THE COVE ELEUTHERA OFFERS A POLISHED, LOW-KEY ALTERNATIVE TO THE USUAL CARIBBEAN ESCAPE. CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE EASY, FAR ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU RECONSIDER YOUR USUAL CHOICES.
BY ANETTA NOWOSIELSKA
As a part-time South Floridian, I’ve developed a mild allergy to the idea of “getting away.” We’re already in a place that insists it’s paradise. So where, exactly, does one escape to from utopia? Turns out, about 50 minutes east. Eleuthera is close enough to feel almost lazy, and yet the moment you arrive at The Cove Eleuthera, Miami begins to feel like it’s trying just a bit too hard.
Recently folded into Relais & Châteaux and now in possession of a Michelin Key (general manager Sally Cooper treating the plaque with a kind of studied modesty), The Cove doesn’t announce itself so much as quietly excel. Two private white-sand coves, standalone oceanfront villas, and suites that feel less like hotel rooms and more like temporary versions of the life you insist you’ll one day realize for yourself.
My suite opened directly onto the ocean; no theatrical reveal, just a sliding door and the horizon. Interiors are restrained to the point of confidence: pale woods, linen, soft neutrals that let the outside do the heavy lifting. Few rooms offer deep soaking tubs that suggest long, unproductive afternoons, outdoor showers that feel transformative, and terraces where time has a habit of slipping. It’s the kind of space that doesn’t ask you to do anything except stay a little longer than you planned.
The design is deliberately quiet. Nothing pulls focus, everything returns you to the view. A hilltop infinity pool sits almost matter-of-factly above it all, less a statement than an inevitability. Dining follows a similarly unfussy logic. Freedom Restaurant handles the classics with just enough polish, while the sushi bar, unexpected, slightly smug in its excellence, quietly steals the show. Gregory Town Grill softens things further, leaning into something more local. Meals stretch. No one rushes you. Time, here, seems to be on vacation. The boutique is worth noting, too. Thoughtfully curated, it is refreshingly free of the usual island clichés. These are pieces you actually take home and continue wearing, rather than kicking them to the back of your closet.
The amenities are there if you insist on self-improvement. A fitness center. Tennis. Yoga that unfolds in a cool studio in a way that makes you briefly consider becoming a morning person. The spa, mercifully, asks nothing of you except to lie down and be still for an hour.
Then there was the boat day, which felt less like an itinerary and more like a soft unraveling. We visited the Big Major Cay, often nicknamed “Pig Beach,” whose inhabitants frankly, have better beach lives than most people—then drifted into shallows where stingrays moved with the confidence of domesticated creatures. Somewhere along the way, we stopped at a beach bar that had clearly opted out of ambition years ago. We had a drink, then another, and the day dissolved into that particular Bahamian blur where time loses meaning.
Evenings, inevitably, ended at the open-air bar perched on the cliff, drink in hand, the stars doing their quiet magic while the ocean disappeared into black. It was the kind of setting that suggests profundity, though my thoughts drifted elsewhere, namely, how one might casually wander onto Lenny Kravitz’s neighboring property without getting arrested. The possibility of a sighting of his, or Zoë Kravitz’s, lent the exercise a certain tension. None occurred, which, considering the level of my Kravitz obsession, was likely for the best.
Celebrity intrigue aside, the real takeaway is simpler. What The Cove gets right is the balance. It’s exclusive without being exhausting, social without being loud, restorative without being preachy. Close enough to feel impulsive, far enough to challenge the assumption that paradise begins and ends in the 305.
GETTING THERE
Tradewind Aviation operates departures from Fort Lauderdale’s private terminal, immediately setting a more elevated tone for the journey. Guests can expect a streamlined, highly efficient experience: arrival is recommended just 20–30 minutes prior to departure, with no traditional check-in lines or crowded security queues. The process is quiet, discreet, and notably unhurried.
Flight time to Eleuthera is approximately one hour. Upon arrival, guests are quickly processed through the small, local airport, where formalities are minimal and efficient. Transfers to The Cove Eleuthera are easily arranged, with the property located a short drive from the airstrip.
Tradewind Aviation also services a curated selection of destinations throughout the Northeast and Caribbean from Fort Lauderdale, extending this same seamless, private-terminal experience well beyond Eleuthera.
