Luxury Meets Sustainability at the Rosewood Baha Mar Resort in the Bahamas

The pristine paradise of the Rosewood Baha Mar Resort awaits you in the island nation of the Bahamas less than 30 minutes by plane from Miami. 

With non-stop flights from New York, Houston, Denver and other major U.S. cities, it’s easy to get to the Bahamas. As I walked into immigration at the airport in Nassau, Rake ‘n Scrape melodies wafted through the air. I’ve traveled extensively internationally, and this was the first time I was greeted with live music while waiting to enter a country. The indigenous music of the Bahamas is an island rhythm blending the beat of a goatskin drum, strum of a guitar and scrape of a metal saw. I decided the decades-old slogan, “It’s Better in the Bahamas”, was true even before I left the airport. Bahamians are friendly folks with colorful styles.They’re also fiercely protective of their country’s fragile ecosystem, especially the coral reefs the islands are made of and the marine life in the surrounding blue waters. 

That preservation of culture and protection of environment mindset extends tourism in the archipelago.Baha Mar is a resort enclave on Nassau’s Cable Beach. It is the epitome of exclusivity and luxury. Sustainability initiatives are a priority throughout the complex, but AAA Four Diamond Rosewood Baha Mar elevates sustainability to an entirely different level as part of the boutique luxury hotel chain’s efforts to create eco-friendly hotels and resorts with environmental sensitivity at the forefront of everything from food to excursions. I spent a few days exploring how eco-luxury meets environmental and cultural sustainability at this stunning resort in one of the most ecologically focused destinations in the world.

Swanky Suite with Sustainable Touches

When you walk into the lobby of the Rosewood Baha Mar, it feels like you’re entering a grand Bahamian estate. I always find it’s the little things that take a luxury vacation from wonderful to extraordinary. That also holds true for sustainability. When I checked in, I was given a silicone wristband instead of a typical plastic room key. As I was shown around my expansive one-bedroom suite, a water bottle and straw bag caught my eye. Rosewood Baha Mar has eliminated single-use plastic and partnered with sustainability-focused filtered water provider Vero Water for water service stations throughout the property. The water bottle features a painting inspired by historic locations in the Bahamas done by watercolorist Gaspard Le Marchant Tupper. It’s yours to use during your stay and to take home as a souvenir. 

The beautiful straw bag is yours to use as you go to the pool or beach and is for purchase if you want to take it home. The one-bedroom suite is upper echelon luxury with hues of the ocean and sunset accenting the white and natural elements in its décor. This suite has a powder room in addition to main bathroom, a fully equipped kitchen, a large living room, a separate bedroom and butler service. It also has not one, but two balconies with resort and ocean views, which I thoroughly enjoyed especially at sunrise.Environmental awareness starts at booking. Through a partnership with CHOOOSE, Rosewood Baha Mar gives you the opportunity to off-set your carbon footprint with a donation. Rosewood also works closely with Baha Mar Resort Foundation for conservation and education initiatives throughout the enclave including regular beach cleanups guests can participate in.   

Snorkel with a Purpose

This is more than just a fun snorkeling excursion to see colorful fish and marine life around a coral reef. Rosewood Baha Mar partners with Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF) on a citizen scientist program for an educational snorkeling experience. On the half-day adventure, you go to the Coral Reef Sculpture Garden.The living art gallery is home to the world’s largest underwater sculpture. BREEF uses the sculpture garden as an underwater science classroom teaching over 3,000 students a year in education programs. 

As I swam closer to Ocean Atlas I was mesmerized by its beauty and the bleached coral on it.While snorkeling with BREEF executive director Casuarina McKinney-Lambert, I asked about the detrimental effects on the coral reef from the summer 2023 heat wave.

“It was devastating,” she told me, but she was also encouraged by what she saw during our snorkel.

Some of the stressed coral that did survive the elevated water temperature during the heat wave is showing some signs of improvement. It’s a small sign of hope but a critical one as the Bahamas are home to 35% of the coral reefs in the Caribbean. According to BREEF, frighteningly, 80% of live corals have died in the last 50 years. To combat coral morality, BREEF created coral nurseries in the Coral Reef Sculpture Garden and on the Andros Great Barrier Reef to grow the endangered species Staghorn coral. You see some of it on the sculptures and on antenna-like coral trees. If you want to help, BREEF has an Adopt a Coral program as part of their reef restoration. A portion of proceeds from your excursion is donated to BREEF. Group size is a maximum of 10 people. To ensure your spot, book your citizen scientist snorkeling 2-3 weeks before your trip. 

Yoga with a Pretty in Pink Twist

If you’re an avid yogi like me, or even if you’ve never practiced, you’ll be tickled pink with Flamingo Yoga. As two of the graceful long-legged birds walked into the small class, there were lots of smiles and giggles followed by just about everyone scrambling to get their phones to take pictures and videos. After a few minutes, the class settled into practice and the flamingos wandered around. Their occasional nasal honking to communicate does add a funny factor to the one-hour class.It’s also funny as they seem to mimic some of the poses. Flamingos apparently love the feel and texture of yoga mats and might stand behind you while you’re in tree or mountain pose. With their balance and flexibility, flamingos are natural yogis.There are 24 flamingos in Baha Mar with 9 of those as ambassadors that were hatched here including Luca and Indy in my yoga class. The flamingo is the national bird of the Bahamas, but the Caribbean flamingos were almost wiped out in the 1950s. In 1959 the Bahamas National Trust took over protecting the last flamingo colony on the island of Great Inagua. Today over half of Great Inagua is a national park and the island is home to over 80,000 flamingos. You can only get to Inagua by boat or a 2-hour flight from Nassau. In flamingo yoga, you’re not only experiencing Zen, but you’re also witnessing a small part of one of the biggest conservation success stories in the Caribbean.          

Eat Your Greens Then Visit Where They’re Grown

From the mint garnish in a cocktail at the Manor Bar to the culinary creations of French cuisine in Café Boulud and coastal cuisine with a Mexican twist at Costa, there’s a local connection to the greens. Spring mixes, microgreens and living herbs are grown at the Aquaponic Research Center of Blue Fields Farms. 

“Each island is 30 days away from starvation,” said Tom Stack. 

That revelation as a sea captain traveling around the world led him to Nassau to combat food insecurity while revolutionizing island farming. He started Blue Fields Farms ten years ago. They supply Rosewood Baha Mar and other hotels and resorts with fresh greens. 

“We harvest greens and [they’re] on plates within five hours,” he said. 

That gave me a new respect for the microgreens garnish on my dinner at Costa later that night. You can visit Blue Field Farms during your stay and Rosewood Baha Mar is launching a culinary excursion to there in 2024.  

Indulge in Ancient Healing Practices

The Arawak Indians were some of the first inhabitants on the islands. The indigenous people used plants for their medicinal properties.Bahamians today, including my Sense spa therapist, call it bush medicine. The Arawak Body-Balance treatment preserve some of those ancient healing practices. The Arawak used hot and cold compresses to strengthen the immune system followed by sea sponge exfoliation to increase blood flow. In the spa, the Arawak Body-Balance starts with a Neem Tea Tox on the patio outside of your treatment room. The foot soak is a bush medicine remedy to cleanse and detox your feet. During the treatment, the therapist slathered a paste of clay and moringa leaf powder infused with lavender on my skin and wrapped me in a cocoon of warm towels to let the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of the moringa leaf seep in. Following the Arawak practice of hot and cold compresses, a cold towel was placed on my back before she vigorously applied an exfoliating scrub. After rinsing off, the treatment continued with a massage using lemongrass, peppermint, neem and cascarilla oils.The coconut oil scalp massage added extra bliss. This was one of the most unique spa treatments I’ve ever gotten and left me in a la-la-land of serenity for a few hours post-treatment.        

Go on an Art Walk

If you’re an early bird, take a walk on the beach to watch a watercolor in the sky unfold at sunrise.If you want to dive into the Bahamas’ artsy side, go on Hussey’s Art Tour. We sipped a cocktail in the Manor Bar then headed to the rotunda for an evening art walk with John Cox, a mixed media artist and director of The Current Gallery. There are about 150 pieces of art in public spaces of the resort and about 1000 works displayed throughout Baha Mar. It’s an opportunity to hear the story of Bahamian art including contemporary pieces.The 60-minute tour requires a reservation. If you’re an art lover, admire some of the works in The Current Gallery. With more than 2,500 pieces, it houses the largest permanent collection of Bahamian works in the country.

Take Time for Tea

Head to the Library for a delightful experience filled with sweet treats, savory sandwiches and tantalizing teas. Sipping Bahamian bush tea is a cultural tradition spotlighted in this extravagant afternoon tea. While sipping guava tea produced by Naturally Bahamian, I realized teatime is a unique way to experience the eco-culture of the Bahamas. Bush teas stem from the Bahamian practice of plant-based medicine.Past down from generation to generation, going to the bush, or simply the backyard, to use medicinal plants to treat a variety of ailments from an upset tummy to a headache is an ingrained part of the culture. Tea is truly part of Bahamian daily life. It’s also a wonderful chance to try teas you might not be familiar with like the sapodilla tea, which has anti-inflammatory and antidepressant properties.        

As you bask in the sunshine on the beach or devour delicious bites in the resort’s restaurants, sustainability is in every aspect of your stay at Rosewood Baha Mar.

On an impromptu back-of-the-house tour with Executive Chef Siddharth Krishna, I witnessed it’s a priority for staff too. The resort and the entire enclave are a thinktank for environmental awareness in hospitality starting with educating staff members on sustainable practices they can also do at home. They’re making efforts to protect paradise so you can enjoy this sanctuary of exclusivity on your next vacation in the Bahamas.

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