Oceans apart are two island chains, one born from volcanic lava and the other from limestone rock and coral fossils’ skeletal remains. Both beautiful and consist of some of the most photographed and visited island destinations in the world.
Thirteen years ago, a software engineer, working most of his career at Microsoft, and his wife, a documentary filmmaker, had a dream to buy a tropical beach home that they could enjoy themselves and rent to others. The vision was a house on the hill, safe from storm surges and potentially rising sea levels, looking down over its own private beach.
Living in Seattle on the west coast of the United States, the logical first place to look was in Hawaii. “After an intensive search, a truly private beach (with your own property surrounding it) only exists in a few places and would cost tens of millions. You can find nice houses with access to shared fairly-remote beaches for maybe five to ten million but not with the kind of privacy we were looking for. The Hawaiian Islands are intensely developed, even Kauai, which was our main target. After shopping around extensively, it was clear that our dream property did not exist in Hawaii, and even if it did, the price would be astronomical. So, we decided to extend our search beyond the boundaries of the US.”
Most countries were ruled out quickly, looking for somewhere that was politically and economically stable, safe, and that welcomed property ownership by non-citizens. A blissful past vacation to the Bahamas when the Seattle couple stayed at a remote rental house on Eleuthera sparked some intriguing memories. The Bahamas is somewhat uniquely tethered to the US and the world banking system in a way that would make it very unlikely to devalue its currency, seize foreign investments, and so on. “When we searched the internet for property in The Bahamas, we saw what appeared to be our dream, on Long Island. We worried it was surely too good to be true, fulfilling all of our wishes and costing substantially less than inferior properties we’d seen on other islands. Within a few days, we were on a plane heading for Long Island.”
“The property was everything we hoped it would be. We also fell in love with the island, not only for its natural beauty and an endless supply of deserted beaches but even more for the people who were so warm and welcoming. We had a very nice experience just minutes after we flew in, eating lunch at Max’s Conch Bar, which is right next to Deadman’s Cay airport. The jerked chicken and hogfish were both amazing, and the atmosphere and people were charming. We had a positive view of the island before we even hit the road, which lingered with us for the rest of our initial visit.”
The Bahamas typically makes much more sense for someone in the eastern US or Canada. Still, the Solstice owners have shown that it is very manageable for someone based on the west coast, working best for property owners looking to spend longer periods of time. Hawaii is a 5 or 6-hour flight from most west coast cities. It is possible to reach Nassau in one long day with two flights, “Long Island takes a minimum of three flights with an overnight either in the air or at a hotel. It usually takes us 24 hours door-to-door, but worth every moment.”
“Solstice has been a delightful journey for us, a welcome getaway from our normal tech-fueled city lives. When we float in our calm, clear cove, all of our cares melt away, and we feel like the only people in the world. We are now ready to move on to new adventures but can’t imagine ever finding anywhere as special as this. It is so rare to find a property that completely encloses its own beach and cove; to subdivide or develop the property would make it no different from many others that exist. This is also what has appealed to our guests: feeling like they are on their own private island (but much more convenient). Many guests have also said that they visited beaches up and down Long Island but thought our beach was the best one and didn’t feel a need to leave again. It is one of the few that has it all: always calm, sandy, deep enough to be swimmable, decent snorkeling. And it is all yours.”
Contact Cheryl De Goicoechea to find your dream home in Long Island, The Bahamas.
