THE LATEST HAPPENINGS IN THE OUT ISLANDS

OUT ISLANDS

Made up of over 700 islands and cays, The Bahamas offers a lifetime of exploration. The destination's 14 Out Islands – each telling its own captivating story – are perfect options for travelers seeking a serene escape to unspoiled beauty and tranquil landscapes. From the peaceful allure of Abaco's sailing havens to the compelling depths of Dean's Blue Hole on Long Island, there is something for everyone to enjoy across these slices of paradise. Eleuthera's pink sand shores and Harbour Island's colonial charm invite visitors to disconnect and unwind; Bimini's storied past and the significance of San Salvador's first Columbus landing satisfy history buffs, while the vibrant marine life around Exuma's cays and quiet sanctuaries of Inagua's untouched wilderness invite visitors to connect with nature.

Whether you seek adventure, relaxation, or a cultural connection, the Out Islands beckon with bucket-list travel experiences, enough to last a lifetime.

INCREASED AIRLIFT

New and expanded flights are making The Bahamas more accessible, with boosts from major carriers.

• American Airlines: Increased Miami-Marsh Harbour and North Eleuthera to three times daily (December 18, 2025–January 5, 2026).
• Tradewind Aviation: Scheduled by-the-seat flights Palm Beach to Marsh Harbour/Abaco and North Eleuthera through May 26, 2025.
• Tropic Airways: Tropic Ocean Airways announced the launch of scheduled flights between Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and North Eleuthera (ELH) beginning Friday, June 20, 2025. Flights will operate three times per week, offering travelers a convenient and reliable option to reach North Eleuthera and nearby Harbour Island.
  • Tropic Ocean Airways also expanded capacity from Fort Lauderdale to the Bahamian island of Bimini. The route, which currently operates seven days a week between Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE) and South Bimini Airport (NSB)
• Makers Air: Fort Lauderdale Executive to Long Island (ongoing); three weekly flights starting
• Aztec Airways: Offering out of a private terminal at For Lauderdale (FLL), travelers often enjoy the convenience of free parking, no long TSA lines, and quick boarding.
  • At the start of August, the air service offered new flights between Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Marsh Harbour, Abaco (MHH). Flights depart on a daily basis, three times a week.
  • An additional route that started August 1st, includes new daily flights to North Eleuthera (ELH). The new route runs seven days a week from Fort Lauderdale (FLL).
  • Beginning in November, Aztec Airways is adding a new nonstop route between Fort Lauderdale (FLL) and Georgetown in Exuma that will run twice per week.

WHAT'S COMING

• Grand Bahama Island:
  • Bluewater Lucayan Resort & Marina – A new condo hotel and marina development is on the horizon in Grand Bahama that will feature a 75-unit condo-hotel and a 115-slip first class Mega Yacht Marina. Resort amenities will include a pool, gazebo and green walkway areas, a central plaza with high-end commercial and retail spaces to include but not limited to a Clubhouse, spa facility, ship store, chandlery, restaurant and a food store.  
  • Eden Hotels and Resort - New construction has been approved to develop 2 hotels comprising of 290 rooms and 150 suites, 500 villas, 120 townhouses, 7 restaurants/bars, a recreation center, a visitor center, a 60-dock slip marina, seafood and produce farms, back of house facilities.  
  • Six Senses Grand Bahama – Six Senses is coming to Grand Bahama. Plans revealed that the property will have 70 villas and 28 residences, and amenities include a Six Senses Spa, dining venues, oceanfront pool and private beach club. The property is being developed with sustainability in mind, with efforts such as restoring beaches, using native plants and sourcing construction materials locally. Six Senses Grand Bahama is slated to open in 2026.
  • Carnival Cruises Celebration Key – Set to debut on July 19, 2025, the cruise operator is opening a new destination. Celebration Key will have a wide range of attractions, such as the largest freshwater lagoon in the Caribbean, over 30 food and beverage options, and a water park.

• Harbour Island/Eleuthera:  
  • North Eleuthera Airport Upgrades: The planned upgrades will encompass a complete overhaul of the terminal facilities, as well as airside improvements that include the revamp of the runway and an expanded apron space. Once completed, it will be able to accommodate 400 passengers in the departure lounge and significant retail space. 
  • The Potlatch Club is now open. The hotel is 20 minutes from Governor's Harbour Airport, which offers direct flights from Miami on American, and an hour from North Eleuthera Airport, where American and Silver Airways offer daily service from Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Nassau.  
  • The owner of the Coral Sands Hotel in Harbour Island, Tom Sherman, recently requested approval for extensive renovations to the hotel property with an estimated capital expenditure of $22.4 million  
  • The Farm, a recent addition to the Little Island Hotels collection, is an off-grid resort named for the organic farm that supplies produce for the brand's surrounding properties. Sustainability, health, and relaxation are key focuses, as the resort harnesses solar power and farming technology such as aquaponics, agri-voltaics and arboriculture. Rustic-chic, the property houses chickens, ducks, a budding orchard, a gym and a pool. The future on-site farm-to-table restaurant is still in the design process, but the current direction is a vegetarian expression of food, celebrating the produce that is grown on property.
  • Jack's Bay, Eleuthera Island – Debuting Phase I in fall 2025, the project will feature four Atlantic Club Cottages and the Atlantic Clubhouse with a beachside restaurant, spa, racquet courts, and more. The Tiger Woods' TGR designed playground course will also reopen this fall, with the Jack Nicklaus Heritage™ 18-hole course following in 2026.
  • Ritz-Carlton Reserve at Cotton Bay – Set to open in 2027, the Ritz-Carlton Reserve at Cotton Bay broke ground in South Eleuthera earlier this year. It is expected to feature 110 rooms and 97 Ritz-Carlton Reserve branded residences, offering owners a one-of-a-kind living experience with a refined mix of three- to five-bedroom villas. Luxury amenities will include signature restaurants, a lavish spa and wellness sanctuary, swimming pools and an 18-hole championship golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones II.

• Bimini: 
  • Recently approved to construct a $73 million project that will include:  
    • A beach club inclusive of pools, food and beverage facilities and entertainment areas.
    • Expansion of jetty to facilitate the docking of cruise ships up to the Oasis class and the docking of cruise ships on either side of the jetty.
    • Expansion of the existing reception terminal building and the addition of space for commercial concessions to include improved retail, duty free shopping and food and beverage facilities.
    • The development of a guest tram stop and the expansion of facilities to accommodate support operations including additional vehicles for the transportation of guest and supplies.
    • Construction of warehouse buildings to facilitation the relocation of Resort's World Bimini operational warehouse and consolidate at a single location.
    • The installation of a 200ft floating dock in the Fisherman's village to facilitate shore excursions and other water sport activities.
  • Situated on Bimini's Rockwell Island, the 750-acre Banyan Tree Bimini Resort & Residences site will house 54 custom waterfront residences, a 50-key five-star hotel with overwater bungalows and an onsite Bonito Beach Club. While the first residences will be complete in 2025, the projected grand opening for the Banyan Tree Bimini hotel will not be until 2027. 
  • Guests of the exclusive Bonito Beach Club (opened February 2025) will have access to a fine dining restaurant, VIP table service, padel and tennis courts, private cabanas, and beach chairs with bottle and caviar services. The seafood focused menu features Hamachi espuma, spiny lobster ceviche and Bahamian favorites such as conch salad, among others.   

• Long Island:  
  • A new cruise line destination, marina and residential resort area named “Calypso Cove” has been announced to open on 1,066 acres of privately-owned land located in South Long Island, Bahamas.  New Residential Resort & Marina in Long Island, Bahamas - Approved four-phase master plan to be completed on 1,440 acres of land.
    • Phase 1 to consist of 150 slip marina, boardwalk, plazas, natural mangrove pool, cafes, restaurants, bars, local businesses, watersports, nature tours, fishing excursions, 64 bed lagoon hotel, 127 bed oceanfront hotel, 17 large estate lots, 68 residential lots, 85 single family homes, & nature reserve.   
    • Phase 2 to consist of 196 residential lots.
    • Phase 3 to consist of 47-slip marina, 75 bed hotel, 160 bed hotel & 58 single family lots.   
    • Phase 4 to consist of 15-acre marina with a board walk, shops, restaurants, recreational activities, 220 room beachfront hotel & 12 residential lots.  

• Exuma:  
  • Rosewood Hotels & Resorts - are expanding their portfolio with Rosewood Exuma with a $200 million project. Expected to open in 2028, the resort will be situated on a 124-acre private island and is slated to have 33 suites with stunning views of the island's beaches and waters. The property will provide a mix of high-end and adventure travel, as well as Bahamian culture incorporated in food and wellness offerings. 
  • Sandals Resorts International - is bringing its Beaches family brand to the Bahamas, announcing plans to transform the Sandals Emerald Bay into the Beaches Exuma. 
  • Cave Cay – a mixed-use luxury resort is set to open in Exuma, comprising of 45-key boutique hotel, 17 over the water units, 23 ocean view units, 5 four-bedroom villas, a residential component to include 214 residences consisting of 38 estate homes, 92 villas and 84 cottages. Additional construction will include upgrading the marina to 98 slips, constructing a beach club, marina village, fine and casual dining restaurant, wellness and fitness club, and more.   
  • The Enclave at Tropic of Cancer Beach - Approved-in-principle to develop a second home resort community known as "The Enclave" on approx. 105.10 acres. The plan will include 20-mile roadworks, 7 buildings with 28 bedrooms and guest amenities, and recreational aspects.   
  • Four Seasons Yachts have added the Bahamas as a destination for 2027. The 95-suite ship will embark on a five-night sail to the Exumas, making stops along Exuma Sound.  
  • Amancaya – Under construction on a private island in Exuma, this ultra-luxury resort and residences will blend high-end amenities with eco-friendly design (anticipated for the 2026-2027 timeframe).
  • Bvlgari Resort & Mansions Cave Cay – Opening in 2029 on a 220-acre private island, featuring luxury accommodations and mansions.

• Other Out Islands: 
  • Located on Great Harbour Cay, within the Berry Islands chain, The OSPREY (opened March 2024) will be a beachfront property abundant with thatch berry palms and other indigenous trees. Guests will enjoy 400 feet of direct beach access, part of a five-mile stretch of sandy white beach. A talented Bahamian architect has amplified the ocean views and transformed Osprey villa and cottages into a tropical elegance display, enhanced by vaulted ceilings, inviting porches and decks, and detailed roof lines. Fun Fact: The island was once the meeting place and playground for such notables as Cary Grant, Jack Nicklaus, The Rockefellers, Ingrid Bergman and Douglas Fairbanks.     
  • A new $13 million luxury villa resort will be coming to The Bahamas comprising of approximately 24 villas, fine and casual dining restaurants, wellness and fitness gyms, 6 private pools and a guest pool, 3 cabanas, a reception, and lobby building, a Tree Bar and back of house facilities.  
  • Jamaican businessman, Mr. Adam Stewart, is set to construct and develop a boutique hotel consisting of 5-10 villas, a restaurant/bar (open to resort guests & general public), Luxury 1,2- & 3-bedroom villas (EP, not all inclusive), dock slip holding minimum five (5) boats.  
  • Slated to open in late 2025, Montage Hotels & Resorts is opening their first private island development in the Abacos. Montage Cay will have 50 all-suite accommodations, over-water bungalows, and residences. The 53-acre property will also feature a full-service spa, made with sustainably sourced materials, and a fitness center. 
  • Treasure Cay Revitalization: $177 million dollar investment is expected to enhance infrastructure, tourism, and local amenities, helping to restore its reputation as a premier destination in the Bahamas. The plans include upgrades to resorts, beaches, and recreational facilities, with a focus on sustainability and community involvement.  
  • Abaco is working to develop a cabanas expansion project that will consist of thirty (30) new family cabanas on Serenity Bay, two additional restrooms, One pavilion, One food and beverage building, and other back of house facilities.