At The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort, Bahamas, Christmas morning will start with a cellist accompanying yoga on Versailles Terrace East. Guests can then take to the water for open-water paddleboarding, with the white-sand beach there for anyone whose idea of festive exertion involves considerably less movement. It’s a lovely prospect: Christmas traditions, with room for a little island improvisation.
The Paradise Island resort announced its 2026 festive programme on 6 October, bringing together special dinners, family activities, seasonal wellness and New Year’s Eve celebrations. Guests arriving for the holidays will also be among the first to stay in its newly redesigned Hartford Ocean View rooms and suites.
A fresh look for the Hartford Wing
The historic Hartford Wing’s ocean-facing side has been refreshed, with 26 guest rooms and two suites now featuring a brighter, lighter look drawn from the colours of sand and sea. The wing is near the main lobby and dining venues, making it a convenient base for dipping in and out of the festive programme.
The hotel opened in 1962 as a 52-room property designed by architect John Volk for Huntington Hartford II. Those original rooms are now known as the Hartford Wing, giving this redesign a place in the resort’s longer story.
The resort says Joanna Kerr and her team at Joanna Kerr Design have added wallcoverings with a blue, linen-like look, custom marine-life artwork and patterned textiles, alongside new tile and stone finishes, bespoke furnishings and lighting. The details bring the coastal setting into the rooms, where views stretch across the turquoise Atlantic.
John Conway, the resort’s general manager, explained the room choices in the redesign announcement: “Families particularly appreciate the convenience of our ground-floor rooms, which offer direct terrace access to the lawn, while second-floor accommodations provide additional privacy.”
Reservations for the refreshed accommodation are available for stays beginning 8 October 2026. For a Christmas booking, the floor is worth considering alongside the view: lawn access could be particularly useful for a family, while upstairs may appeal for a more private retreat.
Beach days with a festive flourish
The oceanfront infinity-edge Ocean Pool and the adults-only Versailles Pool offer two different settings for a winter afternoon. Along the white-sand beach, blue umbrellas and beachside service make an equally tempting case for leaving a generous gap in the itinerary.
During Christmas week, guests will find hot chocolate and chilled cider fresco, as well as festive cookies, in the lobby, so the familiar seasonal treats are still part of the picture. Rum cake will be available to buy, adding a distinctly Bahamian option to the holiday indulgence.
The Coconut Cabana on the Ocean Deck and the Gelato Cart at the Ocean Pool will open daily from noon to 4pm during the festive period. A busy day here can still contain a very respectable amount of doing nothing.
Christmas dinner by the ocean
DUNE by Jean-Georges, the resort’s signature restaurant overlooking the ocean, will serve a Chef’s Special dinner on Christmas Eve, 24 December, from 6pm to 10pm.
The Martini Bar and Lounge will offer Sushi and Sake that evening, while Ocean Blu and Trattoria Versailles will serve chef specials alongside their regular menus. There’s a choice of settings and styles, useful if you’re planning several nights at the resort and want each evening to feel a little different.
Christmas Day brings Chef’s Special dinners at both DUNE and the relaxed, beachfront Ocean Blu. The Martini Bar and Lounge’s programme includes Sushi and Sake, crudo and cigar rolling, giving guests further options for the evening.
Rum tasting, high tea, caviar and crudo, Oysters and Martinis, and Sunday Brunch at DUNE are also planned on selected dates throughout the festive period. Festive drink specials will appear at Ocean Blu, Italian-inspired Trattoria Versailles and DUNE, with additional selections at The Martini Bar.
Christmas Eve for little guests
Santa will make a Christmas Eve appearance, with family photographs in the hotel lobby. The children’s programme continues with a class in Christmas tennis, decorating cookies, making Christmas globes and decorating stockings, followed by storytelling later that evening and a festive kids’ eggnog experience.
The resort’s complimentary Kids For All Seasons programme will offer a festive-period lineup of activities. Creative options include tie-dye, decorating pizza and cookies, and painting Junkanoo masks, while sandcastle making gives younger guests a reason to get busy on the beach.
Children who prefer to keep moving can look forward to tennis clinics, kids’ yoga, aqua aerobics, laser tag and poolside games. Movie nights, s’mores and foam parties add more possibilities across the holiday calendar.
A little movement between celebrations
Christmas Day’s cello-accompanied yoga is the wellness programme’s particularly lovely seasonal touch. Set on Versailles Terrace East, it will be followed by open-water paddleboarding and further fitness programming, offering an active start before the day’s dining and family celebrations.
The wider schedule features Pilates, circuit-based and functional workouts, along with tennis and padel. Named sessions range from Power Pilates and Breath and Balance to Holiday Hustle HIIT and a Holiday Street Dance Celebration workout. You can choose a gentler session or something with a little more energy, depending on how your holiday is unfolding.
Padel Under the Stars brings an evening option, while Mindful Movements Yoga, Harmony Hatha Yoga with a cellist and Tennis Rally feature as the year draws to a close.
Junkanoo and a sparkling start to 2027
Junkanoo entertainment is scheduled throughout the resort on Tuesday, 29 December, from 4pm to 4.30pm, with another appearance forming part of the New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Junkanoo, The Bahamas’ national cultural festival, combines music, performance and elaborate costumes. Its sounds include cowbells, goatskin drums, whistles and brass instruments, and UNESCO inscribed it on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2023. The resort’s entertainment takes place on property; New Providence’s principal public parades are held on Boxing Day and New Year’s morning.
On 31 December, DUNE will serve a special dinner featuring five courses from 6pm to 10pm. Ocean Blu, Trattoria Versailles and The Martini Bar and Lounge are set to host live entertainment, with Junkanoo and a fireworks display at the resort rounding out the night. Music and celebrations will carry on into the early hours of 2027.
New Year’s Day brings the Annual General Manager Run.
Planning your festive stay
Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve anchor the calendar, while several tastings, brunches and other dining experiences take place on selected dates. When arranging your stay, ask about the schedule for the activities you’re keen to join, your preferred Hartford room floor and festive dinner arrangements.
Reservations and further information are available on +1 877 312 1211.
