Ocean Club, Paradise Island, Nassau

[JEK]

Just got a save the date for a wedding there. Anyone been?

[andynap]

My son.

[JEK]

Did he do a trip report?

[MIke R]

I was on Paradise Island once..this chick I was sort of dating won a three day trip there and invited me to go.....good thing I liked the chick because the island was horrible....Jersey Shore in the Caribbean

[KevinS]

Jersey Shore in the Caribbean

LOL. Yup, that's Paradise Island.

[andynap]

Jersey Shore in the Caribbean

LOL. Yup, that's Paradise Island.

He said the food in any one of the many restaurant was good, and my grand-daughters loved the water slide but it is as Mike said.

[griffin]

For a wedding weekend, it will be fine! Jean Georges has a great restaurant there, the Dune. Do go under the bridge for some great conch salad, & the Poop Deck is great for fresh fish on Nassau Harbor.

[JEK]

That's what we figured. The wedding and lodging is at http://www.oneandonlyresorts.com/flash.html which looks very nice.

[Grey]

Hello -- My husband and I have stayed at the Ocean Club 5 times so I am happy to answer any questions. The resort has beautiful grounds and is a lovely location for a wedding. Jean-Georges does have a restaurant at the resort. There are also a couple of good restaurants over at the Atlantis (the Ocean Club Escalade can take you back and forth) including Nobu. I also highly recommend the spa.

[JEK]

Thanks! They are having the rehearsal dinner at the Atlantis. I know it will be a far cry from St. Jean, but it should be a fun long weekend.

[Grey]

OC has a different feel than the rest of Paradise Island. That's a good or bad thing depending on your preferences. It just depends on what you are looking for. It's an expansive property with relatively few guest rooms (I want to say ~80) so even when the resort is at capacity it doesn't feel crowded. It's also a relatively quick hop from the East Coast. We take the first flight out of NYC in the a.m. and are usually at the resort by 9:30-10:00am so can still get in a full day's worth of lounging in the sun.

We did feel like during visits 3 and 4 that the service had fallen and that some of the rooms could use a little refreshment. Apparently we were not the only ones because when we arrived for visit 5 during Jan '09 there was a new General Manager (and the service was better) and they had started redoing some of the guest rooms.

Hope you enjoy!

[JEK]

USAir DCA-NAS 0830-1112. Not bad!

[BBT]

You will like the resort and hate the place. For a wedding its fine.

[JEK]

Never been, so it will be fun. This is a summer of weddings for us:
1. Couer D'Alene, Idaho this weekend
2. Nassau 6/26
3. Lake Anna, Virginia, near Tim 7/3
4. Portland, Oregon 7/31

This is what happens when your daughter gets married and you invite all those friends and relatives :)

[JEK]

Very nice place. Low rise -- two stories and the staff are really great.

[Peter NJ]

Very nice! Hows the frozen fish? :)

[Grey]

JEK, have you seen the gardens yet? They are absolutely lovely.

Which wing are you staying in? We usually stay in the Hartford but are contemplating doing the Crescent for our next trip. I'm wondering if it is worth it.

Where are you headed for dinner tonight?

Enjoy your trip.

[JEK]

Saw the gardens this morning and the wedding is there tomorrow. Not sure of the wing, but we are next to the reception building, just to the left when facing the front. Nice ocean view. We will be back.

[Peter NJ]

Anymore pics??

[JEK]

One & Only Ocean Club has an unusual history. In 1959 the fabulously wealthy Huntington Hartford II, grandson of the man who founded The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (which later became the A&P supermarket chain), purchased two acres on Hog Island in the Bahamas.
A year later Hartford bought a nearby estate dubbed Shangri-la and began to convert it into the 52-room Ocean Club resort. In 1962 the prime piece of land was renamed Paradise Island and the Ocean Club resort opened with great fanfare. Celebrities and the wealthy, European royalty and American politicians, two thousand of them, gathered at a huge party to inaugurate the property. The Ocean Club soon became a favorite getaway retreat for everyone from Richard Nixon to the Beatles.

More recently, One & Only Ocean Club provided the setting for several scenes in Casino Royale, the 2006 remake of the James Bond film that was originally shot in Paradise Island as well.

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[Peter NJ]

Wow..looks great..keep them coming

[tim]

WOW, neat place! I actually think I passed through there in the late 60's, but that time of my life is blurry.

[GramChop]

wow...very elegant!

tim....you were alive in the 60's?

[JEK]

Took a few screen shots from the movie to compare.

[JoshA]

I passed through that property decades ago. I remember thinking it was grand but decaying and needed refurbishing. Looks like the new owners have done a fine job.

[JEK]

Lots of owners including Merv Griffin and The Donald now owned by Saul Steinberg.

[tim]

wow...very elegant!

tim....you were alive in the 60's?

Uhhh.....oui. :)

[GramChop]

wow...very elegant!

tim....you were alive in the 60's?

Uhhh.....oui. :)

say it ain't so, mon ami!!