If you want to find yourself on that second type of getaway – one that will evoke the restorative feeling of exhaling for the first time in years – Rosewood Baha Mar in Nassau, the Bahamas is a good place to start.
I had heard endless buzz about the beauty of the Rosewood Baha Mar since the day it opened its ornate double doors in June 2018. Since it was an easy two-hour getaway from Manhattan, I discreetly ranked the place in my mind as an escape that I, a stretched and too thin New Yorker with enough floating anxiety to keep a cruise afloat, I could fantasize about when I needed to manifest something serene. Three years and a global pandemic later, I had the opportunity to learn first-hand how relaxing and rejuvenating the Bahamian lifestyle approach to wellness can be when I myself visited the Rosewood Baha Mar.
Located in a private enclave on the north shore of Nassau, the luxury resort is centered on 3,000 feet of pristine white sands along the stunning Cable Beach of the Caribbean. And from the second you land at Lynden Pindling International Airport, a 10-minute drive from the property, you are greeted with extraordinary warmth, not only because of the subtropical climate of the Bahamas, but because all the people I I met were incredibly sweet. (The resort staff knew me by name and memorized my favorite beach cocktail, two examples of the type of service you can expect.)
Read on for more information on the amenities that make the Rosewood Baha Mar a perfect vacation destination.
Housing
The horseshoe design of the Rosewood Baha Mar includes 237 oceanfront guest rooms, suites, and villas (rates currently start at $ 855 per night), all surrounded by a rainforest of palm trees and lush bird plants of paradise. Each accommodation has a private balcony with a fully furnished outdoor living area to enjoy the sounds of the warm ocean waves and swaying palm trees, and each space is accessorized with Bahamian art and ornate corals sourced from the ocean outside. Rooms are washed in a serene coastal palette of sand beige and sky blue, and strike a balance between contemporary and comfortable. If that sounds like pure bliss, that’s about the point.
Finally, I quickly have to complain about the intoxicating aroma of Rosewood Baha Mar. A whiff of the resort’s signature scent, a blend of eucalyptus, cedar and seawater, was enough to make me want to take it easy. quickly complain about the intoxicating aroma. Rosewood Baha Mar. A whiff of the resort’s signature scent, a blend of eucalyptus, cedar and seawater, was enough to make me feel like my cortisol levels had dropped several degrees.
The food
The culinary offerings of Rosewood Baha Mar really give the word ‘options’ a new meaning, especially for those with dietary restrictions and food allergies. As someone who has lived with type 1 diabetes for 20 years, I can’t tell you how much of a game-changer it is to have the staff at every Baha Mar catering establishment carefully help me prepare meals according to my needs. Here are some of my highlights.
If you crave incredibly fresh fish and seafood mixed with local ingredients like coconut milk, crispy plantains, jicama and perfectly ripe avocado, you’ll be in heaven at Rosewood Baha Mar. Don’t sleep on pulpo aguachile (octopus ceviche) and lobster tacos at Costa, the resort’s poolside Mexican seafood restaurant that floats atop a koi pond.
And what would a tropical Caribbean vacation be without at least a few fruity rum cocktails? Ordering the Goombay Smash – made with golden rum, coconut, pineapple and lemon juice – is a boost for your taste buds and your Instagram feed. Be prepared: the pineapple filling is so ripe and juicy it * will drip * down your chin. You can also choose to order from their menu of fresh, seasonal juices by the pool, or visit the Rosewood library to sip some of their famous local Bahamian teas during teatime.
As soon as you’re ready to step away from the pool, there are an impressive number of mouthwatering dining options to choose from on the property. The Café Boulud, conveniently tucked away under the Rosewood lobby, is not to be missed. Led by celebrity chef Daniel Boulud, the menu merges his typically Haute-French cuisine with the seasonality of local Caribbean ingredients. The Hamachi crudo with fennel and watermelon and the roast duck with plum and Swiss chard are two highlights that I will never forget. Ditto for the most basic part of the meal: bread and butter (IYKYK).
Fancy some steak and oysters? Book yourself a table at Carna, the surf and turf-focused restaurant run by master butcher Dario Cecchini. And for the ultimate Bahamian seafood experience, take a beach walk to Marcus at Baha Mar Fish + Chop House. Here, Marcus Samuelsson’s legendary soul food cuisine blends harmoniously with Caribbean classics: Think conch salad, roasted whole snapper baked in a banana leaf, and prawns and rock grits. Its cocktail menu is also crazy, by the way.
Well-being services
Speaking of wellness, I would be remiss if I did not mention the spa offerings at Rosewood Baha Mar. Sense, a Rosewood spa, which features age-old healing practices personalized with sustainable local ingredients. Sense’s treatments pay homage to the healing remedies of Indian tribes and West African communities who first inhabited the islands of the Bahamas.
Massages begin with a flower-infused foot bath using lignum vitae, aka the tree of life, which has been revered for hundreds of years on the islands for its pain-healing, pain-relieving properties. muscle and joint stiffness and inflammation improvement. When you come back to earth after your treatment, if you want to continue to relax, book yourself a flamingo yoga class (like goat or puppy yoga, but with tropical birds), check out the 24-hour gym or save the nap, you deserve it.
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