| British Colonial Hilton Nassau | |
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| Location | 1 W Bay St, Caves Beach, Nassau, Bahamas |
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| Opening date | 1901, 1922, 1999 |
| Rooms | 288 |
| Suites | 20 |
| Floors | 7 |
| Website | www.hiltoncaribbean.com |
British Colonial Hilton Nassau is a luxury five-star or AAA four-diamond colonial hotel in downtown Nassau, Bahamas, located on the only private beach of Nassau, on the site of the Old Fort of Nassau, near the Christ Church Cathedral and Greek Orthodox Church. The hotel, originally built in 1901 and rebuilt in 1922, is located in a grand white palace-like colonial building and has been described as "the Grand Dame of all Nassau hotels",[1] "the most elegant and most expensive hotel in town",[2] and "the most distinctive and pleasant of the island's large hotels".[3] The hotel was renovated in June 2009 at a cost of US$ 15 million,[4] has six floors spread over an 8-acre plot and has 288 guest rooms, 20 suites and 47 executive-level rooms. It has a 300-foot-long private white sand beach which features complimentary kayaking and snorkeling.[5][6] It is fully modernised with all kinds of electronic gadgets and furnishings with the main lounge shifted to the top floor provided with 18,400 feet (5,600 m) of space.[4]
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The site was occupied in the 19th century by the Old Fort of Nassau which had the purpose of protecting the western entrance to the Nassau Harbour until it was demolished in 1873.[7] Long before the fort was built, the first settlement was established here in 1666, when Nassau was known as Charles town, which had developed in a haphazard manner lined with brothels and taverns visited by pirates, cheats and vagabonds. The presence of pirates in the town caused attacks by Spaniards when the town people fled to American colonies. The town was rebuilt later with a fort and called Nassau, on the site now occupied by the Hotel. The town was attacked again in 1703 by the allied forces of the French and the Spanish who destroyed the fort. Piracy was decimated when the British Governor Woodes Rogesr took over in 1718. Over the next two centuries, the town developed under American influence during the 18th and 19th century witnessing glamour and many buildings of architectural excellence being built with slave labour. It was not till the Greeks came in the 20th century to man the sponging industry that rich people started frequenting the island. Prohibition in USA encouraged at that time (Civil war period) the GIs and tourist to visit the island for hooch. It was during this period that major hotels started coming up like the British Colonial Hotel and Fort Montagu, which initially operated for three months during the winter season till the Washington Ball was celebrated.[8]
In 1900, the land was purchased by Henry M. Flagler, responsible for the Breakers Hotel in South Florida and built a wooden hotel on the site, opening in 1901.[7] In 1922, the hotel was gutted by fire, the government purchased the land and a new seven-storey grand hotel was built within six months in its place and completed in 1923. This hotel was bought by Sir Harry Oakes who renamed it the British Colonial Hotel. He was a powerful man and a friend of the Duke of Windsor.[7][9][10][11] Some sources though claim that the hotel was originally built in 1922 and that the fire occurred just a year later and it was rebuilt then in its present building.[1]
In 1939, the hotel was purchased by Sir Harry Oakes, along with the Nassau Airport and golf course.[7] However, he was later murdered in 1943 under mysterious circumstances (the mystery remains unresolved), which was called the "murder of the century".[12] In 1999, the hotel was purchased by Hilton who renovated it, but retained its façade of towers, galleries, and molded reliefs.[7] The hotel is known for the 180,000 bottles of vintage wine in its cellar which is served in its celebrated dining rooms visited by royalty and visitors alike. there is also a cigar factory here. Sean Connery, celebrity British actor who acted in the famous James Bond Movies shot here lived in Nasau and visited thee hotel's restaurant.[11]
The number of rooms has declined in recent years, in 2002 it reportedly had 305 rooms,[2] in 2006 it had 291.[1] On one side of the hotel is a tropical garden and the pool overlooking the harbor. The main restaurants are Aqua, serving international cuisine and Portofino serving Italian-Caribbean fusion cuisine, and the Bullion Bar serves drinks and snacks.[5] The lobby is luxurious, with marble titles and antiques and features the Blackbeard’s Cove Lobby bar and nightly Bahamian/Caribbean music. All of the rooms are decorated in colonial décor. A relief depicting Christopher Colombus is situated high on the grand central tower of the hotel, and at the front of the hotel is a statue of Woodes Rogers, the ex-privateer who proved effective against piracy in the area.[7] A mural depicting the history of the Bahamas has recently been added to the entrance hall.[7]
The hotel was used as a filming location for the James Bond films Thunderball (1965) and Never Say Never Again (1983 unofficial remake) both starring Sean Connery.[1] The scene in Never Say Never Again where the character of Fatima Blush (Barbara Carrera) (not actually Kim Basinger as the source says) is waterskiing was shot in front of the resort and where she skis onto the end of the pier into James Bond's arms is the hotel’s old bar (located on the left of the picture in the infobox).[7] The hotel has a "007" suite overlooking the ocean, filled with memorabilia such as Bond movies, posters, books, CDs and movie stills.[1][7]