Overall Impression We first encountered the Four Seasons Spa while looking for a late lunch spot. The following afternoon we found ourselves heading back, one hour each way, for spa treatments. It was worth the drive. The Four Seasons spa facilities were impressive; especially considering that the hotel is on a small out island in The Bahamas. Although outside the sign for the spa was so discreet we missed it, the interior of the large building was cheerful and bright.

We liked the spa’s helpful and smiling staff. Everyone we interacted with was agreeable, had a professional attitude, and made us feel welcome. They were among the nicest spa staff we have encountered.

Spa décor was elegant yet cozy The Balinese massage performed by 10-year veteran Ayu from Bali was noteworthy, working out the tension and leaving me stress-free. We especially liked the intimate feel which made us forget we were in a 32,000-foot facility. Our visit to the Four Seasons Spa was a success. We would return for the attentive and capable staff, well maintained and attractive facilities and tempting treatments.

Arrival Process Ease There was a slight wait when we arrived. There was one staff person and five guests who arrived simultaneously.

General Manager Pia Newport

Handicapped Access There was an elevator to the second floor where the treatment rooms were located and the staff indicated they welcome guests with disabilities.

Location At the Four Seasons Resort on Exuma in the Emerald Bay area, about a 30-minute drive from the airport

Managed Four Seasons

Number Of Staff 30

Owned Emerald Bay Holdings

Size There were 17 treatment rooms and two outdoor treatment cabanas in the 32,400-square foot facility.

Special Training Staff were trained in Indonesia, U.S. and in the Bahamas

Treatment Rooms The two standard treatment rooms, one slightly larger than the other, where I had massage and facial were on the second story of the building. Furnished with adjustable treatment beds and easy to reach blankets, they had light colored walls and dim lights. In between treatments, I waited in a Relaxation Room. It was sunlit and filled with cushy armchairs and footrests. The manicure was in the beauty salon.

Year Opened-Renovated The spa opened November 2003

Common Areas The common areas were decorated in cooling beige earth tones. The lobby was rectangular with doors on both ends and products for sale in display cases along the walls and on tables in the middle. There were slippers, candles, incense, clothes and beauty products for sale. There were doors to the men’s and women’s locker rooms on either side of the room and an elevator leading to the upstairs treatment rooms. The rear doors lead to an outdoor area with a fitness center, treatment cabanas, hot tubs and plunge pools. The Relaxation Rooms were comfortable. They were decorated in the same beige and earth tones as the rest of the spa.

Food And Restaurants A short spa menu was available for guests to order while at the spa.

Amenities Occitane shower caps, disposable razors, body lotion, shampoo, shower gel, conditioner, deodorant, hair spray, and q-tips. There were also self service apples, cranberry apple chilled juice and hot teas in the Relaxation Rooms upstairs in the ladies locker room. There were plastic slippers (sizes 4-13). These fit well and allowed me to walk comfortably. My locker also had a microfiber branded bathrobe which I wore in between treatments.

Facilities Steam room and sauna. There were two outdoor hot tubs and two outdoor cold plunge pools. The men’s and women’s steam rooms were separate.

Lockers And Bathrooms There were numbered lockers with microfiber bathrobes. There was one thick towel in my locker and plenty of additional towels within easy reach. I noticed three shower stalls, one extra large, and the spacious steam room in the rear of the locker room.

Cleanliness Excellent

Date Of Review June 2006

Number Of Treatments Three

Reviewers© 2006 Simon and Baker, Inc.

Article by Elena del Valle

Photographs by Gary Cox

Would You Return? Yes

Treatments Experienced Sports Manicure (40 minutes), 50-minute Balinese Massage and Clean Pore Facial (50 minutes). Ayu, a native of Bali performed the superb massage. She was considerate, friendly, and efficient. She looked out for my comfort throughout, asking about medical conditions, how deep to make the massage, the temperature in the room. A ten year veteran, she had previously worked at the Four Seasons property in Bali. Using a coconut and ginger blend massage oil she kneaded deeply. She concluded the treatment with a warm and moist foot wrap and a neck rub. Ayu also performed the facial which included a gurgling self heating back algae treatment, hand massage and brief neck rub. She used French Phytomer ingredients. The treatment included a brief extraction and a mild scrub. The man’s manicure, performed by Alayna included a sugar cane scrub and hand and arm massage with moisturizing extra virgin nut oil.

Overall Impression We loved Exuma. The islands and their people reminded us of the way The Bahamas and the Bahamians were when we first visited the island nation 20 years ago. Exuma or Great Exuma, as the locals call it, is the central island in a chain of 100 cays. It is connected by a bridge to Little Exuma, the eastern most island in the Exumas.

The largest island in the chain, it has a population of just under 3,600 souls. Lately Exuma has been booming. The opening of a Four Seasons hotel with a golf course, spa and most recently a casino created a buzz. Two private luxury communities with homes in the millions of dollars are under development. They offer getaway options to wealthy owners and renters who want to get away in style.

Challenges from the limited infrastructure included malfunctioning phone lines resulting in no ATM transactions for a while and requiring cash purchases at the grocery store. Limited connectivity, limited air conditioning, few dining and entertainment options, few shopping options, variable quality products at high prices, and mosquitoes in copious quantities might keep creature comfort oriented folks at home.

For us a few inconveniences were tolerable and part of the Exuma appeal. What we liked best was the quiet sunny ambiance of the islands; the friendly and laid back attitude of the locals; and the many water oriented activities such as boating, sailing, fishing, snorkeling, diving, kayaking, sun bathing and passing the time on its magnificent powdery beaches set on idyllic turquoise waters. It was an excellent place to get away, inspiring fun and relaxation with few mass market draw backs and lots of small town charm.

Cost Of Visiting Since nearly everything on the islands had to be imported, costs were high and options few. Gasoline was nearly $5 a gallon and most foods, car rentals, meals, etc. were relatively expensive.

Currency The Bahamian dollar which was pegged to the U.S. dollar when we were there

Electrical Current 110 v

Health And Vaccinations There was a small malaria outbreak (14 cases) just before we arrived. Other than that we didn’t discover any major health issues affecting visitors.

How To Get There From South Florida (Miami and Ft. Lauderdale airports) several major carriers and some smaller ones had direct flights. There were also connections via Nassau, the Bahamian capital, to Exuma.

Location An hour’s flight from Fort Lauderdale International Airport

Measures Road signs were in miles but our rental car measured speed in kilometers

Money Issues The U.S. dollar was widely accepted. Bank ATMs distributed Bahamian currency. Local businesses accepted U.S. and Bahamian dollars. We attempted to withdraw funds from two ATMs in George Town, the largest village on Exuma. Because the phone lines were down during our visit, we were only successful in retrieving funds once out of three attempts.

Time Eastern Standard Time

Transportation Car rentals seemed the most efficient means of transportation. Our rental car company left the car in a parking lot near the tiny Exuma airport. It was up to us to find their office in George Town and pay for the rental. When we departed the island we just left the car in the same parking lot.

Technology Our luxury rental house had most of the comforts of home including electricity, running water and flushing toilets. Individual air conditioning units chilled our bedroom. The living room and kitchen were cooled by the ocean breezes. There was a phone (and fax machine) in the house but the connection was poor. Our U.S. cell phones never found a signal on the island. We saw Internet cafes advertising Internet access and heard there was cable television although neither was available in our rental home.

The rental car company where we hired our car said a cell phone was included with our rental. When we arrived they said it was a mistake and refused to give us the cell phone.

Facilities There were banks, a pharmacy, a grocery store, a bakery, a liquor store, at least two Internet cafes.

Shopping And Souvenirs There were straw hats, T-shirts and souvenirs in the George Town street market. There were also luxury items such as facial creams, incense, resort wear and flip flops at the Four Seasons boutique.

Tourism Highlights Exuma’s greatest treasure was its sparkling azure waters and white sandy beaches. There was also George Town, the main village; Williams Town, the village in Little Exuma, home of Mom’s Bakery, the only bakery on Exuma we were told; and the shark shacks for waterside fried fish and friendly Bahamian chatter. In addition to the options offered by the hotels, sunbathing, snorkeling, fishing, diving, golf, and boating were the more likely attractions.

Other Exuma is also called the Exumas, and is the largest of a string of 365 cays stretched over 100 miles. It is one of the Family Islands of The Bahamas.

Date Of Latest Visit June 2006

Reviewers© 2006 Simon and Baker, Inc.

Article by Elena del Valle

Photographs by Gary Cox

Would You Visit This Attraction Again? Yes

Overall Impression Our stay in the aptly named Sugar Beach Villa was wonderful. Although living in South Florida with access to world famous beaches has made us pickier than most about beaches we thoroughly enjoyed the Villa’s swimming pool like beach. In addition to an exceptional white sand and turquoise water beach, the new looking property had many advantages that made it stand out.

The four-million dollar Sugar Beach Villa was secluded, in excellent condition, well furnished, clean, and sunlit. It was off the beaten path on Little Exuma, the island south of Grand Exuma, and set on a nearly private beach (three houses shared the beach). Surrounded by a verdant and flowering sea of oleander, hibiscus, frangipani, jasmine, corkscrew, palm trees, casuarinas, and sea grapes, it was designed to take maximum advantage of its beachfront setting. From the road, the profile of the buildings revealed little of the magic within. Once on site, we discovered a comfort oriented, colorful and homey estate.

Sugar Beach Villa consisted of several buildings set slightly apart on a hill with marvelous ocean vistas. The second story of the main building was one of our favorite places to spend time. Either on the ocean facing breezy area of the wrap around porch or indoors sitting on one of several cushy sofas, it was relaxing to just spend time looking out over the greenery of the property and beyond to the ocean blue.

Spraying liberal quantities of mosquito repellent we brought kept the swarms of mosquitoes and no-seems at bay. The air conditioning in the bedrooms worked well keeping the rooms fresh for a good night sleep. Oceanside breezes, taking a dip in the beach, a cold drink and sitting outside in the shade went a long way toward cooling us from the stifling summer heat during the day. If we had to retreat indoors to the main house living area because of the mosquitoes or the occasional summer shower, we opened all the windows and sliding glass doors.

We will recommend Sugar Beach Villa to do-it-yourself friends who like to get away from it all or are willing to pay extra for customized shopping and cooking. We particularly appreciated the property’s thoughtfully appointed design and quiet ambiance (except for two days when the cleaning lady arrived unannounced and the manager’s daily visits we were mostly alone on the expansive property). Although there were more opulently appointed, larger, and more centrally located hotels and luxury villas in Exuma, Sugar Beach Villa had the best private beach we saw and an overall superb combination of features. It’s a new island favorite for us.

Class Of Accommodation Beachfront private luxury villa

Connectivity There was a hand held phone and fax machine in the dining building. Phone connections were very poor while we were there and there was no signal for our cell phone. Every time we made a call within the island the sound was garbled requiring that we repeat ourselves and speak loudly.

Handicapped Access Stairs were scattered through the entire property; at the entrance, between the house, kitchen, guest cottage, dining cottage and to access the beach.

Length Of Stay Five nights

Location In the island of Little Exuma just south of Great Exuma in The Bahamas. It was about 50 minutes by car from the airport to the house, the last mile or two on a gravel road. Sugar Beach Villa was north of Williams Town and adjacent to Cotton Creek.

Owned-Managed Liz Edlic and Dale Kinsella

Size The 6,000 square foot multi-acre property featured several stand alone buildings and a total of six sleeping areas.

There was a two-story a main house with two full size bedrooms and two bathrooms and two small bedrooms with en suite half bathrooms, a studio style guest cottage with en suite bathroom and kitchen; a kitchen building; and a dining room building with studio accommodations including a queen bed, bar and en suite bathroom.

Year Opened The Villa was built in 2000 and the most recent renovations were in 2006. It looked new when we were there.

DÉCor The property had a California meets The Bahamas “island plantation” style by Edlic Design. There were gauzy colored cloth strips in lieu of curtains, bright colors set over neutral backgrounds, faux antique finishes, “drift wood” and wrought iron elements, plastic flowers, tiled floors, tiled kitchen counters, tiled bathroom walls and sunlit rooms throughout. We also spotted a couple of oil paintings and a watercolor.

The emphasis in the building design was centered on the view, especially in the main house which had a wrap around porch with a 360-degree view of the sea and surrounding greenery. Interior walls were painted in bright yellow, orange, blue and pink hues.

The main house floor was of over sized beige tiles throughout. The main house had a Onkyo receiver and CD player connected to two speakers hanging on the living area walls. The dining building had an Aiwa CD and cassette player.

Property And Common Areas The property lent itself to socializing, relaxing and contemplating. It was divided into the following areas: a main house, a guest cottage above the garage, a large kitchen room with a small adjacent dining area, a dining room with living and sleeping areas, the gardens and the beach area. Access to the beach was via one of three staircases. One beach access area, directly in front of the main house, had a wood deck. A sandy area to the east of the deck led via a wooden staircase to the beach. These two beachside areas had a thatched umbrella for shade and four comfortable lounge chairs.

The main house had two large and two small bedrooms, two full bathrooms and three half bathrooms, a living area including a small dining table, kitchen facilities and wrap around porches on the two levels. The cottage above the garage had a bed and living room furniture as well as a small kitchen in a studio setting.

The kitchen building was between the main house and the separate dining building. It consisted of a kitchen with a refrigerator and freezer, dishwasher, stove (oven didn’t work), and microwave oven. There was ample counter space and stools. Beyond the sliding glass doors of the entrance there was a small table with chairs for in-kitchen dining. An air conditioning unit could be turned on to cool the building.

A few steps away, the dining building was set in a studio style. It had a large (7×7) and attractive water facing “drift wood” frame bed with drawers underneath. There was also a bar with stools, fax and phone machine, dining area with seating for 10, a living area with sound system and bathroom. Attractive accents included light green wood floors, two skylights, a woven grass ceiling and bright yellow walls. There were two wood deck areas near the building; one to the left of the entrance (west) with lounge chairs and an umbrella and a lower level area in front with deck chairs.

The centerpiece of the property was the water facing main house. The top floor housed a sunlit living area painted in bright yellow and orange and surrounded by large windows and sliding glass doors to take optimum advantage of the magnificent sea view and ocean breezes. In the area nearest the sea facing window the cloth furniture was comfortable and arranged close together, inviting guests to socialize and listen to music (there was a sound system). There were two cloth sofas, an armchair, a cloth footstool, two glass covered rattan tables, a wood table and two upright lamps. Three white fans hung from the exposed wood ceiling keeping the incoming fresh air circulating. Although there was no air conditioning in this room, three sliding glass doors and three small windows permitted allowed cross currents to freshen the room.

On the other side of the room there was a four-seat dining set. This is where we enjoyed our meals while soaking up the view. Wood arm chairs with pale green cloth cushions circled around a glass table with a bamboo shoots center. Adjacent to the table there was a rattan sofa and armchair set and a wood table. A large wood framed mirror hung in the back wall reflecting the view and light into the room. There was a door less kitchen with green tiled counters and matching wood cabinets. It had a refrigerator and sink. Although there was a gas stove and oven they didn’t work and there were no kitchen utensils, cutlery, crockery, pots and pans or glassware in the cabinets. These were in the kitchen building. At meal times, we would make the food in the kitchen building and bring it back to the main house. The only time this was a bit cumbersome was at breakfast during a particularly long lasting thunderstorm.

One of our favorite areas was the upstairs wrap around porch of the main house. Cushiony rattan arm chairs, love seats and tables allowed us to relax while enjoying the sea breeze and view of the property, beach, and ocean. There was a four-seat white rattan dining set on one side. On the other side, six wood rockers and chairs faced east toward the guest cottage in the foreground and Williams Town beyond it.

Bathrooms A door less bathroom was at the back of the master bedroom. A large mirror occupied half the wall above twin ceramic sinks which looked handpainted. A short half step away the rest of the bathroom included a towel stand, toilet, large tub (the hot water was sufficient to make the tub one quarter full), metal towel racks and a separate tiled shower.

The second bedroom and two smaller rooms shared a full bathroom (each of the small rooms had en suite toilet and sink) with a shower. Upstairs, there was a half bathroom at the top of the stairs with a pretty ceramic sink set. There was also a shower head outside the master bedroom allowing us to rinse off the sand and salt prior to entering the house.

Rooms The master bedroom in the main house was comfortably furnished and chilled with the help of an air conditioning wall unit. The salient feature, as with the common room upstairs, was its magnificent 180-degree view of the ocean. A king bed with a beautiful “drift wood” frame occupied the middle of the room facing sliding glass doors toward the beach. Wood night tables and lamps were on either side of the bed and a similar “drift wood” bench was at the foot of the bed facing the ocean. There was a cloth love seat and table near the entrance of the room, and a wood armoire on each side of the room. There was also a cloth and rattan seat with matching footstool next to a book case, facing the bed.

Meals We usually prepared breakfast and lunch. Dinner was at a restaurant or made by “Jolly,” the house manager. On our second night, “Jolly” served small crayfish tails, beans’-n-rice, and a green salad with citrus dressing. Another night we arrived back after early dinner in George Town to discover he had made broiled grouper in a light tomato, onion and celery sauce with the same beans-n-rice dish and simple green salad. The night before we left, “Jolly” prepared broiled grouper, white rice and the same style of green salad. Dinner was $100 plus the cost of the fish. All dishes were prepared with frozen seafood.

Amenities There were OneWorldLive trial size facial creams and soft soap in the sink of the bathroom. The linen was of good quality cotton. We appreciated the thick and clean smelling towels and plentiful beach towels.

Beach A two-minute walk from the buildings led us through the property to the narrow beach. The sand was nearly white like refined sugar and powdery to the touch. When the tide was low, the shallow water was like a swimming pool. At high tide the turquoise waters claimed the beach. One of the things we enjoyed most about the property was having the magical turquoise clear shallow water beach almost completely to ourselves. Although we shared the beach with three other homes, only once did we see or hear anyone on our part of the beach.

Other Breeze, an enthusiastic mix breed, lived on the grounds. Although she often followed us around and constantly begged to be petted, she was endearing. There were also two cats that seemed to spend most of their time by their food bowls on the table in front of the kitchen building.

We received the incidentals bill half an hour before our afternoon departure. Credit card dependent creatures that we are, we had minimal cash on hand. We also had to pay for groceries in cash early in the week because the credit card processor was down due to an island wide phone outage.

The house, in a remote area, remained unlocked during our stay and we never received a key to the doors. Twice we noticed a man on the property who said he was looking for “Jolly.” There was no lock box or secure area so we kept our passports and other valuables with us.

To reach the house from the main road it was necessary to drive through a gravel road. Although we had no trouble with our small and low to the ground rental car, we met neighbors who damaged a tire driving on the gravel road. We heard the previous guests rented a jeep and would consider renting a jeep ourselves the next time.

Although it was at the shop during our stay, ordinarily it was possible to go tooling, snorkeling on the owner’s boat with “Jolly” for a supplementary fee.

Cleanliness Excellent

Date Of Review June 2006

Reviewers© 2006 Simon and Baker, Inc.

Article by Elena del Valle

Photographs by Gary Cox

Service We were, for the most part, on our own. Bernard Jolly, “Jolly,” the grounds keeper, cook, boat captain and all around man, met us at the airport. We followed him in our rented car to the house where he showed us around before leaving for the night. Audrey, the cleaning lady, came by unannounced for a couple of hours one morning and again at 8 a.m. the day we departed. There was a $60 charge for each time the cleaning lady was at the house, including preparing the property for the arriving guests.

Would You Stay There Again? Yes

Overall The Bahamas is a member of the British Commonwealth, and a former British Colony. The principle industry here is tourism, and the primary attractions are the ocean and warm weather. If you enjoy beaches, fishing, diving, boating and other watersports; the Bahamas are a great place to visit. The pace of life is less hectic and moves slower than in other places, making it perfect to relax and soak up the sun.

Cost Of Visiting : Moderate to Expensive

Currency U.S. dollars, Bahamian dollars

How To Get There Commercial carriers fly daily to the larger airports in Nassau and Freeport. There are daily flights to Marsh Harbor and Eleuthera from the U.S. mainland. There are also several smaller carriers that travel between islands and carriers flying from Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. We found it more practical to ask our resort what they recommend, as it may be difficult to identify the carriers and charter companies. Many travel agencies will not have the information in their computer systems.

Location A collection of islands just off the eastern shores of the U.S.A (Florida) and just North of the Caribbean.

Technology Level Telephones, cable television from the U.S. mainland and satellite, cellular phones are all widely available. Internet access is available for locals, but does not seem to be popular with most of the hotels (perhaps due to low demand fromguest there to relax).

Transportation Rental cars, hotel transport, boats, ferries, charter flights and taxis

Facilities Nassau has many large hotels and casinos. There is also a wide variety of shops and markets for vacationers, although prices are rarely a bargain. Native crafts and souveniers such as conch shells, coconuts and items woven from palm fronds are fun and inexpensive. The outer islands are a bit more restricted in their offerings and hours of operation.

Advantages Easy access from the U.S. mainland and straightforward tourism policies. When we last visited no visas were required for citizens of the U.S. and many other countries. The weather and pretty beaches are popular. Water sports of all kinds, from boating to fishing to scuba diving all widely available. The out(er) islanders seem friendly and welcoming.

Challenges The laid back attitude is great if you are a guest trying to relax, but it often means that maintenance is lax and attention to detail is a bit hard to find. Most of the properties seem to have trouble finding good workers to care for the resorts once they are built. Initial construction is usually quite good, but the ocean and elements exert tremendous pressure on the construction components and paint. This gives everything a bit of a “weathered” look and sometimes means the power does not stay on, the water may not always be working and air conditioning may not always be available. Note that there are high and low seasons, and many properties may not have all their facilities operational during low season (for example, some areas only offer scuba diving and deep sea fishing during the high season. Hurricanes are also a serious challenge. We keep an eye on the Atlantic when planning a trip between July and October.

Reviewers Article by Elena del Valle

Photos by Gary Cox