Great Exuma Island, Bahamas
Inns, Lodges, Resorts
November 2024
By Jimmy Jacobs
Imagine a first-class, full-service resort hotel noted for its excellent service, but also sporting a legacy as a bonefish lodge that goes back for half a century. Now place that establishment in the capital city of the island, within walking distance of entertainment, shopping and eateries. Once you have formulated that image, you have a good idea of what Peace & Plenty Resort in George Town on the island of Great Exuma offers in The Bahamas.
The Peace & Plenty Resort in George Town. Photo by Polly Dean.
The hotel’s connection to bonefishing goes back more than six decades, but the history of the site stretches back much farther. After the sailing ship Peace and Plenty brought expatiate American tory Lord Denys Rolle to the island in 1783, he established a cotton plantation where the hotel now stands and named it after the sailing ship.
Years later, the Minns family took possession and turned the plantation sponge warehouse into their home. That building presently houses the lobby of the hotel. Also dating from the plantation era, the original cook house now is home to the hotel’s 1783 bar.
On The Fly South Associate Editor Polly Dean and Peace & Plenty General Manager Patrick Faas at the 1783. Photo by Jimmy Jacobs
The modern hotel era began in 1958 when Lawrence Lewis, grandnephew and heir of hotel and railroad magnate Henry Flagler, bought the site and built the colonial-style Club Peace and Plenty that makes up the core of today’s hotel. One of the early guests was Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh and husband of Queen Elisabeth II, when came to Great Exuma in 1959 for the Out Island Regatta.
Prince Phillip at Club Peace and Plenty in 1959. Photo courtesy of Peace & Plenty Resort.
By 1969 the doors had closed at Club Peace and Plenty, but Stanley Benjamin stepped forward to purchase the hotel and working with General Manager Charlie Pflueger, who held that position for the next 40 years, they reopened it. Over the course of those years, it became a Mecca for angler, including baseball legend Ted Williams and golfer Jack Nicklaus. Other celebrities that visited ran the gamut from baseballer Mickey Mantle to football’s Joe Namath, Ted Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy Onassis to musician Jimmy Buffet and Hollywood’s Gene Hackman, Robert Mitchum and Sam Elliott. In 2006, while on the island to film one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Johnny Depp did a remote acceptance speech for the People’s Choice Award for Favorite Male Movie Star from the 1783 bar.
Photo by Jimmy Jacobs.
When the Stanley family decided to sell the hotel in 2017, rumors suggested it might be bought by a Chinese conglomerate. At that point brothers Steve and Patrick Harrington, along with their sister Ann, could not let that happened. For years they had enjoyed family vacations at Club Peace and Plenty and it held a special place in their family history. Partnering with Exuma business man Burton Rodgers, they purchased the hotel, rebranded it as Peace & Plenty Resort and began the process of returning it to its glory days. A year later they also acquired property on Stocking Island, across Elizabeth Harbor, to add a beach club to the resort’s offerings.
Today the 34-room hotel positioned on the waterfront of Elizabeth Harbor is in the process of fully renovating all its facilities. All of the hotel rooms were renovated in 2024. Those accommodations range from single rooms with either king or two queen beds, two-bedroom suites with either one or two baths, king bedrooms with kitchenette, a two-bedroom suite with kitchenette, and a three bedroom / two bath owner’s apartment with full bath and laundry.
Fresh grilled grouper for dinner in the Copia Restaurant. Photo by Jimmy Jacobs.
Also on site is the Copia Restaurant that serves three meals daily. Fresh sushi, crispy snapper, roasted lobster or surf & turf are just some of the delights found on their newly updated menu. A range of wines, beers and cocktails also is available. The Copia even has an alcove featuring a piano-bar atmosphere.
Guests and locals mingle in the 1783 bar. Left photo by Jimmy Jacobs, right photo by Polly Dean.
After dinner it takes but a few steps to reach the 1783. Its quaint and cozy atmosphere is a great place for swapping fish stories or meeting fellow travelers. But you’ll also find local folks dropping in to wet their whistle as well. You can even sit where Johnny Depp made his acceptance speech. Meanwhile, the bar staff will be serving up smiles and a selection of island favorite cocktails.
The resort’s swimming pool. Photo by Polly Dean.
Out on the spacious deck overlooking Elizabeth Harbor you can enjoy taking a dip in the swimming pool. Additionally, Doc’s bar is seasonally open at poolside. The bar was named for Lermon Rolle, who served as head bartender at Club Peace & Plenty for more than 40 years. He was known as the “Doctor of Libations,” thus Doc’s seemed the natural choice for the poolside watering hole.
Doc’s bar at pool side. Photo by Polly Dean.
The hotel offers shuttle service for the minutes-long ride across the harbor to the beach club on Stocking Island. There you find a swimming beach, free use of paddle boards, kayaks and snorkeling gear. There also is a waterfront bar and grill.
For the more adventurous visitors, studio, one- and two-bedroom cottages are available at the Beach Club. These all have full kitchens and wrap-around porches.
Be aware that at the present renovations are on-going at the Beach Club so some amenities may not be available.
When heading over to Stocking Island, you may want to take along your fly rod. Track down the hotel’s General Manager Patrick Faas and he can direct you to a wadable flat adjacent to the club that often has bonefish on it.
Just how important to the history of George Town has the Peace & Plenty been? In 2014 the island chain’s government issued a set of four postage stamps to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. Peace & Plenty appeared on one of those.
