When I think about Harbour Island, I think about the colors. I could have spent days sitting on the beach and simply watching the sea, sand, and sky change from dusty lavender to saturated pink to vibrant turquoise to pale blue and finally to the most beautiful pastel shade of blush. The crystal clear waters and pale pink sand made for one of the most beautiful and inspiring color palettes I have ever laid eyes on, and I instantly started thinking about how I could incorporate more of these beautiful tones into my life.
We spent five sun-filled days in Harbour Island which generally consisted of waking up in our light-filled beach bungalow as the sun rose over the Caribbean Sea, enjoying long, lingering oceanfront breakfasts, alternating between reading and dozing in our beach chairs, riding our golf cart (the transportation of choice) into Dunmore town to admire the charming 18th century homes, painted in every shade of pastel imaginable, walking for miles and miles along the pink sand beach as the sun began to wane, and finally ending our evening with dinner under the stars and one last walk down the moonlit beach. As the majority of our travels are quite active, we made it a point to literally not plan anything on our entire trip which was, for us, such a wonderful and peaceful way to recharge.
Although we had initially thought about staying at The Dunmore, after reading about the bohemian chic Ocean View Club we were sold. A twelve-room beachfront boutique hotel, the Ocean View Club was the perfect mix of relaxed sophistication – I would liken it not to a hotel, but rather to staying at the beach house of a globe-trotting friend in the fashion industry. With an honor bar (I became quite the mixologist by the end of the week), three house dogs, gorgeous decor (think colorful tiles, velvet sofas, eclectic local art, and French and Belgian antiques), and a communal atmosphere, it encouraged guests to stay and linger whether in bathing suits or Caribbean-chic evening wear. Our home for the week was a charming oceanfront cottage with big french doors that opened up to our terrace which led directly down to the beach. It was absolute paradise!
Another highlight on Harbour Island was the cuisine. Every single meal we ate was incredible, and being a pescetarian, having access to an unlimited amount of fresh seafood was a dream. Some of our favorite spots on the island included acai bowls at Cocoa Coffee House, a casual harbor-front lunch at Queen Conch, the Palm-Beach chic Dunmore, and the beautiful courtyard of The Landing.
Our Harbour Island getaway was even more magical than we could have hoped for, and we look forward to returning to the beautiful Ocean View Club next winter!
Film images by Harbour Island Wedding Photographer Molly Carr Photography | Contax 645 | Fuji 400H film scanned by Richard Photo Lab