If you've ever fantasised about owning your own corner of the Bahamas, there's a new listing worth daydreaming over. A sprawling private island estate in the southern Exumas has hit the market with an asking price of $28.5 million — and the specs read like a castaway fantasy with a serious budget attached.
The property covers 236 acres, a substantial chunk of land by Exuma standards, where private islands tend to be far smaller. Its shoreline stretches across roughly 4,200 feet of beach, split among three separate sandy stretches. Rather than a single showstopper strip, that means multiple coves to choose from — handy if the idea is to develop the land into a family compound or a small boutique retreat, both of which the listing flags as potential uses.
The island isn't a blank canvas, either. There are two main residences already standing, plus guest bungalows for overflow visitors. A network of trails threads through palm meadows and up onto elevated terrain — a relative rarity in the famously flat Bahamas, and one that gives the property views and varied ground rather than just sand and scrub. For arriving by boat, there's a private harbour, which matters more than you might think: much of the Exumas is best reached by water, and protected anchorage is a genuine asset. Solar infrastructure is already in place, an increasingly common and practical feature for off-grid island living in the region.
For those who don't know the geography: the Exumas are a chain of around 365 cays southeast of Nassau, famous for impossibly clear water, sandbars, swimming pigs at Big Major Cay, and some of the most expensive private real estate in the Caribbean. The southern Exumas — where this island sits — are quieter and more remote than the hub around Great Exuma, which is part of their appeal for buyers after genuine seclusion.
Even at 28.5 million dollars, the listing is a useful signal for anyone watching Caribbean travel. Ultra-luxury demand in the Bahamas shows no sign of cooling, and properties like this — with existing homes, green energy set-up and developable acreage — are increasingly pitched not just as private escapes but as seeds for small, high-end resort operations. Think six-villa boutique retreat rather than 200-room hotel. For regular travellers, that's a hint of where the next generation of ultra-exclusive Exuma stays may come from.
In the meantime, the rest of us can enjoy the Exumas the traditional way: chartering a boat out of Georgetown, island-hopping the cays, and swimming in water so clear the boats appear to float on air. No $28.5 million required.
