Bahamas / Nassau
Through Rose Colored Glasses

It might be an age thing. When we were younger, we probably wouldn't have minded the flaws at Compass Point But this trendy beach club hotel on Nassau must have seen its better day before we got there. Or are we too old for its charms?

Compass Point's appeal has always been its laid-back style geared to the rock & roll set. The cluster of colorful bungalows with fanciful seaside names are still enticing. Especially the seafront ones. The setting over the rocks is fabulous. Right next to beautiful Love Beach. In a quiet part of Nassau. And far enough away from Atlantis, the mega-hotel.

Compass Point's Junkanoo carnival colors are a little over the top for us. But the tiny 1.5 acre property is deliberately multi-colored & jumbled. It's not meant to be restful. Compass Point is designed to be a hip hangout ala Pee-Wee Herman.

But where the outside suitably screams its mantra, the inside of our Seafront Hut had us wincing. Stained wood in murky colors. A cramped bathroom with a showerhead that spewed water. Some windows wouldn't open. And the ones that did, required removing the screens to open them. Dog-eared information sheets about the hotel. Outdated magazines & island brochures. Rusted reading lights over the bed. Bathrobes with the Compass Point logo bleached into oblivion.

But then there was the private balcony, hanging over the rocks. The rumble & crash of the waves. The sunset from a rocking chair (a Junkanoo coral pink, of course). And the realization that a wacky shower head doesn't really matter. And it's still nice to have a bathrobe to hang around in, even if the logo has long since faded. That & the wonderfully friendly June, who greets you at the front desk. The decadent coconut French toast. And the selection of CD's for music in your room.

So, it could be an age thing after all. The essence of Compass Point is its youthful attitude on living. The hotel offers a simple space in a wonderful setting. To see the world through rose colored glasses. There's more to life than Frette sheets, afterall. Of course, we have no problem with those.