Caerula Mar Club

Character and identity

Caerula Mar Club sits on the largely undeveloped coast of South Andros, the first new hotel to open here in nearly two decades and a deliberate counterpoint to the shiplap-and-pastel idiom of much of the Bahamas. The 24 suites and villas lean into creamy neutrals, white oak floors, pale travertine and Libeco linens, angled to frame the ocean. Three dining outlets anchor the day: Driff's Beach Bar for poolside lobster bites, Switcha for smoothies and pastries, and Lusca, the nightly-changing fine dining room under Argentine chef Sebastian Perez. There's a small spa, beach cruisers, and a good-natured, almost entirely local team.

Who's it for

Bottom line

The achievement here is restraint: a pared-back, genuinely contemporary property on an island that has almost nothing else like it, with cooking strong enough to carry a week of repeat dinners. Book a villa with a reading nook for the ocean angle, come as a couple, and accept the journey as part of the seclusion you're paying for.