This is one of the most ecologically conscious -- and one of the most luxurious -- Club Meds in the Western Hemisphere. Set at the edge of one of the archipelago's most pristine beaches, about 3km (1 3/4 miles) north of Cockburn Town, it's the splashiest resort in the Southern Bahamas. Its promoters estimate that more than 30% of the island's population works here.

The resort is built around a large free-form swimming pool. Most of the prefabricated buildings here were barged to the site in 1991. The public rooms are some of the country's most lavish and cosmopolitan, with art and objects imported from Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe, and assembled by a battalion of adept designers. Bedrooms each contain a private balcony or patio, furniture that was custom-made in Thailand or the Philippines, sliding-glass doors, and feathered wall hangings crafted in the Brazilian rainforest by members of the Xingu tribe. Accommodations are large (among the most spacious in the entire chain) and contain mostly twin beds, though you might be able to snag one of the units with a double or a king-size bed if you're lucky. Dozens of multilingual GOs (guest-relations organizers, or gentils organisateurs) are on hand to help initiate newcomers into the resort's many diversions. Unlike many other Club Meds, this one does not encourage bringing children and deliberately offers no particular facilities for their entertainment.

The main dining room, where meals are an ongoing series of buffets, lies in the resort's center. Two specialty restaurants offer Italian and grilled food. Nonfat, low-calorie, and vegetarian dishes are also available. Nightly entertainment is presented in a covered open-air theater and on a dance floor behind one of the bars.