This Tiny Bahamas Resort Has a Five-Mile Beach on an Island Most Travelers Overlook
If you’re planning a Bahamas beach vacation, this small Bahamian-owned resort puts the Berry Islands within reach, with cottages, suites and access through Nassau.
The Osprey occupies three beachfront acres on Great Harbour Cay, with 400 feet of white sand opening onto a beach that stretches for five miles. This is a small resort on a small island in the Berry Islands, a part of The Bahamas that still takes a little explaining when you tell someone where you’re going.
That’s the attraction. You’re choosing a destination around its shoreline, its surrounding water and the chance to spend a few days somewhere you haven’t already seen in everyone else’s vacation photographs.
An Island We’ve Been Following
We’ve been covering Great Harbour Cay for years, drawn to its uncrowded beaches and unusual history. In the 1960s, it attracted celebrities including Cary Grant and Paul Newman, part of an ambitious chapter that left behind memories of a very different island vacation.
The appeal today is more personal: finding a beach you want to walk, getting out on the water and learning the geography of an island that rarely appears on a first-time Bahamas itinerary.
We first reported on The Osprey ahead of its planned 2024 debut. Its arrival gave travelers another reason to consider an island where vacation homes had long been a significant part of the accommodation landscape.
Pick Your Accommodation Carefully
The Bahamian-owned property offers several configurations. The Manatee Villa measures approximately 2,000 square feet; the Osprey Cottage has approximately 1,000 square feet. Wild Dilly’s Oceanview and Gardenview suites can also be combined into a cottage.
Those distinctions deserve a look before you reserve. A couple planning days at the beach will have different priorities from a family looking for space to spread out, or friends who want to stay together.
It’s the kind of choice we look for in boutique hotels: accommodation that helps shape the trip, particularly when you’re spending more of your vacation close to the property.
Spend Your Time Outside
Breakfast for two, airport transfers, kayaks and paddleboards are included in the resort’s published inclusions. Selected cottages and the villa also include a golf cart, with a refueling charge.
Beyond the beach, the resort lists excursions to Shark Creek’s mangroves and the blue hole on Hoffman’s Cay. Ask about tides, boat arrangements and conditions before choosing your day.
Leave room for unplanned time, too. A long beach is a reason to keep an afternoon free, especially when the point of the trip is having fewer appointments.
Arrange the Journey First
You can get here through Nassau by scheduled or private charter, along with private charters from Fort Lauderdale and Miami. You can also use one of our favorite airlines in the Caribbean, Makers Air, which flies regularly.
Start by contacting The Osprey with your dates and party size. Ask which accommodation fits, what dining can be arranged and how you’ll reach the island. Get those pieces settled together, and Great Harbour Cay becomes a much more straightforward place to put on your next Bahamas itinerary.
Caitlin Sullivan began her career with Caribbean Journal as Arts and Culture editor before shifting to travel full time. She writes frequently on the Caribbean cruise industry, flight networks and broader travel news. Her most frequent Caribbean destination? Nassau.
