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• Kamalame Cay, Bahamas
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Kamalame Cay, Bahamas

A private island wonderland where world-class civilization meets pristine isolation

Perhaps because the northern tip of the Bahamas’ 700-island archipelago is just 50 miles from Florida, the close-but-far chain has lured the Rat Pack, James Bond (six movies have been filmed here), and, sadly, many package tours. But the more manhandled parts of the island chain, where giant resort casinos have swallowed up the land, are only part of the story. Venture to the Out Islands and you’ll find the remote charm and deserted beaches that define paradise; make the trek to Kamalame Cay, a private island resort off the northeast coast of Andros Island—itself a natural hub for snorkeling, bonefishing, and diving—and you’ll find all that plus the service and accoutrements of a world-class destination.

The goal, say owners Jennifer and Brian Hew, is to give people the impression that they are visiting friends on a private island and staying in their guest cottage. And that’s exactly how it feels, except you can’t pay for your stay by returning the favor, and Kamalame is not cheap. At $1,250 a night for a suite, it’s the most expensive pick of our selections, but that price includes everything, and that your-own-personal-island feel makes it a smart splurge.

A sliver of sugary white sand awash in coconut palms, seagrape trees, and bougainvillea, Kamalame Cay (Ka-mal-uh-mee Key) began as an accidental labor of love for the Hews. In the early 1990s, when they first saw the land during a fishing trip, they set their hearts on building a home there. After years of haggling, the government finally agreed, but only if they promised to build a hotel on the 96-acre property. So they winged it, and in 1998 the enterprising couple opened with a few villas—there are now 24—all of which Jennifer designed and Brian built. At first, anglers from all over the world came for the abundant bonefishing flats, literally steps away from the shore. When the Hews noticed the fishermen coming back with their wives, they realized their hotel was morphing into a romantic getaway. And so the resort has evolved, ever so organically.

In an effort to make arrangements as simple as possible, the resort sends a driver to collect you at the Andros airport—that is, unless you have asked them to charter a seaplane. The 20-minute drive takes you to a waiting boat. On the very brief ferry ride, you may notice that the houses on Kamalame Cay are secluded and sit back from the shoreline; the only noticeable man-made construction is the stunning South Seas–style overwater spa with an elevated wooden walkway. (While getting a massage, don’t be surprised if watching the impossibly luminescent blue-green ocean roll back and forth under the slightly separated floorboards sends you into a state of hypnosis.) Once you arrive, you’re escorted via golf cart down a palm-shaded driveway to your villa, where another golf cart, yours for the duration, awaits. Each villa and cottage has a different personality; all are charmingly rustic, brimming with homemade character and devoid of television and the Internet. (If you must check email, there’s a computer at the great house.)

Androsian stone walls support cathedral ceilings, some thatched, others with interlaced timbers. The airy design welcomes in nature: Double French doors open to wide verandas and a grassy lawn that unfolds to the water. Anyone can idle away large amounts of time simply sitting on a comfy couch watching the muslin drapes rise and fall with the wind. Furnishings made of wicker or antique mahogany and overflowing bookshelves create a cozy, lived-in atmosphere, and in a stroke of genius, Jennifer designed the cottages as octagons, so even the bathrooms have showstopping water views.  

Kitchenettes are stocked with wine, beer, bottled water, and coffee. Breakfast fixings such as fruit, homemade breads, and coffee silently arrive at the door in a picnic basket, and every afternoon there is a delivery of freshly baked cookies. Guests may be as social or sequestered as they want, partaking in the nightly ritual of cocktails before dinner at the elegant, plantation-style great house or opting for an intimate dinner on their own veranda. Tiki torches flicker and silvery moonbeams shoot through the palm fronds while guests dance to the hiccuping rhythms of the local rake ’n’ scrape band. For the ne plus ultra in private dining, take a boat to an uninhabited island, where a personal chef can whip up a luxurious modern-day Robinson Crusoe feast; consider creamy conch bisque, local grouper with wild rice pilaf, and a sweet, unforgettable sour sop soufflé.

Guides usually take just two guests at a time for snorkeling or diving expeditions around Andros, a diving utopia that contains the world’s third-largest barrier reef, including the Andros Wall, a staggering vertical drop where the continental shelf plummets 6,000 feet into the Tongue of the Ocean, an oceanic trench. The island itself is a diving mecca, with a complex maze of about 50 underwater caves known as blue holes. On your own, you can kayak though the shallow mangroves around Kamalame, where white ibis wade alongside schools of pufferfish.

Kamalame Cay is almost like the Bahamas’ answer to the African safari lodge, trading tigers and elephants for curly-tailed lizards and tiny hermit crabs. This serene wilderness, along with the top-notch resort perks, keeps guests in a safe, cozy cocoon of luxury. Unplugging is easy to do here. Snooze in a hammock just outside your suite or read a book by the pretty pool; either way, the gentle pitter-patter of the palms rustling in the unbroken breeze will lull you into a state of pleasant amnesia. It’s all very discreet. Don’t even bother prodding the staff for the names of their famous guests; they’ve been sworn to secrecy.

MAKING IT HAPPEN

GETTING THERE
Many carriers fly direct to Nassau, and from there you can take one of Nassau Western Air’s twice-daily flights to Andros Town International Airport. Continental connects to Andros Town through Ft. Lauderdale on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Kamalame Cay will arrange airport transfers or charter service via seaplane.

WHERE TO STAY
* Kamalame Cay Staniard Creek, Andros; suites from $1,250/night Dec. 15—May 31, $1,000/night June 1—Aug. 20, including food, house wines, beer, and liquor, use of snorkeling equipment, sea kayaks, tennis court; 242/368-6281, kamalame.com

WHEN TO GO
The Bahamas’ high season is in full swing from December to early May. Go in June, before hurricane season sets in, and you can make the most of lower rates before the chance of storms increases and businesses close. 

See Bahamas Travel Guide | See Jamaica Travel GuideSee Nevis Travel Guide