CC Travels: The Ocean Club, Bahamas

If you follow Cailíní Coastal regularly on Instagram, you may have seen our stories from a vacation my family & I took to the Bahamas late last month.  I received so many DMs asking about the iconic resort we stayed at, The Ocean Club. I promised I would do a blog sharing our experience...so here it is!  
xo Meg
PS - I'm including my amateur iPhone photos as well as the gorgeous images from the resort's website, which do more justice!
Credit: Four Seasons
Credit: Cailíní Coastal
WHY WE STAYED AT THE OCEAN CLUB

Several people asked how we selected this resort, as there are so many great options on Nassau.  We actually chose it because it was one of the only options! We were celebrating a big birthday for my husband, so we decided to travel with our best friends from California.  We both are families of 4 people and we wanted to find a place that had either villas or suites where we had a shared common space so the grown ups could hang out after the kids went to bed.  We decided to take this trip somewhat last minute and many places were already booked.  My friend ended up finding adjoining rooms - a standard room + a suite - at this property, which was exactly what we needed.  I'm so glad it worked out, because this resort is truly specular!

(a courtyard between rooms)

Credit: Four Seasons

(the lobby from the lawn)

Credit: Cailíní Coastal

FUN HISTORY

The Ocean Club has a lot of cool history.  Multiple James Bond movies were filmed there, including Casino Royale; it's where Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber were married; and, perhaps most exciting for me as a 90s kid, it's where they filmed My Father the Hero (Katherine Heigl's breakout film - if you've not seen it, I highly recommend, and if you have, you know!).  The gorgeous lobby is full of silver framed photos of notable people who have visited, including Nelson Mandela and Sean Connery, to name a few. 

(the lobby)

Credit: Four Seasons

Credit: Cailíní Coastal
FAMILY FRIENDLY

Formerly, The One & Only, the Four Seasons recently acquired the property.  From what we heard, it used to not be a family friendly hotel, but now with FS owning it, it felt very family friendly.  Some of the guests did not seem thrilled, but we saw a lot of young kids and the staff was incredible with our kiddos.  

Our girls were greeted with lemonades and a children's book about the Bahamas.  They had an incredible kids club (game changer!), and kids' menus everywhere they served food. 

Although we did not use it at all (I honestly was a confused by the purpose of it!), they offer butler service.  I'm told this is a "big perk" for many travelers.

 
Credit: Cailíní Coastal
 

The resort provides a private driver for pick up and drop off to the airport, which also made it incredibly easy for traveling with young kids.   The resort is a bit further out from the airport than some other resorts, but it was well worth the 30-40 minute ride. Plus, most of the drive is near the coast and through the downtown, which is fun to see! 

We did not venture into town.  In fact, we only left once, to do the Dolphin Cay adventure at the Atlantis (aka - swim with the dolphins).  The Atlantis is a short drive from The Ocean Club and they have cars and shuttles all day that can take you back and forth.  Some of the other guests we met with kids said that they went to the aquarium (which is supposed to be amazing) and some dinners (they have a Nobu and other great restaurants) at the Atlantis.  If we return, we would definitely go back to explore more; but we really enjoyed and appreciated the quiet vibes that The Ocean Club offered and a mellow week hanging on the property with our friends. 

THE POOLS & BEACH 

There are 3 pools: the family pool, the Versailles pool (adults only), and the infinity pool.  All were great, but the infinity pool was our favorite - the view could not be beat - and where we went everyday.  Lots of families were at this pool!  Ironically the family pool was empty all week.  The Versailles pool was stunning and had this incredible cloister garden beyond it full of statues, fountains and bougainvillea!

My photos...

And their (much better) photos....
 
The beach was also incredible.  It was private for the resort, so never too crowded.  The resort provides full service at the beach so towels, chairs, umbrellas, food and beverage were all conveniently provided.  What a difference that makes with young kids! 
 
Credit: Cailíní Coastal
Like most places in the Caribbean, the water was crystal clear and the most beautiful shades of blue and turquoise.  It was warm like a bath, even in February!  While we were living in California for the last decade, we did not go to the Caribbean and I forgot how magnificent it is.  It was just a 2.5 hour flight from JFK and yet we felt so far away being there!  
Credit: Four Seasons
THE RESTAURANTS
There were just two restaurants on property, and both overlooked the ocean (my heaven!).    They both opened at 6 pm, which was later than we'd like because our kiddos were always wiped by the end of the day, so we (and several other families) were always lined up at 5:45 pm for the early bird special!
The first restaurant, the more casual one, was called Ocean Blu.  It serves a variety of fare from fish to tacos and burgers.  This spot was great for kids!  
(Ocean Blu Restaurant) 
Credit: Four Seasons
Then, there was a Jean Georges restaurant called Dune.  Dune was packed every night (this one is open to the public).  The food and menu was phenomenal like any Jean Georges.   Dune has an incredible bar connected to it with 180 ocean views.  They had live music nightly and all of their performers were incredible.  I love live music...that plus an ocean view and amazing food - let's just say this place is incredible!
My photos from Dune...
Credit: Cailíní Coastal
Credit: Four Seasons
Credit: Four Seasons
PRIVATE BEACH DINNER

To celebrate my husband's and his friend's big birthdays, we surprised them with a private dinner on the beach.  The hotel offers this regularly and all we had to do was preselect the menu.  It was a 5 course dinner and we had an incredible waiter with us the whole night.  It was extremely intimate.  It was truly a once in a lifetime experience enjoying the company of our closest friends, great food and wine while watching the sunset over the Caribbean!

(the only still photos I have are with my husband and friends, and we're all a little private, BUT I will post a reel soon of the spread!)

Also, through the concierge we booked babysitters so we could enjoy this parents' night out and the sitters were amazing.  Our sitter was a mother of 4 and a school teacher.  She was warm, professional and instantly connected with our girls.  I had some anxiety about leaving the kids (even though we were just 5 minutes away at the restaurants) but they both completely eased my nerves.  If we return, we'll be requesting the same women!

THE SPA
There is a small spa that my girlfriend and I visited.  We each had wonderful and relaxing massages.  There are no spa amenities (ie: sauna, steam room), but each treatment room is it's own little cottage with a courtyard and full bathroom.  It was really beautiful and special. 
(the spa entrance)
Credit: Four Seasons
(spa cottages)
Credit: Four Seasons
Clearly, there are many amazing things about this resort, and one of the best was the incredible service!  From the kids club, to the concierge and wait staff, everyone was so lovely, friendly and attentive.  Truly the 5-star experience with service. 
Credit: Cailíní Coastal 
With all of the great things, there are 3 things I want to mention as considerations if you're looking into a vacation here: 
  1. There are only two restaurants on property and without reservations made in advance it's nearly impossible to get in at prime time, even as a hotel guest, so make sure you book weeks before your trip.  Book more nights at Dune!
  2. We stayed in a section of the hotel that was not yet renovated.  We had some issues with the bathroom - the faucet hanging out of the wall, toilet paper holder fell off the wall, the hand held sprayer in the bathtub was broken.  At the rates they charge, I was very surprised to see the bathroom in this condition.  The property was so gorgeous that it made up for it, but we would request a renovated room the next time we go.
  3. This is one of the Four Seasons' top properties in their entire portfolio and they price it that way.  It was a splurge-worthy trip to say the least, but for a special occasion, it was truly one of our best vacations ever!

 


1 comment


  • Julie Blanner

    We stayed there a few years ago. It was so magical. I loved how close the restaurant was to the beach – it was like you were dining on water. The live music was a favorite of ours, too! Such sweet family memories!


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