The double-crescent beach, over two miles long, is breathtaking. Ditto the crystalline water. Ditto the golf course, with hardly a blade of grass out of place (it gets only a handful of rounds on an average day). The Abaco Club stays gloriously serene because the 534-acre private peninsula is indeed a club (created by Peter de Savary, the English entrepreneur, sportsman, and visionary). Nonmembers can stay in their choice of 20 octagonal cottages (650-square-foot one-room cabanas), each beautifully furnished and richly appointed with a marble-top wet bar, 42-inch flat-screen TV, Italian linens, and a terrace with hammocks secluded behind a bank of shrubbery.

Room rates start from $240 per night.