Eleuthera, BS – Just 45 minutes away via flight from Fort Lauderdale and 50 miles east of Nassau in the Bahamas lies an island that is 110 miles long and a little more than 1 mile wide. This slice of paradise, called Eleuthera, is named after the Greek word “free,” and was a haven for puritan pilgrims of the 1600s, known as “Eleutherian Adventurers” seeking religious freedom. With the beach never far away in this narrow land, that moniker still rings true today, as Eleuthera is an escape from the hustle and bustle of daily life. It is a destination for those seeking to connect with nature and disconnect from the modern world.

Eleuthera is also a haven for the jet-set, as evidenced by an in-depth feature on The Cove, Eleuthera’s most coveted new destination, in the premiere issue of Venice magazine—the new luxury quarterly for the city of Fort Lauderdale, produced by Whitehaus Media Group. Since the 1950s, Eleuthera drew in the likes of American industrialists like Arthur Vining Davis and Henry J. Kaiser and celebrities like Prince Charles and a then-pregnant Princess Diana. Thanks to resorts like The Cove, the island still holds true as a destination for celebrities and elite. Case in point, MMA fighter Vitor Belfort happen to visit the island during our stay. His destination, The Cove, a getaway experience created by Sidney Torres, is unlike any other in the world.

  Vitor Belfort

The cove is the dream of any family , it’s a dream house of any man and plus you have 10 star service . I consider this place a piece of heaven. Where joy meets happiness.

Vitor Belfort

 

 Glass Window Bridge

Sidney Torres

Sidney Torres

 Sidney Torres

 

That’s why I fell in love with Eleuthera, you have the space to be away and private and not have anyone around you. Eleuthera is private and unique.

Sidney Torres

 

Arriving at the airport on the resort’s private jet, guests take in the beautiful and serene setting that is almost untouched by modern times. From caves to settlements, there is a host of things to see and do in Eleuthera. And if you pay attention, you may just learn something from the island’s rich history. One of the many caves, Preacher’s Cave stands as the historic site where Captain Sayles and his travelers held religious services. At the entrance of the cave is a sign that reads: “William Sayles ship wrecked at Devil’s Backbone found refuge here. Sermons held 100 years.”

Sidney Torres

Along the way, guests will also experience a historic graveyard, “It’s an older graveyard,” explains Torres. “Some of the tombstones don’t even have names because it’s so old. What’s cool is that it is untouched. There are a few of these around the island where they just dig a hole and don’t use coffins. It’s old school, not like the way we do it in the States.”

There’s also The Bluff, a settlement in Eleuthera. “We have a lot of employees that live there,” Torres explains. History says the settlement was established by emancipated slaves around 1807.

When it comes to local life in Eleuthera, its common to drop in at Seven Seas, a restaurant/bar that also specializes in foliage. “When I was landscaping The Cove, I decided I needed coconut palms. A friend told me we needed to go to Seven Seas. I said, ‘But that’s a bar.’ He explained to me it’s not just a restaurant and bar, they also sell coconut trees. The owner’s name is Cash. He’s a hustler just trying to make a living selling certain things. He planted his coconut farm years ago so he could sell them. I knew I would be friends with him the moment we met,” Torres says.

Torres, who built The Cove in 2012, has a connection with the people of Eleuthera. When he initially bought the land, he had plans to turn it into a private residence. But the government approached him and suggested he turn it into a resort as a way to bring money to the people of the island. The truth is the island needed jobs because the people were struggling. Torres took this into consideration and turned his dream home into a dream getaway destination instead. “We employee 140 of the locals. Our payroll is about 120,000-140,000 a month that we pay and goes right back into the community.” He has also given back to the island in other ways. “I put an AC in the local school. I went to visit and the kids were all sweating and I couldn’t believe they didn’t have AC, so I had my team put one in. It’s important to give back to the community,” he says.

There are other ways Torres has given back to the island, from resurrecting The Cove to employing locals as private butlers to giving the gift of the island to visitors, he has brought new life to Eleuthera. And it all came to him by surprise. With the help of cocktail napkins and a vision, The Cove is his masterpiece.

Torres has long been in the restoration architecture game. Hailing from New Orleans, he spend years turning dilapidated properties into gems. When he heard about The Cove, a 1960’s property with only 7 or 8 rooms, was going into foreclosure, he thought it would make a perfect getaway home for himself. It was a perfect escape for him, especially since he had just sold his garbage business and was looking for an escape. “I always thought I wanted to be in Harbor Island because it was the cool place to be, but as I started developing my business and my career started to flourish, I decided I didn’t want to be around all of that. It might be fun to have a night of it, but I thought it would be nice to get on the boat and drive 10 minutes away to a private island with a private beach, so you don’t have to be around everyone all the time. I wanted the privacy, the space,” Torres says. “That’s why I fell in love with Eleuthera, you have the space to be away and private and not have anyone around you. Eleuthera is private and unique.”

With the government influencing Torres purchase, he changed the property’s fate from private residence to public resort. And as with his other properties, he let the space talk to him, give him direction. “I would get a mattress, throw it on the floor, stay for a couple of weeks and feel out the property. I always like to feel out the environment before I do any work within the space and try not to overpower that space. When I got there I realized this is too beautiful just to keep to myself. I wanted to have something everyone could experience, but not a commercialized resort where there are people everywhere, overcrowded with chair after chair. I wanted a space that was still private that you felt like it was your own space, with five-star service.”

Using cocktail napkins, Torres would sketch out his plans. “I would get an idea and sit under the bush and imagine a room. I usually had a drink with me and I would take the napkin from the drink and draw the idea. It became a joke that if someone saw me with a napkin they were like, ‘He’s making the next stage.’”

Napkin Sketches

 

Those napkin sketches turned into the resort’s 70 rooms, complete with a restaurant, Freedom, and top-notch amenities. It’s a property where your every wish comes true. From the smaller rooms to its three residential villas, complete with private flights to and from the island, personal butlers, private pool and private beach, it’s jet-setting at its finest.

Torres wanted to reflect the island’s laid back vibe in the design, which he did all on his own. “I did everything. I was the designer, the builder, the architect. I did it all myself,” Torres says. “I didn’t want to take down too much shrubbery, I wanted to work within the landscape. The water, the beach, it’s all so beautiful, I didn’t want to take away. I wanted to be able to build something  comfortable and simple, so that when you laid in bed or on the lounge chair, you could enjoy the view without competing colors.” The result is clean, simple lines, an island-like influence that resonates from interior to architecture.

Freedom Restaurant

 

Kezang Dorji, Gembo Gyltshen, Chorten Wangyel, & Chungmo

It’s this simplicity Torres strives for in every aspect at The Cove. That’s why he employees nine butlers to cater to guests’ every whim. Say you have a craving for cookies at 3 a.m. Your butler will rise and make sure your craving is fulfilled. The idea came to Torres while he was on vacation in Parrot Cay. “I rented Keith Richard’s place and we were picked up at the dock by a guy who was so well-mannered, well-trained and paid attention to detail when it came to service. He was with us the whole time.” The idea appealed to Torres because as he explains, “When you got to a resort, you want to get away. You don’t want to deal with 20 different people. This person was with you the whole week, there for you when you ordered a drink, needed a massage, wanted your room cleaned. We had a nickname for him. We called his Sneaky, because he was always around without being around. He knew how not to be in your space but be there if you needed him.”

Years later after Torres revamped The Cove, he went back for that same butler. In exchange for employing the locals, the government issued a 1-year permit and agreed that his butlers-to-be receive up to three years training on how to deliver five-star service. “It’s rare in the Bahamas to have this kind of service, very rare in the outer islands. It’s so important here, because it gives people, like celebrities and otherwise, their privacy without compromising their privacy. And it’s one less thing to worry about.”

The butler service is just one of the amenities that makes The Cove different from other resorts in the area. Another is the food. Other Bahamian spots lack gourmet offerings and offer service that is acceptable but not stellar. Here, the hotel excels. The Cove’s restaurant is housed in the main house, in what Torres was going to turn into his own home on the island. Instead, he made it the centerpiece of the hotel, the main meeting spot, the table in which his guests would dine and share their days. “I’m from New Orleans, which is known for its food. I wanted this to have New Orleans flair with a Japanese twist, so I went and found the best sushi chef I could find. Ronnie Jariyawiriya, who hails from Miami and was formerly at Nobu, became not just the sushi chef at The Cove, he became the head chef. His creations include Salmon crudo with avocado, reef and beef burgers, sashimi platters and morre. And there’s Bahamian flair as well, with conch burgers, conch sliders and lobster mac and cheese served at the beach-side addition to the restaurant.

 Chungmo

Specialty Dishes

The food may be one of Torres passions, the other is the freedom of the great outdoors. And there’s no lacking in activities under the sun. From paddle boarding and kayaking to bone fishing and sunset cruises, snorkeling, even bike riding, there is no shortage of being one with Mother Nature at the resort. “Surfers Beach has some of the best surfing in the Bahamas. It’s right across from the resort. We have instructors that will teach you how to surf, too,” Torres explains. On rainy days, the resort shows new releases, complete with champagne. There’s a library with amazing books that cover everything from the history of Eleuthera and New Orleans to Annie Leibovitz. In short, there is never a dull moment at The Cove, unless you so desire one.

As for Torres favorite place on the property, “Every one is unique, it depends on what you are feeling, where you are. It’s very emotional. Every piece has a different feeling to it. I tried to create something I love and I love hearing people say they love it because that means it’s working. I created this to share with everyone.”

Sidney Torres

I wanted a space that was still private that you felt like it was your own space, with five-star service.

Sidney Torres

Kamalame Cottage

Bush View Studio

Sidney Torres

I tried to create something I love and I love hearing people say they love it because that means it’s working. I created this to share with everyone.

Sidney Torres

 

Carribbean Cove

 

Sidney Torres

Res One

 

Sidney Torres

Vitor Belfort

Aerial View