In short… A soulful, family-owned hotel that combines the peace and quiet of a tucked-away farm stay, with easy access to Eleuthera’s beaches and Harbour Island’s scene just a few minutes away by boat.
The surroundings… Once you land at North Eleuthera airport, you can reach The Farm by land or sea. I opted for a quick transfer on their boat from Eleuthera’s Three Island Dock to the hotel’s dock, where my bags and I were whisked off to a check in desk in a salt-kissed cottage.
From there, a short golf cart ride over a hill brings you to The Farm. Your first glimpse is of rows of raised beds neatly arranged around a handful of mature mango and tabebuia trees. Then the cottages come into view—twelve Cape Dutch-inspired structures forming a tidy frame around the beds, like the border of a postage stamp, surrounded on all sides by thick coppice forest.
The backstory… You might have heard of—or more likely seen on Instagram—the Ocean View Club or The Other Side, two incredibly photogenic, spirited properties on Harbour Island and Eleuthera. In peak season, it can be nearly impossible to score a room at either, thanks in part to their packed calendar of weddings and events. Luckily, the addition of The Farm, and a few more properties in the pipeline, will make it a little easier to land a stay in the charming little world they’re creating.
Back in 2018, Ben Simmons, the third-generation proprietor of Ocean View Club, and co-founder (with his wife, Charlie) of Little Island Hotels, started a farm in the bush behind The Other Side to provide produce for the restaurants across their properties. Before long, the idea for a third hotel began to take shape—this one centered around the farm itself, inspired in part by Babylonstoren in South Africa.
But the story stretches back even further. Centuries ago, Ben’s Bahamian ancestors fought against the Spanish and were given access to Commonage Land for their loyalty to the British Crown (The Bahamas remained a British colony until gaining independence in 1973). Commonage Lands are parcels reserved for descendants of those families to farm or start businesses. That’s how Ben ended up with a few acres in North Eleuthera, across the bay from Harbour Island where his mother, Pip, had inherited the Ocean View Club from her parents decades earlier.
The vibe… instantly puts you at ease. Captain Chester, who shuttled me to the hotel on their boat, was cracking jokes before we had even arrived at the dock. Allie, the guest experience manager who checked me in, made sure lunch was waiting for me the moment I arrived. And the fact that the general manager, Steven, walks around barefoot kind of says it all.
There’s not an ounce of pretension here—no hawk-like staff hovering or babysitting you, just a group of people who welcome you so warmly that you can drop your bags (and your shoulders) and start to feel at home almost immediately. It’s no surprise the place has already attracted a few famous fans; in the less than year since opening, everyone from Michael Jordan to Lenny Kravitz has stopped by.
It’s not the kind of place where someone appears poolside at 2pm sharp with popsicles and cool towelettes on a silver tray. But it is the kind of place where you can wander into the garden and pluck fresh herbs to make yourself a cup of tea at any hour, kick your sandy feet up on a chaise and watch shooting stars at night, or pour a glass of whatever you fancy from the honor bar whenever the mood strikes.
The rooms… There are eight larger cottages with king-size beds, indoor and outdoor sitting areas, and a large clawfoot tub right in the center of the room. Four smaller cottages are interspersed throughout, and can be configured with either a king or twin beds. There’s enough space between cottages that you never feel on top of your neighbors, but they’re close enough that you might bump into them—which is how we befriended the duo staying next door one afternoon.
When I arrived, a small chalkboard sign with my name written on it was propped on the porch of my cottage. It quickly became my favorite place to sit in the mornings, sipping coffee while listening to birds chirp, roosters crow, and watching the morning dew slowly burn off the gardens.
Though you’ll hardly spend much time indoors, the interiors are lovely, with floor-to-ceiling windows that look out over the gardens and massive framed prints of a tree behind the beds that Ben designed himself and had custom made by a wallpaper company in Ireland. On my bedside table sat a small stack of used books that set the tone for the place: India Hicks’ Island Style, an old guide book to Eleuthera, and something a bit more esoteric about Taoist chanting.
The cottages themselves are built largely from repurposed materials, including pressure-treated southern pine and Brazilian hardwood sourced from leftover materials on construction sites around the island. The roofs are made of Balinese-style thatch and coconut fronds, and the large windows are plexiglass panels designed with hurricanes in mind, that are easy to replace or remove completely so strong winds can blow right through the buildings.
The wellness… The gym is set in the cottage closest to the restaurant and reception, which is flooded with natural light. Two murals depicting rugby games line the opposite walls. In one, players wear shorts and palm trees sway in the background, in the other they’re bundled in sweaters beneath bare deciduous trees, seemingly a nod to Ben and Charlie’s childhoods spent between The Bahamas and Ireland. For such a small hotel, the gym is surprisingly well equipped. If you prefer an outdoor workout, you can borrow kayaks, paddleboards, or snorkel gear and head to explore the bay—there’s often a handful of turtles that hang out near the dock at The Other Side.
I heard that a spa is in the eventual plans, but for now guests can have the hotel arrange in-room massages.
The food… Of course, much of what you eat here comes straight from the farm—between 30 and 60 percent of the ingredients, depending on the season and what’s being served. Dairy and grains are among the few things they still have to import. The menu is appropriately pescetarian, built around whatever fresh catch the local fishermen bring in that day.
You don’t have to make many decisions either, just show up and wait for plates to arrive. One lunch started with butternut squash, hummus, and plantain chips alongside a delicious green salad, which I assumed was the whole meal until a freshly grilled lobster with lime-dressed potatoes arrived at the table, followed by a scoop of homemade coconut sorbet. Each night at dinner, warm sourdough bread and a salty herb butter served in a hollowed out coconut shell kicked things off. The tuna frites we had on our last night were so good I’m still thinking about them.
The restaurant itself is as beautiful as the food: two giant fiddle-leaf fig trees anchor either side of the open air room, and you honestly forget whether you’re indoors or out. So do the birds, who occasionally fly through. The wicker dining chairs felt very Soane-esque, and one wall features another giant mural with different forks—which I’d easily believe was either Fornasetti or another one of Ben’s creations. At night, candles flicker everywhere, and a handful of (mostly barefoot) guests wandered in and out to make cups of tea before bed from the always-available tea station.
On special occasions, or probably if you just ask, dinner can take place outside at a long communal table stretched beneath lantern-lit tabebuia trees. And then there’s Sunday brunch, which has become something of a local institution. It’s open to the public, and people come from all over the island for it. The Bahamian menu is served family style with open seating, and I’ve heard that if the chair next to you is open, Lenny Kravitz—who lives nearby and whom everyone just refers to as “Lenny”—might just slide in right before brunch starts. Can you pass the grits please, Lenny?
The sustainability… As you might expect from a hotel centered around a working farm, sustainability is a huge focus here. They have a large compost operation that enables a closed loop between the kitchen and farm, reducing waste while nourishing the soil for future harvests. The property is off the grid, powered by its own solar energy, and I didn’t spot a single disposable item during my stay. Even the water cups in the gym were glass (chic!).
The farm itself is still evolving, too. Plans are underway to expand the farm’s footprint with a citrus grove, and potentially bring in a few more animals, with the ultimate goal of deepening the connection between what’s cultivated on the land and what ends up on guests’ plates.
Extra tip goes to… Allie, Chester, Steven, and Robin. There are hotels where staff wear name tags, yet I can never quite remember everyone’s names. And here nobody wears one, but I actually got to know people because they really take their time. Sure, it might mean the tomato salad takes a beat longer coming out of the kitchen, but if that’s because the table next to me is hearing some fantastic story about a Pirate-themed wedding they hosted last month, and that same enthusiasm and hospitality will be reciprocated to me and every other table in the restaurant, I’m all for it.
Parting words… Their website says they’re “building a different kind of hospitality that stays small, stays rooted, and puts the destination first.” Rooted being the operative word here, obviously for the incredible variety of crops that have literally taken root in the soil, but also for the way the hotel feels deeply connected to the people, history, and rhythm of Eleuthera.
I loved my stay and I’m sure I’ll be back. But beyond The Farm itself, I’m really enthusiastic about what Little Island Hotels is building. Each property feels developed with real reverence for the land and the community, delivering something luxurious without losing the authentic spirit of the Family Islands. I can’t wait to see what they do next.
Dates of stay… February 17-19, 2026
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