Tiamo Resort

With no road access and only 14-rooms, Tiamo Resort exudes seclusion and exclusivity. The Great Room, which is the main hub of the resort, sits up on a hill amongst trees, with the guest villas spread along the beach. It's name aside, the spacious Great Room seems even bigger, with high ceilings and an open-floor plan exiting out onto the pool patio. The room is pulled together with neutral colors of blues and beiges, and little pops of funky artwork and design throughout the room add a little trendiness to the otherwise serenely styled room. There's soft jazz playing here throughout the day and evening, creating an ambiance of tranquility and intimacy. By day, the common patio areas are casual, with plenty of lounge chairs and umbrellas --  laid-back breakfasts and lunches served on the smaller, lower patio overlooking the white-sand beach. The upper, more spacious pool patio is transformed for an elegant dinner service into a romantic and intimate setting. Candlelit tables overlook the illuminated infinity pool for a view of the spectacular sunset over the Caribbean. Given its secluded setting and compact stature, no area of the resort is ever overrun by people. There are kid-friendly activities and even in-room babysitting services offered at Tiamo, so families are common to see. However, with the amount of space between the villas and plenty of outdoor common areas, it is easy to find a quiet retreat. The daily happy hour in the Great Room and the daily snorkeling excursion are opportunities for guests to socialize with one another, otherwise guests determine how much privacy they want.

Tiamo Resort is situated on a quiet, private beach with no road access on South Andros Island -- in other words, there's nothing to do here other than what's on offer at the resort. Guests arrive at the resort directly by private seaplane or fly into the Congo Town Airport, which is a 10-minute drive from the dock for the boat transfer to Tiamo (which takes 15 minutes itself). Due to the seclusion of Tiamo Resort, most activities must be planned in advance and generally have extra charges. Off-property excursions are available, but reservations must be made in advance. The Andros Barrier Reef and Tongue of the Ocean are a 10-minute boat ride away, offering some excellent nearby scuba diving. Boats can also be hired for a half day or full day for different water activities including waterskiing and wake boarding. Set in the midst of the bone-fishing capital of the world, guests can choose to hire boat captains or rent boats to take out into the South Bight Waters.

Across all categories, rooms have a rustic beach-chic charm. Accent colors throughout tend toward shades of soft blues, greens, and beiges. Most rooms have French doors leading out to enclosed wraparound porches as well as huge walk-in closets. The rooms are outfitted with either king or queen-size beds, furniture crafted from driftwood, and long curtains in blues and whites. It's a simple look that's pulled together with thatched roofs, plank wood floors, tasteful tropical patterns, and high ceilings, but with the stylish artwork and accent tables give the decor a welcome dose of personality.TVs are purposefully left out of all the rooms -- except the Bird’s Nest -- to help maintain the peaceful vibe. There is free Wi-Fi throughout all of the rooms and all include iPod docks and safes. Only certain rooms are air-conditioned, and some have no windows, leaving them open to the Bahamian breezes. Guests can expect thoughtful touches like a personalized welcome note, minibar with free nonalcoholic drinks, nightly turndown service, beach towels, and umbrellas. Beer, wine, and the ‘love box’ will cost extra (yes, the 'love box' is exactly what you think it is). All of the villas are situated a little bit back from the beach with private paths for more seclusion. Rooms range in size and some include multiple rooms; some of the villas have private plunge pools and lounge chairs. The highlight of all the rooms is the ample outdoor space for relaxing with lounge chairs and dark wicker furniture on the porches. The Bird’s Nest is a nice splurge for guests with three bedrooms, huge private terrace, private pool, and whirlpool, though it's also the only villa that doesn't directly lead out to the beach.With the notable exception of the Sunset Rooms, all have a separate garden shower with rainfall showerheads. The spacious bathrooms are sectioned off into vanities, toilets, and showers at the back of the villa in the enclosed wraparound porch. The well-appointed bathrooms contain Essentiel Elements bath products, hairdryers, and bug spray. Guests should note that while there are no room keys, there are inside latches to lock the doors from within. 

Without a doubt, one of the highlight of a stay here is the private white sand beach. All of the beachfront villas have blue lounge chairs already set up on the beach. There are also white and turquoise floating mattress rafts set in the turquoise Caribbean waters. Reached by swimming out to them, they are covered with umbrellas to keep block the heat of the Bahamian sun. Kayaks and paddle boats are available at no extra fee on the beach as well. Just to the side of the beach is an activity center, gift shop, and fitness center. Scuba diving, canoeing, boating, fishing, bone-fishing, and nature tours can all be arranged throughout the activity center, though most come at an extra charge. A daily, weather-dependent snorkeling excursion is included in room rates, and a notice is posted at breakfast regarding departure time and details. The gift shop is small, but has bathing suits, jewelry, sunblock, and hats. The modern fitness center is stocked with cardio equipment, weights, yoga mats, and a medicine ball. The small spa is a nice addition for guests who are looking for additional wellness amenities. Set apart from the main resort in a villa on the beach, guests can choose clay masks, deep tissue massages, finger and toe soaks, and seaweed wraps. Guests can make appointments at the front desk. There are an abundance of common spaces, inside and outside, for travelers to hang out or relax. The serene Great Room features several areas for guests to congregate, including a side patio with wicker chairs. The Library is adjacent to the Great Room and has elegant leather chairs, board games, books, a flatscreen TV, and a computer. Stepping out from the Great Room is the infinity pool which overlooks the white sand beach. The pool area is outfitted with a handful of wrought iron lounge chairs bedecked in white cushions. The beach patio is full of gray wicker couches and chairs, adorned in white couch cushions, and checkered blue throw pillows. None of the common areas are ever busy, with only a limited number of people at the resort at any given time. Tiamo Resort has plenty of nice extras, especially given it’s seclusion from local towns and cities. Sandflies and mosquitos can be an issue on Andros Island, so Tiamo Resort provides three different kinds of bug sprays in each rooms as well as scattered throughout the common areas for guests to use at different periods of the day. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout all of the common areas as well as in individual rooms. Boat transfers to the resort are also included in room rates.

The on-site restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, all of which are included in the room rate and receive enthusiastic reviews from previous guests. Options include a buffet breakfast with items like pastries, coffee, toast, fresh fruit, and lox, or an a la carte menu. Set on the lower patio, each table is meticulously set with butter, Bonne Maman jam, creamer, and sugar. Lunch and dinner are prix-fixe menus, with lunch taking place on the lower patio and dinner on the upper patio overlooking the illuminated infinity pool. A light-up dinner menu provides easy reading for guests to order different courses. Guests can expect fresh and stylish cuisine like lemon carrot soup, bulgur wheat salads, duck pate, conch coconut curry, and local stone crab claws. Tiamo takes all dietary needs into account for guests and offers a variety of menus for those with allergies or aversions. Room service is offered to those guests wishing for even more privacy, but it is not included in the room rate. Alcoholic drinks are also not included in room rates.