Some islands take a day to reach. Bimini takes seventeen. The westernmost edge of the Bahamas sits just 50-odd miles off the South Florida coast, close enough that American Airlines' new nonstop from Miami spends roughly 17 minutes in the air — the carrier's shortest international route, and quite possibly the fastest way to trade your desk for a hammock anywhere in the country. And waiting at the other end is Bimini Tides, a marina-front townhome that makes the case for never checking the return flight.
Set inside the gated Bimini Cove Resort & Marina on the quiet southern island, Bimini Tides is a corner townhome with three bedrooms, three full bathrooms, and a queen sleeper sofa that sleeps up to eight — built for the family getaway or the group of friends who'd rather share one beautiful home than scatter across hotel rooms.
The interiors are bright and breezy, with a fully renovated kitchen in new stainless steel, an in-unit washer and dryer, and windows that frame the marina on one side and the open water on the other. Two golf carts are available to rent with the unit, so the whole island opens up the moment you drop your bags. Concierge services are also offered during the stay. Experiences like a private in-home chef and a charter captain for fishing and boat tours.
That's the magic of this particular corner of Bimini: it feels like having a private island to yourself. South Bimini is quiet; only a small number of people actually live or stay here, so staying inside the gated Bimini Cove Resort & Marina means you'll likely have the beach entirely to yourself.
Step off the property and the sand stretches empty in both directions, scattered with conch and cowrie shells and lapped by water so clear and turquoise it looks color-corrected.
The home sits right on the marina, so boat slips are available to rent directly through the resort — and Bimini has long been a fishing legend, the place Ernest Hemingway based himself in the 1930s, and the self-styled big-game fishing capital of the world, with the deep Gulf Stream waters dropping off just offshore. Drop a line, run out to the reef, and come back with dinner. Conch is the island's staple in every form, from fresh salad to cracked and fried, alongside fish pulled from the water minutes before.
The quiet is by design. The Bimini chain runs just seven miles long and a few hundred yards wide in places, and the cruise lines and most of the seaplanes dock on the north end of North Bimini, so the crowds stay there. South Bimini keeps the calm, with the action of the north on call whenever you want it. From Bimini Tides, it's about a two-minute golf-cart ride to the ferry dock, then a four-minute crossing to North Bimini.
The channel between the two islands is barely a stone's throw wide, so you can watch the ferry cross the whole way — no schedules to decode, no guessing game. Hop on when you're ready and head over for dinner, a livelier night out, or Radio Beach, the North Island's famous turquoise gathering spot, then drift back to the south when you've had your fill.
Getting to the island in the first place has never been simpler. American's new Miami nonstop runs a few times a week as the carrier's shortest international route, and Tropic Ocean Airways flies seaplanes straight to Bimini from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach in about 25 minutes. For a chain that sits closer to Florida than most of the Bahamas, the trip has never felt shorter — and from the dock, the golf cart takes over and the rest happens at island speed.
It adds up to something rare: a genuine Bahamian escape, turquoise water, fresh conch, your own empty beach, no shoes required, that's now closer to South Florida than a drive to the Keys. Pack light, skip the rental car, and let the golf cart take it from there.
Book Bimini Tides at https://www.biminitides.com/