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Kamalame Cay

KAMALAME CAY
Separated from the Andros mainland by a turquoise inlet, Kamalame Cay is an oasis of laidback hospitality, lush tropical foliage and deserted, white sand beaches. A 96-acre private island edged by the Andros Great Barrier Reef and worldclass bone fishing flats, the island’s southern side is home to an idyllic resort while the even more secluded north coast shoreline offers an untouched expanse of coast for beachcomber ...

KAMALAME CAY
Separated from the Andros mainland by a turquoise inlet, Kamalame Cay is an oasis of laidback hospitality, lush tropical foliage and deserted, white sand beaches. A 96-acre private island edged by the Andros Great Barrier Reef and worldclass bone fishing flats, the island’s southern side is home to an idyllic resort while the even more secluded north coast shoreline offers an untouched expanse of coast for beachcombers and barefoot explorers.

Equipped with an Overwater Spa, Tennis Courts, Freshwater Pool, Great House, Tiki Bar & Grill, Wi-Fi Lounge, and Boutique, Kamalame welcomes guests into a collection of individually designed West Indies cottages, bungalows and villas and boasts some of the finest cuisine in the islands.

DINING
Dining is central to the Kamalame experience. Known for it’s imaginative and constantly evolving menus of seasonal, Asian-accented Bahamian cuisine; the restaurant at The Great House is among the finest in the region.
Furnished with a selection of art, books, antiques, Asian and West Indies décor, the verandah-wrapped Great House is Kamalame’s central gathering place. An island dining room, lounge and bar, with an international selection of fine wines and spirits, where daily menus feature fresh seafood, top tier imported game and fowl, tropical fruit and locally sourced produce.
Pastries and breads are baked on site; organic honey and greens come from the Mennonite farm on Andros. Spring water is collected from local wells and filtered via reverse osmosis; coconut water collected from the island’s palms trees. Dedicated to maintaining the health and abundance of the Great Barrier Reef offshore, Kamalame serves only mature, in-season seafood.

THE OVERWATER SPA
Relax, Refresh, Rejuvenate: The only overwater spa in The Bahamas blends island indulgence with organic luxury for a holistic sensory experience. Using all-natural, aromatherapy products, Kamalame’s aestheticians offer a range of facials, scrubs, wraps, manicure, pedicures, massages, and wraps. If you prefer, massage may also be arranged for your suite at no extra charge. Please see your in-room Spa Guide for the list of treatments.

NATUROPATHICA
A custom line of wild-crafted, performance-based products created from premium, botanical ingredients, The Spa’s in-house line is ECOCERT approved. Conceived by Barbara Close, the renowned aromatherapist, clinical esthetician, and herbalist, Naturopathica is 100% organic and sustainable. Rooted in the belief that beautiful, healthy skin begins with eliminating harmful synthetics and irritants such as parabens, glycols or sulfates, before nurturing it with clinically proven antioxidants and peptides.

“We buy raw materials in small batches from local artisans, herbalists and farmers, many of whom I know by name.
I invite you to twist open one of our signature blue bottles and enjoy the aromatic power of our premium botanical ingredients.”

— Naturopathica Founder, Barbara Close


FAMILY & HISTORY

Born and raised in post-colonial Jamaica, Brian and Jennifer Hew came of age in an era when the island nation was a jewel of the Commonwealth; its sultry, tropical ambiance steeped in British and Caribbean heritage. The children of generations-old local families; they met in grade school when Brian would save his allowance to buy Jennifer sweets. They’ve been together ever since.

In the 1970’s, with the political climate shifting violently, many long established Jamaican families departed and resettled abroad. Brian and Jennifer landed on the shores of Florida, where they launched a large plant nursery and started a family. Married, with toddlers David and Kimmie in tow, the Hews regularly sailed into the nearby Bahamas where, a decade later, they would come across the deserted island that would become their permanent home.
An untouched atoll in the Andros archipelago, just off the spectacular Great Barrier Reef, there was only one problem: Could they convince the Bahamian government to sell them Crown land? Yes—but only if they agreed to build a hotel in the middle of nowhere. On an isolated, 96-acre slip of sand, that’s only neighbor was the largest, yet least developed, island in The Bahamas, where there was little population and even less infrastructure.
Uniquely unfazed, the Hews purchased the Cay in 1994, named it for its red bark trees, and set about bringing the basics—electricity, plumbing, water—over from Andros. Jennifer designing the beach houses while Brian oversaw building crews, introducing thousands of palm trees, they layered the landscape with hibiscus and bougainvillea, frangipani and ginger-lily. Transforming their newly christened Kamalame Cay from scrub grass and sand into a flowering tropical jungle scattered with a collection of classic West Indies cottages, villas, and bungalows.

A lush private sanctuary that evoked their cherished island heritage, the Hews created an extraordinary environment, far beyond the bustle of the modern world, where they could enjoy—and share—the idyllic tropical lifestyle they’d grown up with. Grandma Nellie sewing the curtains, while a 12-year-old David hung the artwork and Uncle Peter drilled in the towel racks, the birth of Kamalame—launched 1996 with four cottages and a Great House; luggage delivered by wheelbarrow—was a true family affair. A tradition now in its second decade as Kimberly Hew runs the Reservations Office while her brother David, and his husband Michael King, manage Resort Operations; bringing their own, next generation, flair to Kamalame.

As David earned an Art History degree in Miami, then worked in prestige London galleries, Tim Jeffries among them, Michael, originally from New Zealand, followed his advertising career across Sydney, Zurich and Washington, before landing in Toronto as a luxury magazine publisher. Well-traveled food and design aficionados, Michael and David made Kamalame their home in 2012. Pooling their international panache, they reimagined the island’s cuisine program, enhanced the wine and spirits lists, refreshed décor, guided fresh directions in interiors and architecture, and introduced social and culinary events that drew a stylish crowd from Nassau.

Praised for its relaxed chic, natural charm, and authentic island lifestyle, Kamalame remains the very antithesis of the corporate luxury hotel. Here, a bikini and sarong counts as dressed for dinner, every guest is treated as family, and the atmosphere is as much gracious vibe (and chilled Rose…) as spectacular setting.
Kamalame Cay was named ‘No. 1 Resort Hotel in the Caribbean, Bermuda & the Bahamas’ for Travel + Leisure’s 2016 ‘World's Best’ Awards.

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