By the Caribbean Journal staff
The Bahamas is getting a new boutique hotel, with some inspiration from HGTV.
It’s called the Caerula Mar Club, and the soon-to-debut Andros hotel is the brainchild of designers Bryan and Sarah Baeumler, famous for their HGTV Canada series House of Bryan.
The couple were vacationing in Andros in 2017 when they visited the 10-acre site and embarked on their project to revive an abandoned hotel site.
The hotel, which is slated to open in November, has a mix of 18 oceanfront suites and six private villas, with a sustainable design focused on large outdoor living spaces and indoor-outdoor concepts.
The pool at Caerula Mar Club.
“We discovered South Andros on a family vacation and it’s had a special place in our hearts ever since,” Sarah Baeumler said. “We knew that transforming the property into Caerula Mar was going to be a massive undertaking, but we also saw its potential as a place where travelers could get back to the basics, reconnect with nature, and savor the simplicity and beauty of this incredible paradise. We designed the property to be light, open, and airy, evoking that feeling of contentment after a long day at the beach, when your skin and hair are kissed with sun and salt and you know everything’s going to be alright.”
The property will include three dining concepts, including a cafe and smoothie bar, a comfort-food eatery called Driffs Bar & Lounge and a fine-dining restaurant called Lusca.
Sarah Baeumler.
The hotel is set in South Andros, set about 20 minutes from Nassau and about an hour away from Fort Lauderdale.
The couple said the hotel’s green focus would also include joining the Reef Rescue Network, which will include the implementation of an underwater coral nursery at the property.
A villa at the hotel.
“Sustainability and environmental preservation are incredibly important to us,” Bryan Baeumler said. “Not just in the property’s construction, but in everything we do. From sourcing ingredients for our restaurants to selecting our tour partners and establishing relationships with employees and suppliers, we are always looking for ways that Caerula Mar can help contribute to and further sustain the local economy of South Andros.”
The new hotel will add to a small but robust collection of places to stay in South Andros, most notably the luxe Tiamo Resort along with the Andros Beach Club.
For more, visit Caerula Mar Club.
— CJ