Let’s say you could conjure up the dream getaway for family and friend – a relaxed, serene playground for young and old and in-betweens. Where would it be and what would you do? Well, a high-powered international financier has unleashed his creativity and intends to offer just that. His creation: Three Bees at Harbour Island in the Bahamas. In May it will open to select guests.
Harbour Island is one of the most beguiling islands in the Bahamas, easy to get to and graced with low-key charm and natural beauty. It is also an island of anonymity on which there is an unspoken law: no paparazzi, no ogling fans. Everyone is treated the same, so luminaries and A-listers (the Annistons and Mannings, the Buffetts, DeNiros and Jaggers of this world) can roam freely without a care.
According to the owners Three Bees took time to evolve. Every family wish had to be considered and over time the original main Villa Bee became three distinct properties — hence the name Three Bees, consisting of the Villa Bee, the Beach Cottage and Bayside, with a few extra goodies for good measure.
Villa Bee is the grandest structure. A long hidden driveway circles past acres of green lawn and palm trees to the front entrance of a house adorned with spacious verandahs on two floors overlooking the ocean and the island’s signature Pink Sand beach. The architecture is open and light: ample glass invites the sunlight in and focuses on the brilliant sea view beyond. White décor lightens the interiors, with their oversized couches in the living room and Balinese daybeds on the verandahs. Villa Bee has one owner suite and one other master bedroom on each of two floors; all three of these bedrooms are fitted with king-size canopy beds and billowing linen curtains. Two twin-bedded rooms on the lower floor are perfect for children and, for extended family members or the guests’ own staff, there are three more bedrooms in a small house adjoining Villa Bee.
The open, airy Beach Cottage is located just a few steps from Villa Bee. Besides its two spacious king-sized bedrooms, it has a kitchen and glassed-in living room with unobstructed views. After sunning on seemingly endless Pink Sand Beach, guests might try the bougainvillea-framed outside shower…it is heavenly!
A five-minute ride by golf cart from Villa Bee and Beach House brings guests to the Three Bees’ piece de resistance, Bayside. Here the owner has constructed the watersports lover’s dream: three luxury safari-like tents on platforms facing a peaceful bay, two with entry through carved Balinese doors into a spacious living room; one of the tents has two bedrooms, the other has one. There is also a massage tent, a full kitchen, and a tented dining/lounging area. Many guests will opt to stay here overnight after a sunset dinner.
The lower floor of the Villa Bee incorporates a super playroom with a regulation-size Olhausen pool table, drum set, and a veritable mini-F.A.O. Schwarz-full of games. Across from Villa Bee, a free-standing cinema has a theater-size screen and chaise-like beds for relaxed viewing of the more than 3,000 movie titles and games. And so that no guest has to miss the wide range of electronic entertainment options, each of the Villa Bee’s bedrooms has an oversized, state-of-the-art TV that can show any of the movies in the cinema’s inventory.
Water toys at Three Bees include a 37-foot, state-of-the-art speedboat, Midnight Express and the use of the boat is included as part of the Three Bees rental package. Also at Bayside are water trampolines, inflatable doughnuts, banana boats, motorized kayaks, wave runners, windsurfers, paddle boards, sailboats, skis and snorkeling gear.
Three Bees will be fully staffed, and the property’s three parts can be rented together or separately for groups of up to 24 guests. Rates include all meals and libation, and there are no extra charges for use of the amazing collection of boats and water toys.
Sanctuare, www.sanctuare.com