Xanadu Beach Resort & Marina

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The Xanadu Beach Resort & Marina, also known as the Xanadu Princess Resort & Marina, is a resort and marina on the island of Grand Bahama in The Bahamas. Originally built in 1968, the resort was purchased by Howard Hughes in 1972 and was for several years the most celebrated resort in the Caribbean and served as a hideaway for the Hollywood jet set of the era. The resort comprises 20 beachfront acres, 215 rooms and an 80 slip marina on the southern coast of Grand Bahama.

Since its opening, the resort and the events that took place within its grounds graced the front pages of tabloids with frequent visits from The Rat Pack, including Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, as well as several other celebrities of the era such as Cary Grant and Lucille Ball.

The resort was purchased by Howard Hughes in 1972 who subsequently moved into the penthouse floors of the resort and lived there until days before his death in 1976. While in residence, he rarely left the penthouse but was frequently seen looking out over the resort from the 13th storey balcony and closely following the various activities going on beneath him. He would order fishing boats which were docked in the resort's marina to go out to sea every day to catch fresh fish as it became one of the only things he would agree to eat periodically.

After his death, the resort was sold. However, the penthouse floor in which he lived for the last four years of his life has remained empty for thirty years. The resort was acquired in 2008 by a local developer and restored to its former five star glory and the penthouse which Howard Hughes lived in has been restored.

Today, the resort honors its previous owner and visitors with various memorabilia spread across the property as well as in its restaurants and bars including The Aviator Grill, The Hercules Bar, The Rat Pack Lounge, Dino's Restaurant and other similarly themed establishments within the property.

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