Paradise Island
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Paradise Island is an island in
The Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
formerly known as Hog Island. The island, with an area of (2.8 km2/1.1 sq mi), is located just off the shore of the city of
Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...
, which is itself located on the northern edge of the island of
New Providence New Providence is the most populous island in the Bahamas, containing more than 70% of the total population. It is the location of the national capital city of Nassau, whose boundaries are coincident with the island; it had a population of 246 ...
. It is best known for the sprawling resort
Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...
with its extensive water park rides, pools, beach, restaurants, walk-in aquarium and casinos. Paradise Island is connected to the island of New Providence by two bridges that cross Nassau Harbour. The first was built in 1966 by
Resorts International Resorts International was a hotel and casino company. From its origins as a paint company, it moved into the resort business in the 1960s with the development of Paradise Island in the Bahamas, and then expanded to Atlantic City, New Jersey with ...
, and the second in the late 1990s.


Recent history


Paradise Island Airport

A small airstrip existed on the island from 1989 to 1999 to serve the resort. Prior to 1989 the airport was a seaplane base with a ramp for aircraft to leave the water. In 1989 a runway was added to the airport. The airport's codes were: IATA: PID ICAO: MYPI. Both
Paradise Island Airlines Paradise Island Airlines was an American airline that connected Florida with Paradise Island in the Bahamas in the 1990s. According to the Official Airline Guide (OAG), the airline's two letter code was "BK". Merv Griffin Enterprises' Resorts I ...
and
Chalk's International Airlines Chalk's International Airlines, formerly Chalk's Ocean Airways, was an airline with its headquarters on the grounds of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in unincorporated Broward County, Florida near Fort Lauderdale. It operated sc ...
were the main tenants of the airport.
US Airways Express US Airways Express was the brand name for the regional affiliate of US Airways, under which a number of individually owned commuter air carriers and regional airlines operate short and medium haul routes. This code sharing service was previously ...
also served the airport from
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
. The
STOL A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a conventional fixed-wing aircraft that has short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. Many STOL-designed aircraft also feature various arrangements for use on airstrips with harsh conditio ...
capable
de Havilland Canada DHC-7 Dash 7 The de Havilland Canada DHC-7, popularly known as the Dash 7, is a turboprop-powered regional airliner with short take-off and landing (STOL) performance. It first flew in 1975 and remained in production until 1988 when the parent company, d ...
turboprop operated by Paradise Island Airlines as well the
Grumman G-73 Mallard The Grumman G-73 Mallard is a medium, twin-engined amphibious aircraft. Many have been modified by replacing the original Pratt & Whitney Wasp H radial engines with modern turboprop engines. Manufactured from 1946 to 1951, production ended when ...
amphibian aircraft An amphibious aircraft or amphibian is an aircraft (typically fixed-wing) that can take off and land on both solid ground and water, though amphibious helicopters do exist as well. Fixed-wing amphibious aircraft are seaplanes (flying boats a ...
flown by Chalk's International Airlines both served the airstrip which closed in 1999. The airfield and runway have since been removed and replaced with an 18-hole luxury golf course surrounded by one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods on the island. The area goes by the name "Ocean Club" with property prices as high as 40 million dollars or more.


Purchase by Huntington Hartford and development as a resort

Huntington Hartford George Huntington Hartford II (April 18, 1911 – May 19, 2008) was an American businessman, philanthropist, stage and film producer, and art collector. He was also heir to the A&P supermarket fortune. After his father's death in 1922, Hartfor ...
, the A&P supermarket heir, arrived on Hog Island in 1959. Hartford bought Hog Island from
Axel Wenner-Gren Axel Lennart Wenner-Gren (5 June 1881 – 24 November 1961) was a Swedish entrepreneur and one of the wealthiest men in the world during the 1930s. Early life He was born on 5 June 1881 in Uddevalla, a town on the west coast of Sweden. He w ...
and changed the name to Paradise Island. He hired the Palm Beach architect John Volk and built the Ocean Club, Cafe Martinique, Hurricane Hole, the Golf Course, among other island landmarks. He also acquired and installed the Cloisters, a 14th-century French
Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...
monastery originally purchased in
Montréjeau Montréjeau (; oc-gsc, Montrejau) is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France. Montréjeau-Gourdan-Polignan station has rail connections to Toulouse, Pau, Bayonne and Tarbes. History Montréjeau was the site of one o ...
and dismantled by
William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...
in the 1920s. He hired
Gary Player Gary James Player DMS, OIG (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tou ...
to be the golf pro and
Pancho Gonzales Ricardo Alonso "Pancho" González (May 9, 1928 – July 3, 1995), known sometimes as Richard Gonzales, was an American tennis player. He won 15 major singles titles, including two U.S. National Singles Championships in 1948 and 1949, and 13 P ...
to be the tennis pro. His opening of Paradise Island in 1962 was covered in ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
'' and ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...
'' magazines. He hired the staff from Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc to work off season at the Ocean Club. He had the fireworks for the opening party flown in from the South of France. He had a flag and Paradise Beach was featured on Bahamian three-dollar notes in 1966 (introduced as a close equivalent to the Bahamian Pound, which was replaced at the rate of $1 = £7, so $3 = £21).


Development as a gambling resort

Huntington Hartford met James M. Crosby (1927–1986) through Huntington's bodyguard Sy Alter. Sy Alter met Jim Crosby at the Colony Club in Palm Beach. Huntington Hartford obtained the gambling licence for Paradise Island and included Jim Crosby as an extra investor. Jim Crosby and Jack Davis then formed a company,
Resorts International Resorts International was a hotel and casino company. From its origins as a paint company, it moved into the resort business in the 1960s with the development of Paradise Island in the Bahamas, and then expanded to Atlantic City, New Jersey with ...
, to continue developing Paradise Island. Paradise Island was purchased in the 1980s for $79 million, then sold to
Merv Griffin Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. (July 6, 1925 – August 12, 2007) was an American television show host and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer, later appearing in film and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 he hosted his own ta ...
for $400 million. It was last sold for $125 million to the current owner,
Sol Kerzner Solomon Kerzner, (23 August 1935 – 21 March 2020) was a South African accountant and business magnate. He founded both of South Africa's largest hotel groups, the Southern Sun Hotel Group and Sun International. He was also the Founder, Chai ...
(† March 2020).


Gallery

File:Atlantis Paradise Island Hotel edit.jpg, The Royal Towers joined by the Bridge. The Bridge Suite, located in the span, is among the most expensive accommodations in the world at $25,000 a night. File:Frenchcloisters.jpg, View towards Nassau from The Cloisters on Paradise Island. File:Paradise Island bridge.JPG, Bridge from Nassau to Paradise Island File:Paradise Island Lighthouse, Bahamas.jpg, Paradise Island Lighthouse, constructed 1817 at the western tip of the island File:Atlantis French Cloisters.jpg, The French Cloisters is the reconstructed remains of the cloisters of a 14th-century French monastery. File:Lagoon_on_Paradise_Island.jpg, Lagoon at Atlantis Resort File:Marina_on_Paradise_Island.jpg, Marina at Atlantis Resort File:Atlantis_Resort_on_Paradise_Island.jpg, Atlantis Resort File:BHA Nassau ParadiseIsland 002 2013.jpg, Gated community at the southern seaside


Climate


In popular culture


Films

* The
Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...
' film ''
Help! ''Help!'' is the fifth studio album by the English Rock music, rock band the Beatles and the soundtrack to their Help! (film), film of the same name. It was released on 6 August 1965. Seven of the fourteen songs, including the singles "Help! ( ...
'' (1965) was partially filmed on Paradise Island. * The film '' My Father the Hero'' (1994) was filmed at Paradise Island. *
Atlantis Paradise Island Atlantis Paradise Island is an ocean-themed resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. It is built around Aquaventure, a waterscape. Property history The property was originally part of the Paradise Island Hotel and Casino, which opene ...
is prominent in the Mary-Kate and Ashley film '' Holiday in the Sun'' (2001). * A larger part of the island is shown in the movie ''
After the Sunset ''After the Sunset'' is a 2004 American heist action comedy film directed by Brett Ratner and starring Pierce Brosnan as Max Burdett, a master thief caught in a pursuit with FBI agent Stan Lloyd, played by Woody Harrelson. It was shot in the Bah ...
'' (2004). * The
James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
films '' Thunderball'' (1965) and '' Casino Royale'' (2006) were partially shot on Paradise Island. * The film '' The Other Woman'' (2014) features a section of Paradise Island's beach in the early morning.


Television

* The TV show ''
My Wife and Kids ''My Wife and Kids'' is an American sitcom that ran on ABC from March 28, 2001, to May 17, 2005. The series was produced by Touchstone Television. It starred Damon Wayans as Michael Kyle, the patriarch of an African-American family. Wayans and ve ...
'' filmed one of their episodes on Paradise Island. * '' Survivor: All-Stars'' contestants
Rob Mariano Robert Carlo Mariano (born December 25, 1975), known by the nickname Boston Rob, is an American television personality, known for appearing in the CBS reality show '' Survivor''. He placed 10th in the show's 4th season '' Survivor: Marquesas'' ...
and Amber Brkich were married on Paradise Island in a two-hour TV special. * The ''
American Dad ''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Since 2014, the series has been airing new episodes on TBS. ''American Dad!'' is the first television ...
'' episode "Bahama Mama" is set in the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island.


References


Bibliography

*


Further reading

*


External links

* * {{Authority control Islands of the Bahamas Nassau, Bahamas