The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort: Our #15 Pick for families

The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort ranks #15 on our 2026 list of the world's best family hotels. It pairs a complimentary Kids For All Seasons club for ages 4 to 12 with a dedicated family lagoon pool, an adults-only Versailles Pool for parents, and DUNE by Jean-Georges for the grown-up dinner, all set in 35 acres of gardens on Paradise Island where Casino Royale was filmed.

“A historic Paradise Island estate, restored by Four Seasons: about 107 rooms and suites, three pools, a real kids programme, and Versailles-inspired gardens.”

What is the Ocean Club, and who runs it now?

The Ocean Club is a historic Paradise Island estate near Nassau, now operated as a Four Seasons resort after years as the One&Only Ocean Club. The property spans roughly 35 acres of Versailles-inspired formal gardens and holds about 107 rooms and suites across low-rise, Bahamian-style buildings that look over either the ocean or the gardens. It is small for a resort of its reputation, which is part of the appeal: the scale feels like an estate rather than a mega-resort, and the beach is a short walk from most rooms.

Film fans will recognise it. The 2006 James Bond film Casino Royale used the Ocean Club as a location, with Villa 108 standing in as Bond's room, and the bar still serves a Casino Royale cocktail as a nod to it. Four Seasons has since announced branded residences on the estate opening in 2027, so expect some construction activity on parts of the grounds during that build. For a family trip, the relevant fact is that this is a genuine family resort wrapped inside a grown-up, storied setting, not a waterpark hotel and not an adults-only hideaway.

Why does it work for a family?

It works because the kids' programme, the pools, and the dining are all built to take children off the parents' hands without making the children feel banished. The complimentary Kids For All Seasons club welcomes ages 4 to 12 with certified counsellors and a full week of programming: slime factory, pizza making, Lego building, sandcastle contests, tie-dye t-shirts, fish feeding, and marine-habitat sessions among them. Because it is included rather than charged by the hour, parents actually use it, which is the real test of a kids' club.

The three pools are zoned exactly the way a family needs. The family lagoon pool has a sloping, beach-style entry and a waterfall, so toddlers wade in rather than face a ladder and a drop. The infinity-edge Ocean Pool faces the Atlantic for the stronger swimmers and the photographs. And the adults-only Versailles Pool gives parents a genuinely quiet hour once the club has the kids. On dining, DUNE by the Michelin-distinguished chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten handles the parents' dinner, Ocean Blu beside the Ocean Pool covers the easy Caribbean-grill lunch, and children four and under eat free at both with the purchase of an adult meal. That is the trio that makes a beach-resort family trip actually restful: supervised kids, zoned water, and a dinner that holds when the day runs long.

How does it score, and which room should you book?

It earns an aggregate 9.2 out of 10 on our family criteria, strong on programme and setting and held back on value. Our scores are editorial opinions, not aggregated guest reviews, weighted for a family stay. The breakdown:

For rooms, book a one-bedroom suite or a Crescent wing room with a sofa bed for a family of three or four, and connecting rooms or a villa for larger groups or two families travelling together. Ask for a ground-floor category near the family pool if you are travelling with a stroller, because the estate's low-rise layout is spread across the gardens and the walk from a far room adds up over a week. See how we weight every property on the methodology page.

What are the honest cons?

The honest drawbacks are price, room configuration, and the 2027 construction. This is one of the more expensive family bookings in the Caribbean, and the peak holiday-week rates, combined with the resort fee and DUNE-level dining, push a week here well past what the same brand costs in Orlando or Naples. Not every room category connects, so a family of five can find themselves choosing between a cramped sofa-bed setup and a much pricier villa. The estate layout that feels so private also means longer walks between the far rooms, the beach, and the club. Paradise Island as a whole is busy and built up, so this is a serene bubble rather than a remote hideaway, and the nearby Atlantis megaresort draws the crowds and the day-trippers. Finally, with branded residences under construction toward a 2027 opening, some parts of the grounds may be fenced or noisy during your stay, so ask the resort directly what is active on your dates before you commit.

Where does it rank against rivals?

Against its closest peers it wins on setting and story and loses a little on value and pure scale of kids' facilities. The most direct comparisons for a 2026 family trip at this level are Four Seasons Resort Naples in Florida (#14 on this list), Amanpuri in Phuket (#16), and Auberge du Soleil in Napa Valley (#13). For a shorter flight from the US East Coast, Naples is the practical pick; for a bigger-water, adults-and-kids balance, the Ocean Club's three pools and included club give it the edge. The rest of the list is not filler, and for some trips the runner-up is the smarter booking, so read the entries side by side before you decide.

Practical: how and when to book

Book six to twelve months ahead for Christmas, Easter, and summer, when connecting suites and villas sell out first. The address is Paradise Island, One Ocean Drive, Nassau, The Bahamas, roughly 20 to 30 minutes from Nassau (LPIA) airport depending on traffic over the bridge. The full property page carries current rates and the room categories worth paying up for; use the Bahamas city guide for what to do off-property, and the family occasion hub for how this resort fits the wider shortlist.

Ocean Club family FAQ