The Abaco Club, Bahamas
Entrepreneur and visionary Peter de Savary has done it again.
The flamboyant Englishman has a knack for finding extraordinary pieces of property (Scotland's famous Skibo Castle, for one) and turning them into edens of extraordinarily good fun. At The Abaco Club, less than a half hour's drive outside of Marsh Harbour on the Bahamian island of Abaco, de Savary has established a colony of contentment on 520 acres that sweep along two and a quarter marvelous miles of Winding Bay.
This private reserve consists of 60 homesites, a cottage colony, a clubhouse and spa, an 18-hole links-style golf course, an equestrian center and a fishing club. The homesites, which are located directly on the bay and of which two-thirds have been sold, begin at $1.5 million. The cottage colony will comprise 70 furnished rustic homes decorated in a nouveau colonial style by de Savary's interior designer, Nicole Langlois, and longtime associate, Kathleen Fraser. Prices start at $1.75 million.
The Donald Steele—Tom Mackenzie golf course boldly jumps into the upper echelon of island courses. It comes in two parts: the first 14 holes are a true links course, and they play over sandy ground close to the sea with fairways full of humps and hollows and greens that pitch and yaw. The last four holes play atop the limestone bluff that dominates the site's topography.
The Bahamas are renowned for their fishing, and The Abaco Club doesn't disappoint. The owners purchased a 43-foot Viking sportfisherman for big-game fishing, and anglers can go both inshore for bonefish and offshore for sailfish and tuna.
To facilitate member travel, de Savary built his own terminal at the Marsh Harbour airport with a private customs and immigration checkpoint. Members can fly from Florida or other Bahamian islands on de Savary's custom-made 12-seat turboprop plane and relax in the plush leather seats as they sip their drinks from the bar.
Prospective members can visit the club and play the golf course on a one-time basis. Golf memberships, some of which are allotted to nonresidents, cost $65,000.
Visit www.theabacoclub.com or call (888) 303-2765.
