By Guy Britton and Alexander Britell

It isn’t a resort. It isn’t a beach. It isn’t a residential community.

Treasure Cay is an idea.

It is an idea of the ultimate, authentic Caribbean vacation, a throwback to the Caribbean that’s almost impossible to find anymore.

And it isn’t a resort — it’s a place where you turn a vacation into a week or two of full-fledged island life, of Bahamian living. It’s a place where you experience the salt life, where the day begins with the sand and ends with the sunset, a place where the stereotypes of flip flops and frozen drinks are real — and where they’re spectacular.

It isn’t a beach — this miles-long stretch of unimaginably white sand is one of the best beaches in the world.

And it isn’t a residential community – it’s a real place, one that just happens to have one of the largest expat communities in the hemisphere, one with a large marina (with 150 slips), a championship golf course, one of the best markets in the Out Islands and a collection of unpretentious, solid restaurants (oh, and one remarkable beach bar, Coco’s.).

The main pool at the Treasure Cay Resort.

And that’s what makes it such a great vacation destination – yes, you’re in the Abacos, in the heart of the Out Islands, surrounded by remote beauty. But you never want for anything — there’s a pervasive comfort here, a comfort that doesn’t always come with this kind of scenery.

What Treasure Cay also is is a jumping off point, a place to experience why the Abacos are one of the greatest travel spots in the region — to spend a day on Great Guana Cay, to have a cocktail on the sands of Green Turtle Cay, to jaunt to Hope Town, to swim with the pigs, to find world-class deep sea fishing.

Exploring the Abacos means finding secret sandbars like this one near Scotland Cay.

Treasure Cay, which sits about 45 minutes north of the wonderful Marsh Harbour Airport on Great Abaco, has long been a legendary place in the islands.

It began life in 1962, turning a peninsula off the coast into a major regional destination, one that has now nearly eclipsed six decades as a popular but still in-the-know hotspot for people who love The Bahamas.

Coco Beach Bar.

And it’s still a legend today.

It’s the real thing, an island vacation without attitude, without artifice. It’s for people who love the Caribbean and the natural beauty that makes the region what it is. It’s why so many people have chosen to live here or find their second homes here.

And it’s waiting for you.

For more info, visit the Treasure Cay Resort.

— CJ