Bahamas Out Island News

The small boat skimmed the gentle swells of cobalt channels and flat aqua shallows past sandy cays before my destination came into view -- a collection of wooden stilt houses in colliding colors at water's edge. As our boat approached, a fisherman cast a line from his porch.

Staniel Cay Yacht Club is the quintessential Bahamas inn with that perfect alchemy of history -- Sammy Davis Jr., Sean Connery and Aretha Franklin stayed here -- sandy beaches and balmy breezes. You can almost hear Aretha and Sammy singing in the lively bar.

The islands of the Bahamas are blessed with atmospheric small inns. Here are 10 inns, each inimitable and seductive. All are on the Bahamas' Out Islands except for two intimate resorts near Nassau on New Providence that will make you feel like you've escaped to an island outpost.

Staniel Cay Yacht Club, Staniel Cay. It's safe to say there is no place quite like Staniel Cay Yacht Club, a collection of nine humble cottages with incongruous multi-million-dollar yachts docked in the 18-slip marina, and a convivial screened-in bar where Johnny Depp often drops in. Faith Hill and Tim McGraw have a private island nearby. Try to reserve the two-story Key Lime, Ocean Blue or Periwinkle cottages with spiral staircases and upper and lower balconies overhanging the water. The 2-square-mile island can be explored only by golf cart, foot or bike.

Since it opened in 1956, fishermen and sailors have found their way here, often just for the restaurant's excellent Bahamian cracked conch, fresh fish and homemade bread. The resort offers diving, fishing, and trips to the nearby Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. You can rent 13- and 17-foot Boston Whalers, kayaks, and golf carts. And there are tennis courts and a pool.

Details: 242-355-2024; www.stanielcay.com ; rates start at $145 for two people through Nov. 19, $160 the rest of the year. Watermakers Air, 954-771- 0330, flies from Fort Lauderdale to Staniel Cay.

Cocodimama, Eleuthera. Cocodimama has a cool, sophisticated Mediterranean vibe. Janet Jackson hung out in the bar while Why Did I Get Married Too was filmed here last year. And the resort was chosen for a French L'Oreal TV commercial.

The three Bahamian-style buildings -- pink, green and yellow -- have 12 fashionable guestrooms with batik textiles, mosquito nets over king beds, and down comforters. All rooms face the gorgeous white-sand Alabaster Beach. Local women who make jewelry search the beach for its bounty of beautiful little shells.

Diners come from around the island for Pascale Burrows' tuna tartar, handmade pasta and bread, chocolate cake plus an impressive wine list. Bartender Sammy Delancy will answer all your questions about Eleuthera and keep the Bahamamamas flowing.

Details: 242-332-3150; www.cocodimama.com ; summer rates start at $185 for two -- the resort is closed until Nov. 11. Continental Connection operated by Gulfstream International Airline flies to Governor's Harbour from Fort Lauderdale ($10 taxi to Cocodimama); American flies from Miami to North Eleuthera, where you can rent a car (it's a $100-taxi fare). You also can take the Fast Ferry, a two-hour ride from Nassau to Governor's Harbour or a mailboat, which is 4 hours.

Marley Resort and Spa, Nassau. Drive past the big resorts of Cable Beach, and hidden behind coconut palms and terracotta walls is a little resort bursting with personality and a soundtrack of reggae music.

The former governor's mansion, next to 200 feet of pristine white-sand beach, was bought by Rita Marley, wife of reggae superstar Bob Marley, in 1982, the year after Bob's death. The family had been spending summers in Nassau since 1976 when Bob was recovering from an assassination attempt in Jamaica. She and daughters Stephanie and Cedella turned their house into a fabulous inn in 2004, decorating the 16 guestrooms with mahogany furniture from the Caribbean, carpets from Morocco, and masks and wood carvings from Africa. Reggae plays in the Natural Mystic Spa and especially in the Stir It Up bar. In the Marley Boutique, you can buy clothes from Cedella Marley's Catch a Fire fashion line.

The popular Simmer Down Gourmet Caribbean Restaurant offers Lobster Duo with Jamaican "rundown" vegetables, Jamrock Jerk Chicken, Appleton Spice Conch Soup with fresh ginger and Jamaican curry, and Blue Mountain Coffee Bean Tart. Chef Devan McPhee traveled to every parish in Jamaica for inspiration for his dishes.

Details: 242-702-2800; www.marleyresort.com ; summer-fall rates start at $295; winter, $425. Ask about specials.

The Landing, Harbour Island. The hotel comprises three stately houses, built next to the harbor in the early 1800s in lovely Dunmore Town. Verandas overlook the scenic city dock. The houses are full of character with polished dark wood floors, narrow stairways, a cozy library, and mahogany furniture. The chic interiors were designed by India Hicks -- English model, author and god-daughter of Prince Charles -- who lives on the island.

The inn has a fine restaurant and excellent wine cellar. Internationally-known chef Ken Gomes' specialties include local lobster and pan-fried grouper with roasted sweet yam, organic baby bok choy and red Thai curry. (The restaurant is closed until Oct. 31.)

Details: 242-333-2707; www.harbourislandlanding.com ; rates start at $175 for two people. Fly into North Eleuthera Airport from Miami on American Airlines, or from Fort Lauderdale on Continental, then take a 10-minute water taxi to Harbour Island.

Pink Sands, Harbour Island. This complex of 25 pastel-colored cottages tucked among 20 verdant acres of tropical gardens is like a posh camp for really rich grownups such as Martha Stewart, Nicole Kidman and Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson who stay here.

The real attraction is the gorgeous three-mile-long pink-sand beach. The resort's Blue Bar offers a view of beach and water -- and perhaps a rider on horseback galloping through the surf -- plus gourmet dishes such as pistachio-crusted sea bass with curried blue crab or seared local grouper with steamed coconut sticky rice wrapped in a banana leaf. Dinner also is served in the sexy Garden Terrace restaurant with Moorish-style sofas piled with silk pillows and a huge mother-of-pearl chandelier that seems to spill from the ceiling like a glistening waterfall.

The cottages' décor is chic Caribbean with dark woods, and chairs and sofas in white linen. Activities are many -- tennis courts, pool, gym, fishing and diving.

Details: 242-333-2030; www.pinksandsresort.com ; rates for two start at $495 through Nov. 18; $600 in high season.

Old Bahama Bay, Grand Bahama Island. There are huge resorts in Lucaya, but Old Bahama Bay is 26 miles away in the fishing village of West End. The inn's 73 luxury suites are in two-story Bahamian-style buildings overlooking a pristine beach. The rooms are elegant Caribbean with dark wood beds and armoires, dark wicker on the terraces, and plantation shutters. One of the inn's owners is John Travolta, who lives nearby. Solange Knowles' wedding was here with sister Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z attending.<

The 72-slip marina is a port of entry and many yachts pass through, some stopping just to eat at Bonefish Folley's Bar and Grille, which offers conch fritters, conch chowder, fresh grouper and snapper, and Bahamian rum cake. Folley, a local bonefish guide, often drops in.

Details: 242-350-6500, 800-800-8959; www.oldbahamabay.com ; rates start at $175 through Sept. 30; $245 in high season. Continental, Bahamasair, Delta Connection and American Airlines fly to Grand Bahama from Miami.

Fernandez Bay Village, Cat Island. Built on a mile-long stretch of white sand, the stone cottages of Fernandez Bay Village make the perfect Out Island getaway with outdoor showers and verandas 20 feet from lapping waves. Owner Tony Armbrister's great-grandfather came to Cat Island in the early 1800s to plant sisal and cotton. Some of the nine cottages and five houses have stone walls, four-poster beds and all have water views. You'll see fantastic sunsets and find excellent company at the Tiki Bar.

Dinners, served buffet-style on the Club House terrace next to the beach, include fresh-baked Bahamian bread, lobster, and fresh catches of the day. Try offshore and bonefishing.

Details: 242-342-2018, 954-474-4821; www.fernandezbayvillage.com ; summer rates for cottages start at $255. Continental and Florida Coastal fly from Fort Lauderdale to Cat Island.

Small Hope Bay, Andros. Pirate Henry Morgan once said there was small hope of finding treasure on Andros. He was wrong. Small Hope Bay is a treasure -- an internationally-known dive resort celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. Diving and snorkeling are the reasons to come here and explore the Andros Barrier Reef and go deeper off the wall.

The resort is still owned by the Birch family, who also own Androsia, the company that makes the handmade batik fabrics seen all over the Bahamas. The cottages, made of coral rock and Andros pine, are decorated with the colorful batiks. In the evenings, ravenous divers and snorkelers descend on buffets of lobster, conch, tuna, barbecue, fresh vegetables and fruits. Rates include food and an open bar, so life is very easy at Small Hope Bay.

Details: 242-368-2014, 800-223-6961; all-inclusive rates for non-divers start at $235 per person per night; for divers, $335 including three dives per day. Watermaker Air and Continental fly from Fort Lauderdale to Andros. Ask about the resort's fly-free- from-Nassau specials.

Club Peace and Plenty, Great Exuma. Lawrence Lewis, grandnephew of Standard Oil co-founder Henry Flagler, built the Peace and Plenty as a fishing club in 1955. The small pink inn, tucked in a bend of the Queen's Highway in George Town, has attracted loyal guests who return year after year, asking for the same fishing guide. Early guests included actor Robert Mitchum and Mickey Mantle. More recent visitors are Jack Nicklaus and Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker. Lermon ``Doc'' Rolle, who has been bartender at the "P and P" for 33 years, knows everyone's name.

The colonial-style 32-room inn overlooking Elizabeth Harbour has creature comforts including a pool, a popular restaurant, two bars, and ferryboat service twice daily across the harbor to Peace and Plenty's Stocking Island Beach Club. Don't miss the poolside barbecue and music at the club on Friday nights.

Details: 242-345-5555, 800-525-2210; www.peaceandplenty.com ; rates start at $155 until Dec. 15, $180 winter. American Airline flies to George Town from Miami; Continental from Fort Lauderdale.)

Compass Point, Nassau. The cottages of Compass Point opened in March 1995 by Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, with the Bahamian prime minister himself putting on the last stroke of paint. Simple wooden cottages and five attached cabana rooms, all with spectacular views of water and sunsets, are painted in ebullient hues -- purple walls, orange doors, cobalt window frames, yellow gingerbread trim.

Eric Clapton, U2, Mariah Carey, Phil Collins, Lenny Kravitz, Jennifer Lopez and the Rolling Stones recorded at Compass Point Studios across the road, and many stayed at the resort for weeks at a time. Sean Connery, who still lives down the road at Lyford Cay, frequently drops by for dinner. Blackwell no longer owns the resort but musicians -- including Joss Stone and Shakira -- still record at the studio, and bring staff and family to stay at the resort.

Details: 242-327-4500; www.compasspointbeachresort.com ; rates start at $350 until December.

Cheryl Blackerby, a freelance travel writer and photographer, can be reached at [email protected].