Lap Up the Luxury at Our Lucaya

Everyone loves a survivor. So it’s no wonder The Radisson Grand Bahama Island Our Lucaya Resort is popular. The hurricane season of 2004 will go down in history as one of the worst, wreaking havoc on hotels throughout the Caribbean. But this property—in the line of fire just 55 miles off the coast of Florida on Grand Bahama Island—came out of the whipping winds unscathed.

This sprawling 372-acre complex first opened in 2000 and was taken over in 2003 by the Starwood group. Starwood then proceeded to do what it has been doing best in recent years … transforming the large, generic chain hotel experience into something stylish and personal. The Radisson shares the complex with its sister hotel, a Sheraton, and it would be easier to list the facilities and amenities this place doesn’t have than those it does. Where to begin?

For the tee set, Our Lucaya has two championship, 18-hole golf courses. Designed by Dick Wilson and built in 1962, the Lucaya Course incorporates tropical foliage for more challenging play. The newer Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed reef course opened in 2000, with wider fairways and water features in 13 of its 18 holes. In addition, golfers can hone their techniques at the Butch Harmon Golf School, which offers indoor and outdoor practice facilities and computerized video equipment.

The actual Radisson is located at the far end of the property, making it the more private option of the two hotels. Even its standard accommodations are spacious, measuring in at 400-square-feet, and its family suites with efficiency kitchens are over 1,000-square-feet. Luxury Suites have four rooms, and there is a five-room Penthouse Suite with a dining room, kitchenette, library and large private balcony. The majority of the 749 guestrooms and suites overlook the ocean, with views also encompassing Port Lucaya Marina, Bell Channel waterway, the beaches and the tropical gardens. Airy, light-filled and decorated in cool, Caribbean colors, all accommodations are furnished with data ports, cable TV, bathrobes and coffee makers.

When it comes to dining, you can choose from a Vegas-size array of venues, each with its own distinct cuisine and style. Churchill’s Chop House serves steak and seafood, China Beach offers Pacific Rim flavors and Iries presents Caribbean fare. At Portobellos you can nibble on Italian cuisine, al fresco beneath a pretty stone arch with views of the sea. And if you want java, a cocktail or even a cigar, you’re set. As with every other aspect of this place, you’ll be hard pressed to find a craving that can’t be fulfilled.

With all the active ways to spend your time, Senses Spa brings balance to each day. Its treatments incorporate ingredients indigenous to the island, and offer a whimsical play on the spa’s name. For example, guests can choose from massages that offer a sense of peace, sense of relief or sense of joy. Signature offerings include the Total Senses Massage with two therapists and the Bahamian Wrapsody, in which an exfoliation using freshly squeezed limes is followed by a rum, aloe and island spice body wrap.

For seekers of action, relaxation or romance, The Radisson Grand Bahama Island Our Lucaya Resort is an excellent choice for a Caribbean getaway.