HEAVENLY OASIS
3/28/2007 4:43:41 PM by Peter Lawrence
When Ginn sur Mer joined forces with Old Bahama Bay Resort & Yacht Harbour, development sparks flew as the masses started flocking over to this Caribbean hotspot to experience the dozens of nautical activities available and browse for a new home away from home.
Photos courtesy of Old Bahama Bay
A match made in heaven was created right here on Earth when world-renowned Old Bahama Bay Resort & Yacht Harbour teamed up with the adjacent $4.9 billion Ginn sur Mer development by Ginn Resorts. Old Bahama Bay is situated on 228 acres of oceanfront property in the historic village of West End, Grand Bahama Island, located approximately 26 miles west of Freeport and 56 miles east of Palm Beach. Combine the luxury lifestyle living Ginn sur Mer offers with the historic-jewel appeal and five-star resort quality of Old Bahama Bay, and you have one of the most attractive investments in the Caribbean.
Bobby Ginn, President and CEO of Ginn Resorts, has this to say of Ginn Resorts’ takeover of Old Bahama Bay’s operations and management: “The addition of Old Bahama Bay to our resort portfolio will enhance our member and guest experience and add great value to the future development of Ginn sur Mer,” he says. “This management agreement allows us to further deliver on our promise to create not only a world-class resort destination, but a revived economy for the West End community.”
So what is it about the partnership between Old Bahama Bay and Ginn sur Mer that sets them apart from the competition? Once a British holiday camp for tycoon Billy Butlin, who began developing West End in 1951, old salts will tell you the location is the site of the world’s first upscale all-inclusive resort. Eventually West End became home to the Jack Tar Village, which included an airfield, marina, canal complex, commercial dock, 424-room hotel, 16 tennis courts, a 27-hole golf course and the largest freshwater swimming pool in the Western Hemisphere. Jack Tar shut its doors in the late 1980s and Old Bahama Bay opened its doors in 2001, bringing life back to the economy of West End. Last year, Ginn sur Mer purchased nearly 2,000 acres adjacent to Old Bahama Bay in order to create the largest resort community ever undertaken in the Bahamas. Expected to contain more than 4,400 condominium and hotel units, Ginn sur Mer will host nearly 2,000 single family residential home sites, clubhouses, two large marinas, a private airport, a Monte Carlo-style casino, water and swim pavilions, a beach club, spa and Signature Golf Courses designed by Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. Combining the historic grandeur of Old Bahama Bay with the new-age appeal of the Ginn project was the next logical step in the inevitable evolution of both properties.
For those that like to arrive in style, access to the new Old Bahama Bay is a cinch. Private vessels can enter via the yacht harbor at Old Bahama Bay, an official Port of Entry with on-site customs and immigration.
Old Bahama Bay’s marina is ranked amongst the best and has been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag award by the Foundation for Environmental Education for its exceptional environment conservation and awareness programs.
The lush landscaping and plush accommodations makes this location one of the top destinations in the planet. Today, the development features 73 spacious guestrooms and suites, an oceanfront pool, restaurant, massage pavilion and the region’s – if not the world’s – finest fishing, diving, snorkeling and boating activities. The Bahamian-Colonial-style suites feature 120-square-foot oceanview terraces, custom-designed island plantation-style furnishings and lighting, rich mahogany woods and textured interior leathers as well as exterior tropical pastels and landscaping.
Besides handsome suites, Old Bahama Bay by Ginn sur Mer also brags year-round activities like “Sunset Celebration” parties on Wednesdays to honor the catch of the day and the “Croon to the Moon” full-moon celebration that features karaoke, crab racing, fire dancers and live Junkanoo entertainment. The highlights of these events are performances by the West End Love Train music group, comprised entirely of Old Bahama Bay employees. Additional productions include the “Junkanoo Festival” every Thursday, “Kids’ Night at the Movie” on the weekends and the “Captains’ Barefoot Ball” for visiting yacht captains and crews. On Mother’s Day weekend, Old Bahama Bay will host the first-annual “Bahama Mama Fishing Tournament,” managed by WaveLife, Island Fishing Adventures and Ladies Let’s Go Fishing, and sponsored by Deep Impact Powerboats.
When hunger strikes, there’s fine dining at Aqua, the new restaurant that features an innovative Bahamian-fusion menu that reinterprets the presentation of classic Bahamian delicacies such as conch and Caribbean lobster into fresh new dishes created specifically for the resort’s guests. Set in the epicenter of the resort, with extraordinary views of the marina, the restaurant is open for dinner and for Sunday Gospel Brunch. Once you’ve scoped out Aqua, take your tie off and savor breakfast, lunch or dinner at world-famous Bonefish Folley’s. Our recommendations? Hands down, you have to try the coconut crusted French toast with bacon and accompanying glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice.
Whether you invest for the short term or just take a week’s vacation, you’ll never be bored at Old Bahama Bay. There’s a plethora of water activities including seven areas for snorkeling, endless vessel rentals and tons of fishing spots. After all the underwater tours and rod bending, splash into the freshwater oceanfront pool with adjacent bar, beach access and chaise lounges and ask for a Bahama Mama and some cracked conch to tingle your taste buds and set the tone for a relaxing evening, with twinkling stars replacing the city lights you might be used to.
Family fun is also big at the new Old Bahama Bay. The shallow kid-friendly beach waters and oversized oceanfront guestrooms provide the ideal location for a family getaway in the Bahamas. Kids’ Crew includes unique activities such as the Bahamian Native Fishing Adventure, the Underwater Treasure Hunt as well as sailing, kayaking, fishing lessons, junkanoo crafts and much more.
Old Bahama Bay by Ginn sur Mer is a member of The Crown Collection, an exclusive collection of 32 properties, and is also a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, an international brand representing more than 300 of the most luxurious exclusive hotels and resorts around the world. For more information, go to OldBahamaBay.com.