paradise Island, it’s a tall order to leave the resort grounds. One of the first Bahamian developments, the historic property dates back to 1939, when Swedish tycoon Alex Wenner-Gren staked his private residence on what was then called Hog Island. He eventually sold his idyllic paradise to Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company heir George Huntington Hartford II, who developed the property into a resort and lassoed the 1960s jet set. As such, there’s reason the James Bond film Casino Royale was filmed here. Hugged by an impeccably manicured resort lawn sprinkled with come-hither hammocks, seductive island living is underscored by plantation-inspired sophistication.
The aptly named and often touted Hartford Wing recently debuted an extensive makeover. Each of its 52 rooms gained 110 feet, and a new colour palette (cerulean blues, aquamarine and Bahamian-sand white) celebrates lively Bahamian authenticity. Helmed by London-based design consultants HKS Architects and New York firm Jeffrey Beers International, the renovation includes new appointments, fabrics, and modern art, while bathrooms - now with new modern baths and separate rain showers - are anchored in blue de savoie marble . The Hartford Courtyard has also been transformed, with work by artist Jane Waterous prominently on display. A new beachfront infinity pool makes its splash, too, with the adjacent Ocean Pool Grill.
Take an outdoor sunrise yoga class that overlooks the sea, or walk the property’s terraced Versaille-inspired garden. After sun-kissed afternoons on the horseshoe-shaped beach or après spa, dine at the newly expanded Dune restaurant and Dune Deck, with haute Bahamian cuisine crafted by Michelin-starred Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
INFORMATION
ADDRESS
One Casino Drive
Paradise Island
-
A building kind of like a ‘mille-feuille’: inside Herzog & de Meuron’s home for Lombard OdierWe toured ‘One Roof’ by Herzog & de Meuron, exploring the Swiss studio’s bright, sustainable and seemingly floating workspace design; welcome to private bank Lombard Odier’s new headquarters
-
Flexform’s ‘Loungescape’ modular sofa is furniture as topographic wonderShape a new domestic landscape with Antonio Citterio’s latest seating system for the Italian furniture company
-
A local’s guide to Helsinki by Finnish-Karelian sculptor Anna PesonenAnna Pesonen shares her essential addresses in the Nordic region’s ‘alternative little sister’
-
Villa One at the One & Only Palmilla — Los Cabos, Mexico -
Martim — Wroclaw, Poland -
Tattersalls Hotel — Armidale, Australia -
KLoé Hotel — Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -
Casa Hoyos — San Miguel de Allende, Mexico -
Littlenap — Hangzhou, China -
Casa Santa Teresa — Corsica, France -
Swedish studio Claesson Koivisto Rune designs K5, a new hotel in TokyoStep inside Claesson Koivisto Rune’s design as a 1920s bank turns hotel
