LOCATION:
The Delphi Club at Rolling Harbour is a new luxury bonefishing lodge and micro-hotel on Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas, 25 miles south of Marsh Harbour Airport (MHH)
FACILITIES:
8 luxury rooms with king bed or 2 queen beds, Eight king or twin queen bedrooms, En suite bathrooms with showers, Fully air conditioned, Wrap-round verandahs, Excellent chef, Very good wine cellar
Well-stocked honesty bar, Well-stocked library, Rods for hire (top quality Hardy gear), Tackle shop (very competitively priced), Small clothing & souvenir store, Satellite TV (in the library), Telephones in rooms, Soap, shampoo & bath gel in bathrooms, Guest computer with free internet access, Free wi-fi access, Swimming pool, Beach towels, 1000 yards of sandy beach, Beach kayaks, Card & games tables, Fax, Room safes, Laundry service, Potable water, Scuba lessons in the Club pool, Snorkeling (with guide, if required), Visiting masseuse/beautician.
ACTIVITIES:
FISHING:
Shared boat & guide full day $333.00 per person
Shared boat & guide half day $222.00 per person
Solo boat & guide full day $633.00
Solo boat and guide hald day $422.00
The great majority of the fishing is from boats, but there may be opportunities for wading, especially at Cherokee Sound. Most of the fishing, however, is normally on the west side of Abaco in the famous Marls, where wading is generally less easy. Bonefish and other species are sometimes also caught right off the Club beach.
The Club guides – and the launch points for the boats – are rotated during the week to provide maximum diversity of scenery and opportunity. It is not possible to reserve specific guides, but all the Club’s guides are highly competent professionals. Boat launch points are just 10-20 minutes away from the Club.
The Club shop has plenty of local fly patterns but no monopoly of wisdom, so bring all your bonefish and other saltwater flies.
OTHER ACTIVITIES & DAY TRIPS
Rental cars: $75.00 per day per car.
Unlike some other Bahamian islands, Abaco has a good tourism infrastructure and offers a wealth of attractive options for day trips, some involving boat rides. There are also reasonably-priced powerboat and sailing charters for cruising in the beautiful Sea of Abaco between Great Abaco and the outer cays.
The outer cays, with their charming colonial settlements such as Hope Town and Green Turtle Cay, are easily reached by ferries from Marsh Harbour and Treasure Cay and make for pleasant day trips.
Guided nature and bird-watching trips are available with an excellent local guide. If preferred, these can be done by kayak.
Big game fishing charters are available in Marsh Harbour and golf is available at Treasure Cay and sometimes at Ritz Carlton’s superb Winding Bay course.
The Club has close links with excellent scuba diving instructors and snorkeling guides. Abaco has some wonderful reefs.
Marsh Harbour and Hope Town have some reasonable craft shops, although sophisticated shopping opportunities are generally a liittle limited.
More Information:
The Club overlooks a gorgeous sandy beach on Abaco’s stunning Atlantic coastline. With almost no other building in sight, it’s the perfect tropical hideaway.
Designed in the style of an 18th century colonial plantation house, with large wrap-around verandahs, the 8-bedroom lodge stands on a small hill to catch the sea breezes and panoramic ocean views.
It is available for whole-house, full-service rentals (with an outstanding chef) or, more typically, for individual room reservations.
The lodge is aimed at people who simply want a beautiful place to stay, with sun, sand & great food. A particular focus is on international fly fishermen but non-fishers are equally welcome.For fishermen, the Club is close to the world-class bonefishing flats of the Marls and Cherokee Sound, where large numbers of uneducated bonefish provide fantastic sport for fly-fishermen in uncrowded waters.Quite apart from its beautiful sandy beach and turquoise seas, the Club has a lovely infinity pool, an eclectic library, a great wine cellar and a well-stocked honesty bar.
There are many options for non-fishers, both active and inactive. Private scuba lessons in the pool; guided dives to spectacular coral reefs; golf at Treasure Cay; guided snorkelling; big game fishing and miles of beachcombing along Abaco's amazing sandy coastline. For the less active, boat trips to the charming outer islands, with their picture-postcard colonial villages; massage and beauty treatments by the pool; shopping for local crafts in Marsh Harbour; or guided nature and birdwatching trips on sea or land to explore the amazing wild life and flora of the Abacos.
Or just completely chill out. Whether dozing in a hammock or quietly reading with a glass of cool Meursault on one of the Club's large verandahs, guests may thoroughly relax and enjoy one of the world's most pleasant climates and most beautiful seascapes.
Note that the Club is not a hotel in any conventional sense. Its atmosphere and the way in which it is run are more akin to a private country houseparty, elegant yet informal – and very relaxed.
It’s the initiative of Peter Mantle, who created the award-winning Delphi Lodge in Ireland – a glorious country house and fishing lodge that is listed in “A Thousand Places To See Before You Die”.
The Delphi Club at Rolling Harbour is designed to bring the same standards of comfort, atmosphere, dazzling location and culinary excellence as its Irish counterpart, albeit with a tropical twist.
The Delphi Club is very well-equipped, but these notes are designed to ensure that you have everything you need and that you know what to expect when you get here.
TIME ZONE: Eastern time (GMT-5).
CELLPHONE COVERAGE: The Club has cell phone coverage, BUT not all foreign networks have reciprocal agreements with the Bahamas telephone company, so yours might not work. If in doubt, check with your service provider.
CURRENCY: The local currency is the Bahamian dollar, but US dollars are readily accepted on a 1-for-1 basis.
INNOCULATIONS: Not required for the Bahamas, but take your own medical advice as to recommended precautions.
ELECTRICAL: 110 volt, US-style soccets
PAYMENTS FOR EXTRAS: Guests are actively encouraged to settle their accounts at the end of their stay using cash (to avoid the exorbitant charges levied by
Bahamian banks for credit card payments). The Club does, however, reluctantly accept Visa & Mastercard (but not American Express).
GRATUITIES: All tipping is entirely discretionary. No automatic service charges are applied. For guidance, it is usual to pay c. $100 per guest per week for household staff and c. $50 per boat per day for guides, shared by those in the skiff. But it’s all entirely up to you.
PAYMENT & CANCELLATIONS
A 50% deposit is taken on reservation. The balance is due 30 days prior to arrival.
All cancellations incur a $100 handling fee. If cancelled more than 62 days before scheduled arrival, no further charges apply.
Cancellations within 32-62 days of scheduled arrival will result in forfeit of the deposit. If 32 or less days notice is given, full charges apply.
If a planned visit to the Club becomes impossible due to severely adverse weather, guests will be offered a choice of three sets of alternative but equivalent dates within the following 12 months in which to utilize their prepayment.
Guests are strongly encouraged to purchase travel & trip cancellation insurance - with a policy that deals adequately with disruption by storms and the possible need for medical evacuation.