Paradise Island in the Bahamas has long been shorthand for old-school glamour, and its most storied address is expanding in a big way. The Ocean Club, the resort that opened in 1962 with Zsa Zsa Gabor at the party, later hosted Cindy Crawford's beach wedding and doubled as a Bond location in Casino Royale, is getting a residential sibling: The Ocean Club, Four Seasons Residences, Bahamas.
The new development is a collection of 67 fully furnished homes across four buildings, positioned right on the oceanfront with the historic resort just steps away. Owners get the privacy of their own place plus access to everything that has made The Ocean Club a magnet for jetsetters for six decades, all wrapped in Four Seasons service. Two Roads Development is partnering with Four Seasons on the project, with managing partner Reid Boren describing the residences as a continuation of the resort's legacy of understated Caribbean luxury.
The homes themselves lean hard into indoor-outdoor island living. Architecture firm 10 Design has drawn up open-plan layouts with floor-to-ceiling windows and generous terraces, while interiors by Champalimaud Design pair natural textures and blush-toned stonework with bespoke cabinetry. The crown jewel is a five-bedroom penthouse with a wraparound terrace, a private den, commissioned artworks, and a kitchen fitted with Carrara marble and custom oak. Cobalt blue and coral accents keep things unmistakably Bahamian.
Residents-only amenities are a big part of the pitch: a private Rum Room, an oceanfront pool, a co-working space, an owners' library, a family pool with playroom, two beachfront restaurants, a fitness center and a spa. Step outside the residences and the wider resort adds three more pools, an 18-hole golf course designed by Tom Weiskopf, Balinese-style spa villas, and DUNE, the restaurant from chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
The grounds carry genuine history too. The resort was created in the 1960s by Huntington Hartford with architect John Volk, and its 35 acres of Versailles-inspired gardens still hold the remains of a 12th-century French Augustinian monastery, shipped over stone by stone. It is an unusual backdrop for a residential community, and the developers are clearly banking on buyers wanting heritage as much as beachfront.
For travellers, this matters in two ways. If you are in the ultra-high-net-worth bracket, it is a rare chance to own a slice of one of the Caribbean's most famous resorts with a lock-and-leave setup, meaning management handles the upkeep while you are away. And if buying is not on the cards, the resort itself remains open, so you can still golf that Weiskopf course, eat at DUNE, and wander the monastery gardens on a regular holiday. Enquiries for the residences go through theoceanclubresidences.com.
Story via Elite Traveler.
