Cotton Bay's Comeback -- In the heyday of Pan American Airlines and its founder, Juan Trippe, Cotton Bay Club was the chicest enclave in The Bahamas. Once a household name in the U.S., Trippe was a relatively forgotten figure until his character appeared in The Aviator, Martin Scorsese's film about Howard Hughes. Cotton Bay Club was where the who's who of America went barefoot in the sand. But ever since it folded, it has been a ghost of itself, despite its picture-perfect beaches. Change, however, is on the way.
Expected to open sometime in 2010, Cotton Bay Villas is a complex of one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom hotel villas surrounding a clubhouse. In addition to generous living and dining areas, the large bedrooms include a private bathroom and dressing area, a separate powder room, a laundry, and a fully equipped kitchen. Activities will center around the clubhouse, the hub of dining, shopping, tennis, spa activities, and a large pool. Future plans call for a golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. For more information, contact Cotton Bay Estate, P.O. Box EL-26040, Rock Sound, Eleuthera, The Bahamas (tel. 800/255-4539 or 242/334-6520; www.discovercottonbay.com).
