How many of our 50 destinations for 2015 did you manage? It's not too late to squeeze in another trip before Christmas...
Bahamas
43 of 50
Photo: Courtesy of Baha Mar
Anticipation is high for the spring 2015 opening of Baha Mar, the biggest thing to happen to the Bahamas since Atlantis in 1998. The resort complex will introduce 2,200 new luxury rooms and a Las Vegas–style casino with 30-foot floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a shallow beach cove with a turquoise horizon. Its roster of 40 restaurants includes Katsuya, an offshoot of the sushi lounge already established in Dubai, Hollywood, and South Beach; its cocktail menu features a signature Burning Mandarin infused by hand-crushed Serrano chili pepper. Spring 2015 also brings a wild new street festival: Bahamas Junkanoo Carnival. It combines the carnival concept with Junkaroo, an African-derived folk tradition in the Bahamas that involves gyrating performances by costumed musicians and dancers. Expect parades and mega-concerts staged in a festival village and venues nationwide. In Harbour Island, a two-year renovation of a colonial-era estate will usher in the Bahama House Inn, offering two 3-bedroom cottages, landscaped with a saltwater lap pool, a steam room, and a sauna. And Club Med Columbus Isle will debut its new look, including a redesigned pool deck, refreshed guest rooms, a spa, and a kite-surfing school. —Noelle Khalila Nicolls,T+L’s Bahamas Local Expert
