GETTING TO KNOW TREASURE CAY

Along with the amazing increase in circulation of the Abaco Journal during the past few years has come a far wider area of distribution. Many of our readers have never even been to The Bahamas and surely have no idea what it's like to live or vacation in a community like Treasure Cay.

Treasure Cay is located on the island of Abaco approximately 200 miles due east of Palm Beach, Florida. Treasure Cay is a well known resort which offers a variety of excellent vacation accommodations and a championship 18 hole golf course. A little known fact outside of Abaco is that there are over 650 homeowners within the confines of Treasure Cay. These homeowners have developed a community life which centres around the community library, non-denominal church, golf and tennis as well as the Sand Bank Yacht Club and all manner of water sports and boating opportunities. Our town centre hosts a modern medical centre, post office, markets, restaurants and a variety of shopping opportunities from island style to elegant. During the following months we will attempt to enlighten our readers about what it's like to live on an island and of the opportunities available within this community.

One way to live in Treasure Cay is in a condominium. There are several choices to be made which vary considerably in size and location and offer slightly different life styles. One of these complexes is Royal Palm. These handsome condominiums enjoy a magnificent location on our large harbour, which also houses a world class marina internationally known for its successful billfish tournaments. Royal Palm is the largest condominium complex in Treasure Cay yet remains a close knit neighbourhood of owners who come from many foreign ports including Italy, France, Switzerland, England, Germany, Canada, Australia, Cuba, Jamaica and the United States.

These condominiums are constructed as town houses offering either two or three bedrooms with private baths designed around a Great Room concept containing fully furnished living, dining and kitchen areas. The floor plan creates a spacious ambiance with views through a wall of sliding glass overlooking the Marina and surrounding waterways while framing dazzling sunsets all year long.

The complex is situated on a peninsula which forms two sides of the harbour and offers owners and their guests considerable privacy. There are two tennis courts and four swimming pools on site. Each Royal Palm home has a private slip which enables guests to arrive by boat or to rent one locally in order to reach offshore islands, which are intriguing and offer pleasant destinations after a morning of fishing, diving or snorkeling on the outer reefs of our beautiful water world.

Several Royal Palm owners are full time residents and still more are here for six to eight months a year, which enables Royal Palm to retain a residential ambience even for visitors and dispels the commercial impression that has developed on many Caribbean islands. The magnificent Treasure Cay crescent beach is just a three minute walk down an island road and because Bahamian beaches are held public all can enjoy the three and a half mile stretch of white coral sand and azure seas that are unique to The Bahamas and which create the most beautiful vistas to be found on any island in the world.

Next month we will wander down to the dunes and tell you about life on our beach front in Royal Poinciana.