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Rock House

COST: $$

<p>Harbour Island's “hot” factor spiked with the 2002 opening of this super-stylish, nine-room boutique hotel overlooking the harbor in Dunmore Town. Miami developer J. Wallace Tutt—who achieved stateside fame building Casa Casuarina, otherwise known as the Versace mansion—and his partner Don Purdy brought more than a little South Beach glamour to their new venture. The property's courtyard pool, surrounded by private cabanas and a soigné alfresco bar/restaurant, immediately became the see-and-be-seen nightspot after dark. And the themed rooms and suites—outfitted with tastefully opulent teak, bamboo, and rattan furnishings; plush, cream-colored fabrics; art books, vintage island photos and maps; and coral-tile bathrooms with glassed-in showers and rainfall showerheads—were, and still are, a hit with visiting A-listers (Robert De Niro, Colin Farrell, and Graydon Carter have all been spotted here). The one sort-of-downside is that the hotel's not right on the famed eastern <a href="/thingtodo/beach/harbour-island-beach">beach</a>—but a short walk (or a driver-assisted golf-cart ride) leads you right there.</p> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Want to get in on the ground floor of the next hot development in the Bahamas? Stop into the on-site sales office for Royal Island (<a href="http://www.royalislandbahamas.com" class="external" rel="nofollow">www.royalislandbahamas.com</a>)—a private resort community that Tutt is creating along with the Montage Group, Jack Nicklaus, and other partners. It's due to open in 2011.</p> <p><strong>Room to Book:</strong> The Commodore suite, with a private veranda overlooking the harbor and a sitting room big enough to have a cocktail party in.</p>

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From Travel + Leisure , OCT 2003

There's a high-design pool surrounded by private cabanas, a full gym, a serious restaurant, and nine orchid-filled rooms...MORE>>

– Michael Gross The New St. Bart's?

Last updated October 2003