Bahama Build-O-Rama
The water is that impossible turquoise, with subtle variations reflecting changes in the contours of the sandy bottom, the cresting waves shimmering eye-watering white in the afternoon sun. The road that traces the shoreline of New Providence minutes from the hubbub of Nassau — with its “shoppes” and restaurants and cruise ship passengers getting their land legs — is divided by a boulevard of shade trees after a gentle turn as Crystal Palace Casino and Cable Beach Resorts come in to view. To the untrained eye, or even to that of an experienced world traveler, the resort hardly gives the impression that it’s a fixer-upper. The walls along the sweeping entranceway are draped with manicured blooms; the bell captains jump to attention at the first hint of an approaching rental car or limo; the hotel towers and the lobby itself bespeak luxury and indulgent relaxation. But work is well underway by Baha Mar Resorts Ltd., owner of Cable Beach Resorts — a complex that includes the Wyndham Nassau Beach, Radisson, Cable Beach and Nassau Beach resorts, as well as Crystal Palace Casino — to create the largest single-phase development in the history of the Caribbean. With partners Harrah’s and Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Phase One alone of this massive undertaking is projected to cost $1.6 billion. A Nicklaus Signature course is scheduled to open in 2010. This is the new Bahamas, where the renaissance as the tropical place to be and be seen had its tipping point in the late 1990s with the creation of Atlantis on Paradise Island, a tiny patch of land 15 minutes from Cable Beach, once you’ve crossed the 590-foot island-hopping bridge. To put the grand Bahamian perspective on it, the 826-acre parcel of sand and soil — once owned by legendary eccentric Huntington Hartford II of the A&P food stores empire — first attracted tourists in 1921. It was the breadbasket of Nassau and was fittingly called Hog Island as the settler’s livestock was grazed there. When Hartford purchased the island 1962, he decided a name change was in order. Hog-Paradise, Paradise-Hog? Decision made; it has been known as Paradise Island ever since. In 1995, global casino-hotel magnate Sol Kerzner (of Sun City, South Africa fame) created Atlantis. The amazing twin-towered structure (the second tower opened in 1999 at a cost of $650 million) has 2,097 rooms, 230 suites, 20 restaurants, 13 bars, 11 pools, a casino, nightclub and a comedy club, a beach to traverse the world for, and built right in to the resort, the world’s largest open air marine habitat — 11 million gallons of water for its 100,000 resident species. Not to be outdone, or at least to elevate Cable Beach to the new Atlantian standard, in 2005 Baha Mar Resorts purchased the Cable Beach properties — and the 3,000-foot beach that gives the site its name. After a complete $85 million renovation, the Radisson will become a Sheraton; the Wyndham makeover is coming in at $27 million; and the 35,000-square-foot casino has already undergone $6.75 million worth of work but will eventually become a 95,000-square-foot Caesars Palace casino. But that’s just for starters. Also coming are a new Caesars Palace hotel (1,000 rooms); a new W Hotel (300 rooms); a new St. Regis Hotel (200 rooms, 100 condos); and a new Westin Hotel (700 rooms) for a mind-boggling resort total of 3,550 rooms. There will be 27 restaurants, three spas, a 20-acre “beach and pool experience,” an eco-water park with a “show lake” for live performances, and a 50,000-square-foot village for shops, restaurants and entertainment. In the meantime, all the hotels are up and running and offering very attractive packages. Most visitors would be oblivious to the transformation but for the deal on the golf. The numbers are as staggering as the setting is idyllic. And when Phase One is all said and done, the Baha Mar will offer what’s billed as a “resort metropolis” vacation experience unlike any other in the world, with arguably Nassau’s best beach at the doorstep. Future phases call for a variety of residential options and a second 18-hole course. Oh, yes, and there is already a very nice golf course on the property. Downtown Nassau is only minutes away, but many guests will feel no need to see any more of the island than what they glimpse on the 15 minute ride to and from the airport. On their way in, they won’t help but notice the golf course across the road from the resort. Keeping with the renovation mode, Cable Beach had a makeover — fairways, greens, hazards, and clubhouse — in 2002. Perhaps it was due. The Jim McCormick design did, after all, open in 1929, the first course in the Bahamas. The design held up well over the years as New Providence and Nassau kept re-inventing themselves along with the tastes and diversions of the rich and famous, business and family travelers. Tempering its old school charm are 13 lakes, 50 bunkers and added length. Cable Beach plays to more than 7,000 yards, the mounding around the greens and the bunkering not wasted on the intemperate. It certainly helps that there is a driving range and practice green to prepare for the challenge. When Jack and his crews arrive, they’ll add their imprimatur to the new Bahamas, incorporating the land of the existing course plus some additional acreage purchased for the Nicklaus course. Just minutes away, down the road and over the bridge, is the Troon Golf-managed Ocean Club at Paradise Island. Charlie Chaplin once made a home here, and now Michael Jordan is among many celebrities with homes along the spectacular oceanside course. MJ’s Celebrity Invitational Tournament has raised a lot of money and the participants have had some fun here. The fifth annual event was held in January. The original course, designed by Dick Wilson, opened in 1962. It was in sad disrepair when Kerzner bought the Ocean Club in 1994 on his way to creating Atlantis. He launched a $107.5 million renovation of the hotels, club and course. In 2000, Tom Weiskopf completed his redesign and the Ocean Club is once again one of the best courses in the tropics. Trees and bushes were removed to reveal great ocean views and Weiskopf takes full advantage. The proximity to the shore comes with a price; the winds are a constant companion, but the lookouts to the surf and the glorious setting are worth it. You’ll need an invite from a member to play at the Lyford Cay Club, a venerable classic about to undergo — what else? — a multimillion-dollar renovation. But not far from the exclusive gated community, a new course is taking shape with a couple of very high-profile members. On a remarkable seaside property on the south western side of New Providence, less than a 10-minute drive from the airport, none other than Tiger Woods and Ernie Els have entered into a partnership with the Tavistock Group (well known for the annual Tavistock Cup televised on The Golf Channel) to develop the site of the historic Albany House. Els will design the 18-hole ‘championship’ course that will have its own clubhouse and state-of-the-art practice facility. It’s expected to open in 2008. Albany will also feature Ernie Els wines, a sideline Els has developed in the Stellenbosch wine country of his native South Africa. (No word if the offerings of Greg Norman or David Frost will be on the list.) The Nicklaus and Els courses will be welcome additions to New Providence and will complement the Ocean Club on Paradise Island. This little part of the Atlantic archipelago has an average daily temperature of 75 degrees while the sea surface temperature averages 80 degrees. Still, with the renovations, re-creations and new construction, they keep managing to make it better in the Bahamas. Life in Nassau, at least on Sunday mornings after the party, is all about the out islands. Residents takes to their boats and planes to escape one of the Big Islands like New Providence and Grand Bahama (home to Freeport) to one of the hundreds of "Out Islands." If you are packing your clubs, you can’t head out to the Out Islands without stopping at Great Exuma (less than an hour south from New Providence by air, two hours from Miami). That’s where the Shark came ashore in 2003 to create the Emerald Bay Course at the Four Seasons. Norman has built some challenging layouts around the world, but this one is “good on ya’ mate.” The front nine is almost benign with its lakes and trees, but the back nine brings you back to the reality of island golf — the wind and ocean. The Shark heads out to a peninsula after No. 10 and doesn’t let up until No. 17 — nothing but dramatic ocean views, seaside dunes and tough pars in between. The Emerald Bay course is seeded with the salt-water tolerant seashore paspalum grass. On Grand Bahama Island, Robert Trent Jones Jr. opened the Reef Course at Grand Lucaya in 2000. Described as a “contemporary” links-style course, it plays to 6,920 yards and a par of 72. The expansive Jones greens (they run in the family) help create the linksland feel even as players look out at an Atlantic on 13 holes — much more inviting than what crashes on the Scottish shores. The first course on Grand Bahama, Lucayan, opened in 1962. Designed by Dick Wilson, it is a walk unspoiled with lush tropical vegetation bordering the doglegs and surrounding elevated greens. The course also has a Jim McLean Golf School. Back in the 1950s, the first tourism development on the out island of Abaco was Treasure Cay, a play on the old Blackbeard and other pirates of the Caribbean stories. It opened in 1968, shortly after designer Dick Wilson died. Still fun, it plays to almost 7,000 yards and a par of 72. Fitting the temper of the times, another massive resort-residence development is underway on the island of Eleuthera. It’s all taking shape not far from Trent Jones’ only Bahamas design, Cotton Bay, in the old playground of Pan Am founder Juan Trippe. Like all of Jones’ designs, it is well thought out and a delight when it’s in shape. More often than not, sadly this one isn’t. Earning accolades from golf purists and endorsements from both the famous and anonymous rich is The Abaco Club. On 520 acres at Winding Bay on the Great Abaco Island — 170 miles east of Palm Beach, Fla. — entrepreneur extraordinaire Peter de Savary has achieved his goal of creating “a reality that exceeds expectations.” To put it simply, if you have to ask how much, you can’t afford it. But for a general idea: lots and turnkey cottages run from $1 million to $4 million. To purchase, you must be invited to become a member; to become a member, you must complete a membership proposal. But there are provisions for non-resident memberships as well. That said, aside from the marina, opulent residences, heliport and landing strip, the golf course is worth running the gauntlet to get past the gate. Designed by celebrated Scottish architect Donald Steel, the Abaco Club course is described as the first tropical links course. No. 6 reveals the two miles of powder sand beach, and the finishing holes are spectacular, the final green sitting some 60 feet above the surf. The Winding Bay reality is indeed just slightly unreal, a perfect fit for the new Bahamas. FG The Bahamas
The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism | 242.302.2000 | www.bahamas.com HELLO, COLUMBUSIt was a brand New World to Chris Columbus and friends when they arrived in the Bahamas on October 12, 1492. More than half a millennium later, the cluster of Atlantic islands 185 miles east of the South Florida coast are taking on a new look for visitors from around the new and old worlds as spectacular resorts and golf courses blossom like bougainvillea in the tropical sun. Cable Beach, New Providence Ocean Club, Paradise Island Emerald Bay Course, Exuma Reef Course, Grand Bahama The Lucayan Course, Grand Bahama Treasure Cay, Abaco Abaco Club, Grand Abaco Cotton Bay Club, Eleuthera reader comments
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Drama ClubAug-Sep 2006
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