One&Only Ocean Club
Paradise Island
COST: $$$$$
As exclusive and rarefied as its cousin Atlantis is flamboyant (the properties lie adjacent on the north coast of Paradise Island, and are both part of developer Sol Kerzner’s empire), the Ocean Club is the resort of choice for visiting divas like Salma Hayek and Sharon Stone. The 105 guest rooms and suites here epitomize understated opulence, with gleaming hardwood floors, king-size carved beds made up with Frette linens, traditional wood shutters shading enormous windows, and spacious marble baths (most with chin-deep, circular soaking tubs). All have private balconies or decks that overlook the resort’s even more compelling assets: an immaculate, pristine sweep of beach; the 18-hole, Tom Weiskopf-designed golf course; or the sumptuous, manicured gardens. The grounds, maintained by a staff of 30, are a major point of pride here—and culminate in the 35-acre formal French garden known as Versailles. Originally designed by A&P heir Huntington Hartford II (who once owned the property as a private estate), Versailles includes terraced beds of luxuriant hibiscus and bougainvillea, bronze and marble statuary, and—most dramatically—a 14th-century French Augustinian cloister, whose graceful arches frame a view of the sea.
Tip: Don’t worry about having to mix with hoi polloi here; although all Ocean Club guests have full access to the attractions of Atlantis, the invite’s not reciprocal.
Room to Book: Standard rooms in the Crescent Wing—they’re 200 square feet larger than in the Hartford Wing.
From the T+L 500
Classic beachfront estate with a Versailles-inspired garden.
- Stats:
- 105 rooms; 2 cottages; 3 villas; 4 restaurants; 2 bars.
- Competitive Edge:
- Jet-set sophistication, thanks to a Christian Liaigre-designed Jean-Georges restaurant.
- Rooms to Book:
- Those in the Crescent Wing are newer and have endless ocean views.
- Don't Miss:
- A dip in the freshwater pool.
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