A small prop plane pushes off from the tarmac in Fort Lauderdale, whisking me above the brilliant blue seas of the Caribbean in an instant. Somewhere beyond the clouds, my destination awaits: the southern portion of Andros Island, one of the most sparsely populated of the Bahamas’ thirty inhabited islands, despite being its largest in size.
With its tiny population and largely untouched shoreline, Andros Island offers a raw, authentic experience that feels refreshingly unique among the increasingly booming islands of the Bahamas. Among the only outposts along these sugary sands, a singular luxury hotel on South Andros sets it apart from the rest of the islands in the archipelago, making it a destination worth visiting that draws visitors back again and again.
Welcome to South Andros
Even with over 700 islands to its name, the Bahamas consists of just a select few sizable islands with a permanent population, with even fewer drawing notable numbers of visitors. Most Bahamas-bound travelers stick close to Nassau or barely step off their cruise ship in Freeport; the nation’s so-called “Out Islands” are rarely visited in comparison. Among them is Andros Island, ideal for those who can’t stand the thought of a cookie-cutter vacation in a place like the Bahamas’ larger ports.
The appeal of Andros and the rest of the Out Islands is easy to see. Within minutes of my departure from Fort Lauderdale, I landed at the tiniest one-and-a-half-room international airport you can imagine, fit for an island with fewer than 8,000 permanent residents, as of the last count. It takes no more than fifteen minutes from wheels down at the airport to the gates of Caerula Mar Club, the sole luxury boutique property on the island, and only a few minutes more to sink into the serenity of vacation mode.
Caerula Mar’s slender size feels in step with South Andros, which remains largely untouched and attracts only the most escape-minded visitors seeking paradise far from the crowds. With just 18 spacious rooms and six sizeable villas, this boutique property is, for many guests, one of the smallest properties they’ve visited in the Caribbean. That’s the whole point; over the course of a four-day weekend, I don’t run into more than thirty people if I’m lucky.
Along sands so wonderfully white they exceed any postcard I’ve ever seen, I’m mostly left to my own sweet devices to contemplate life’s important questions. How could such a paradisical patch of the Caribbean avoid the built-up, busy fate of its neighbors? How many sting rays and glittering tropical can I spot through the crystal waters of the shore? My toughest choice of the day: should I order a piña colada or try the strawberry daiquiri?
Caerula Mar
Caerula Mar Club is actually quite a well-known destination, though if you’re not a fan of home improvement reality television, you’d never know it. The property gained fame when it appeared on HGTV Canada’s series “Island of Bryan,” which was later rebranded as “Renovation Island” for its release in the United States. The show followed owners Brian and Sarah Baeumler as they purchased the once-abandoned hotel property and transformed it into Caerula Mar, navigating island life and raising their four children along the way.
Since its 2020 debut, Caerula Mar has drawn numerous visitors eager to experience the property for themselves after watching its top-to-bottom renovation unfold on screen. While the property still attracts guests keen to see the spot after watching it on television, they’re few and far between when compared to guests coming simply for the sun, sand, and simple luxury of this family-friendly, laid-back spot. Many guests return to the destination year after year, some even more frequently.
Even considering the property’s small size, the warm and welcoming atmosphere draws visitors back again and again. “You never want to leave,” warned one of my fellow guests as she ended her first trip to Caerula Mar. “We were invited here by friends, who took our visit as an excuse to come back again themselves. I didn’t necessarily understand the appeal of such a small property when they told me, but now I do, and we’re already planning a return visit with our kids.”
Can you blame them? There’s not a single room on the property that is less than a few dozen steps from the sand. Sleek and stylish, the property simultaneously exudes an effortless home-away-from-home feel, featuring an oceanfront bar and dining, a charming coffee shop, a small spa space, an outdoor pizza oven, and ample watersports gear to make the most of blissful days by the beach. The rooms are lovely, but the bungalows are even better, spacious and surrounded by palms, with oversized terraces facing the ocean; many are perched directly on the sand.
Island Appeal
What you won’t find is every over-the-top amenity reading like a laundry list or a to-do list to clutter your vacation; you certainly won’t find the crowds. What you will find instead is boundless natural beauty, warm design, and ample space to connect with friends and family while disconnecting from the rest of the world.
As the biggest and busiest islands in the Bahamas continue to grow even bigger and busier with increasing tour numbers, it’s just the kind of experience that feels reserved for visitors willing to head to destinations like Caerula Mar.