The CJ Cool List – the Caribbean’s 10 Coolest Hotels for 2013

Graycliff – Bahamas

Nassau is known by many as a stopping point for cruise ships. But if you dig deeper, you’ll find a quaint, antiquated colonial city replete with art galleries, restaurants and shops. And at the heart of Old Nassau — its spiritual centre — is Graycliff. Located on a 17th-century site in Nassau’s old town, once the home of pirate John Howard Graysmith — and the former retreat for many a British royal — is home to what was the Caribbean’s first five-star restaurant. It also boasts its own cigar and chocolate factories, representing the pinnacle of traditional luxury — from the world’s third-largest wine cellar to rooms that give the experience of staying at the home of a wintering Duke.