Imagine a small, intimate eco-friendly resort with 7 well appointed themed villas, a spa, pool, cabana and upscale restaurant all on a beautiful, quaint little island in an exquisite chain of small islands in the Bahamas called the Exuma Cays. The island is Staniel Cay and this resort, Embrace Resort, is the dream of owner Nicole Ferguson and daughter Natajia, who are well on their way to realizing their vision.
Embrace is an acronym for the names of the 7 villas that will soon grace the resort: Exuma, Mayaguana, Bimini, Ragged Island, Andros, Cat Island, Eleuthera – all named after Bahamian Islands. 4 of the villas are already complete and range in size from 1 bedroom (including a honeymoon villa with indoor spa tub) to 3 bedrooms.
Andros – 3 bedroom villa with complete kitchen
Bimini – 2 bedroom villa
Ragged Island – 1 bedroom Honeymoon Villa
Once completed, the resort will host the only spa, fitness center and meeting space on the island and will also include a pool and restaurant. Nicole and Natajia also run a business called 3 N’s Vacation Services which offers destination wedding planning, boat rentals, tours & excursions and golf cart rentals. Guests of Embrace Resort will certainly benefit from their expertise, knowledge of the island and services available.
Owner Nicole Ferguson
We were invited to visit and learn about Embrace Resort and stayed in Mayaguana, an intimate 1 bedroom accommodation with a refrigerator, microwave, large en-suite bathroom, air conditioning, wireless in the room, and flat screen TV with dish network.
Although the resort is not directly on the beach, it is close to several of the islands fine beaches and they are easily reached by walking or by golf cart. It is also just minutes away from the islands restaurants and grocery stores and the popular bar and nightspot at Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Staniel Cay is easily reached by air via Nassau or Ft. Lauderdale on either Flamingo Air or Watermakers Air.
Every effort is being made to make Embrace Resort sustainable and eco-conscious in the choice of building materials and systems used in the construction of the resort, which is important anywhere, but especially on a small island where every action leaves a mark on the delicate ecosystem.
Staniel Cay and the entire Exuma chain is an area that is getting more and more attention lately due to the diversity of activities available in the area, from fishing to boating to experiences you won’t find anywhere else. From our base at Embrace Resort, we were able to visit Big Major Cay and its swimming pigs,
Swim with the nurse sharks on Compass Cay,
Snorkel through Thunderball Grotto – used in the filming of the 1965 James Bond movie “Thunderball”,
and spend lazy afternoons floating in some of the clearest water we’ve ever seen…
Embrace Resort is scheduled for a Grand Opening in 2016 once the entire resort is finished, and although the restaurant, swimming pool and spa are not yet complete, the 4 villas that are already constructed are available to rent and can be booked through their website: Embrace Resort.
To find out more about Embrace Resort, be sure to follow them on their Facebook page and Twitter.
A big thanks to Nicole and Natajia for hosting our stay at Embrace Resort and we look forward to visiting again next year to see all that Embrace will have to offer!
