Apr 1, 2007
By Thom
Friday
If the Eskimos have 100 words for snow, then surely, I muse as Shawna and I step out the front door of the Royal Beachfront Villa at the Four Seasons Resort at Emerald Bay, the Bahamians must have 100 words for the color blue. We've come to Great Exuma, the largest island in the Exuma chain, an archipelago of 365 islands running more than 120 miles south of Nassau, to check out the only large, five-star resort in all the Out Islands of the Bahamas (any one of the 698 islands beyond New Providence and Grand Bahama).
The water is the color blue that makes you feel incredibly poetic and tongue-tied at the same time. "It's too dark to be the color of a Kansas summer sky and too light to be the color of glacial melt water." I shook my head.
"Emerald." Shawna laughed. "It's emerald as in Emerald Bay."
Right she is.
Saturday
Small wonder that the Four Seasons chose this bay on Great Exuma for their crown jewel in their Caribbean portfolio. It's a shiny jewel, too. Barely three years old, the resort is a sprawling complex of hotel rooms, villas, pools and recreational facilities that spans 470 acres. There are 140 guest rooms and 43 suites in the main buildings, and another 18 multi-bedroom residences for even more privacy. We've been blessed; we're staying at the singular Royal Beachfront Villa, a two-story stand-alone residence with a whopping 5,767 square feet of living area.
The villa is done up beautifully. The walls are muted sea tones, and the stone floors and dark-stained furnishings give the villa an almost British colonial feel, enhanced by the plantation shutters on the windows. The main floor has two huge bedrooms linked by a living room and dining room. It's a shame we didn't bring another couple along. The master bedroom takes up the entire second floor and features a small den, perfect for reading, and the balcony that overlooks the spacious patio and private pool below.
Everything is done with typical Four Seasons style, 43-inch plasma TV and surround-sound stereo, walk-in closets, deep soaking tubs, dual sink vanities, and fine-woven linens. And of course, there's the private pool, and the beach and the beautiful blue-green water beyond.
Sunday
We never made it past our back door today to the six tennis courts; 18-hole, 7,001-yard, par-72 championship golf course designed by Greg Norman; or the 14,510-square-foot spa. We simply enjoyed the luxury of the Royal Beachfront Villa, the beach and the 84-degree, calm waters a sea-star toss from the patio.
Breakfast and lunch were served right here, alfresco on our 1,338-square-foot private patio. We've already sampled conch salad at the Sea Breeze Grill beside the resort's main pool, and seared ahi tuna at the Il Cielo restaurant. Tonight, we're dining in. Fine china, broiled lobster with rare steak, candles flickering in the gentle trade winds, and the Tropic of Cancer stars wheeling overhead.
Monday
There's something magical about the Out, and Great Exuma is no exception. With a population smaller than a New England liberal arts college, Great Exuma still has the laid-back feel of the friendly, forgotten Bahamas.
Shawna and I set out this morning in a Honda rental car for George Town, the administrative capital, just a 20-minute drive south. Capital seems a lofty word for this rambling village of colonial cottages, bars and government buildings ringing Lake Victoria. In the shade of an ancient fig tree, we shopped for straw baskets and sipped refreshing lemonades at the Club Peace & Plenty, a coral-colored inn favored by yachties.
Later, we caught a water taxi over to Stocking Island, across from Elizabeth Harbour, and did some snorkeling on Sand Dollar Beach before heading to the Chat 'N' Chill, a tiki bar that serves conch salad, conch fritters, conch burgers and conch ice cream. Okay, I'm kidding about the ice cream, but you get the idea.
Back at our villa this evening, we rinsed off in the pool and let ourselves enjoy a restful drip-dry on the back patio. It's been a busy day, and the seclusion of the villa is already seeping into our skin, so when Shawna lifted her head from the lounge chair, tipped her sunglasses and asked which restaurant I wanted to try tonight, I had only to wink. "The Royal Beachfront Villa," I said. "They've reserved our table again."
"Excellent," she replied, and put her head back down on the chaise lounge.
The water is the color blue that makes you feel incredibly poetic and tongue-tied at the same time. "It's too dark to be the color of a Kansas summer sky and too light to be the color of glacial melt water." I shook my head.
"Emerald." Shawna laughed. "It's emerald as in Emerald Bay."
Right she is.
Saturday
Small wonder that the Four Seasons chose this bay on Great Exuma for their crown jewel in their Caribbean portfolio. It's a shiny jewel, too. Barely three years old, the resort is a sprawling complex of hotel rooms, villas, pools and recreational facilities that spans 470 acres. There are 140 guest rooms and 43 suites in the main buildings, and another 18 multi-bedroom residences for even more privacy. We've been blessed; we're staying at the singular Royal Beachfront Villa, a two-story stand-alone residence with a whopping 5,767 square feet of living area.
The villa is done up beautifully. The walls are muted sea tones, and the stone floors and dark-stained furnishings give the villa an almost British colonial feel, enhanced by the plantation shutters on the windows. The main floor has two huge bedrooms linked by a living room and dining room. It's a shame we didn't bring another couple along. The master bedroom takes up the entire second floor and features a small den, perfect for reading, and the balcony that overlooks the spacious patio and private pool below.
Everything is done with typical Four Seasons style, 43-inch plasma TV and surround-sound stereo, walk-in closets, deep soaking tubs, dual sink vanities, and fine-woven linens. And of course, there's the private pool, and the beach and the beautiful blue-green water beyond.
Sunday
We never made it past our back door today to the six tennis courts; 18-hole, 7,001-yard, par-72 championship golf course designed by Greg Norman; or the 14,510-square-foot spa. We simply enjoyed the luxury of the Royal Beachfront Villa, the beach and the 84-degree, calm waters a sea-star toss from the patio.
Breakfast and lunch were served right here, alfresco on our 1,338-square-foot private patio. We've already sampled conch salad at the Sea Breeze Grill beside the resort's main pool, and seared ahi tuna at the Il Cielo restaurant. Tonight, we're dining in. Fine china, broiled lobster with rare steak, candles flickering in the gentle trade winds, and the Tropic of Cancer stars wheeling overhead.
Monday
There's something magical about the Out, and Great Exuma is no exception. With a population smaller than a New England liberal arts college, Great Exuma still has the laid-back feel of the friendly, forgotten Bahamas.
Shawna and I set out this morning in a Honda rental car for George Town, the administrative capital, just a 20-minute drive south. Capital seems a lofty word for this rambling village of colonial cottages, bars and government buildings ringing Lake Victoria. In the shade of an ancient fig tree, we shopped for straw baskets and sipped refreshing lemonades at the Club Peace & Plenty, a coral-colored inn favored by yachties.
Later, we caught a water taxi over to Stocking Island, across from Elizabeth Harbour, and did some snorkeling on Sand Dollar Beach before heading to the Chat 'N' Chill, a tiki bar that serves conch salad, conch fritters, conch burgers and conch ice cream. Okay, I'm kidding about the ice cream, but you get the idea.
Back at our villa this evening, we rinsed off in the pool and let ourselves enjoy a restful drip-dry on the back patio. It's been a busy day, and the seclusion of the villa is already seeping into our skin, so when Shawna lifted her head from the lounge chair, tipped her sunglasses and asked which restaurant I wanted to try tonight, I had only to wink. "The Royal Beachfront Villa," I said. "They've reserved our table again."
"Excellent," she replied, and put her head back down on the chaise lounge.