For years, the Bahamas luxury market was a resale story. Buyers competed for a finite stock of villas and condominiums, and the most desirable addresses traded on scarcity alone. That era is giving way to something new. Billions of dollars in committed capital are now moving through active construction pipelines — a fourth resort rising on Cable Beach, a wellness-led village taking shape in Grand Bahama, an $827 million redevelopment transforming Freeport’s waterfront, and the most ambitious branded-residence pipeline in Exuma’s history. In this briefing, BE Luxury Collection maps the Bahamas new developments that matter in 2026, and explains how sophisticated buyers are positioning for them.
The scale of current activity is unprecedented for the modern Bahamas. What distinguishes this cycle from earlier booms is the quality of the capital behind it: institutional developers, globally recognized hospitality brands, and architects of international standing.
Baha Mar has unveiled plans for a fourth luxury resort on Cable Beach — a $350 million expansion designed by the acclaimed firm Foster + Partners, with construction set to break ground in 2026 and an anticipated opening in 2029. The Heads of Agreement between Baha Mar and the Bahamian government has been signed, moving the project from announcement to execution.
The details matter for buyers. The new resort will occupy 12 acres of pristine beachfront with approximately 350 guest rooms alongside 50 luxury branded residences. Four new dining venues are planned, including a rooftop Omakase experience, plus a 14,000-square-foot spa and 25,000 square feet of event space. For the pre-construction buyer, this is the first significant branded-residence release on Cable Beach in years, inside a collection that already includes Grand Hyatt, SLS, and Rosewood. (Reporting: TravelPulse.)
The most underpriced pipeline in the country is in Grand Bahama. Three distinct projects are converging on the island at once.
First, the Six Senses resort village — 45 waterfront and canal villas set across a 36-acre site with 2,400 feet of beach frontage, designed by the Danish architects 3XN. The project is conceived around wellness and regenerative design: modular, prefabricated construction to minimize on-site impact, a Six Senses Spa, an Earth Lab, and a Marine Research and Dive Center focused on coastal resiliency. Future phases include direct marina access. (Reporting: Breaking Travel News.)
Second, the $827 million redevelopment of the Grand Lucayan by Concord Wilshire — a mixed-use transformation featuring branded hotel accommodations, residential units, a 25,000-square-foot standalone casino, an expanded mega-yacht marina, and a 36-acre cruise destination component designed to accommodate up to 10,000 cruise passengers daily. Phased construction has already begun with demolition and enabling works, and a championship-level golf course redesign aims to position Grand Bahama among the Caribbean’s elite golf destinations.
Third, at a more accessible entry point, The Beach Residences by Taino Beach offers eight canal-front homes in a gated Freeport community — three-bedroom residences with private pools and boat docks, delivered turnkey from USD $1,350,000. It is the clearest example of the island’s emerging mid-luxury new-construction segment.
Exuma’s development story is the most exclusive in the pipeline. Bvlgari Resort & Mansions Cave Cay — the brand’s first Caribbean property — is slated for a 2029 opening on a 220-acre private island, comprising 64 suites and seafront villas alongside 48 Bvlgari-branded mansions and estates offered for private ownership. Aman’s $260 million Exuma development adds a second ultra-luxury flag to the island chain. BE Luxury Collection has covered both projects in depth; this briefing treats them as the top end of a single national pipeline rather than isolated trophies.
The investment logic of pre-construction Bahamas purchases rests on four advantages that resale cannot replicate.
The first is entry pricing. Developers release initial phases at prices set to drive early sales velocity, and those prices typically step upward as construction milestones are met. The buyer who commits at groundbreaking is purchasing the trajectory, not just the finished product.
The second is phased payment. Rather than deploying full capital at closing, pre-construction buyers fund their purchase across a construction schedule — a structure that suits buyers managing liquidity across multiple markets.
The third is selection. Corner residences, top floors, and the most coveted view corridors are allocated to the earliest reservations. In branded projects with limited inventory — fifty residences at Baha Mar, forty-eight mansions at Cave Cay — position in the queue is itself an asset.
The fourth is the new-construction premium in reverse. A newly completed, never-lived-in residence with full warranties, modern building systems, and current hurricane codes commands the market’s freshest pricing at delivery. The pre-construction buyer captures the spread between early pricing and that delivered value.
The defining financial feature of this pipeline is branding. According to Savills’ branded residences research, branded homes command an average global premium of 33 percent over comparable non-branded properties — and in resort destinations, where lifestyle drives additional value, premiums run higher still. Analysis of the sector notes that this premium can determine whether a development proceeds at all, and that the value largely persists through resale cycles. (Reporting: Hotel Management Network.)
The Bahamas is becoming a case study in the thesis. Four Seasons Private Residences at Ocean Club Estates established the model; the current pipeline extends it across price points and islands — Baha Mar’s fifty residences on Cable Beach, Six Senses villas in Grand Bahama, Bvlgari mansions in Exuma. What the brand premium purchases is not merely a name: it is hotel-managed services, structured rental programs, professional property management, and a global buyer pool at resale. For the investor, that infrastructure converts a holiday home into a managed asset. For the broader thesis on branded residences repricing the region, see Why Caribbean Real Estate Is Absorbing the Global Millionaire Migration.
A candid briefing must acknowledge the other side of the pipeline. In September 2026, the proposed Velaa Luxury Private Island Resort on Norman’s Pond Cay in Exuma — a 238.5-acre project planned for 44 resort suites and villas, 30 branded residences, and 11 private estates — fell through, never progressing beyond preliminary discussions despite appearing in the Central Bank of The Bahamas’ quarterly reporting. The developer confirmed the acquisition is no longer proceeding. (Reporting: Bahamas Latest.)
The lesson is not to avoid pre-construction. It is to underwrite it like an institution. Before committing capital to any Bahamas new development, verify the developer’s completed track record, confirm project financing is in place, understand exactly how deposits are held and protected, scrutinize construction timelines and completion assurances, and retain independent Bahamian legal counsel to review every agreement. The projects in this briefing were selected for the credibility of their capital and their construction progress — that filter is the entire strategy.
For buyers considering the 2026 pipeline, the sequencing matters. Decide the island first: Nassau for institutional liquidity and rental depth, Grand Bahama for the value-phase entry point, Exuma for ultra-luxury branded scarcity. Decide the ownership model second: a branded residence for managed yield and resale liquidity, or an independent new-construction home for privacy and control. Engage early — release pricing and inventory selection reward the first reservations, not the most patient negotiations. And align the purchase with broader planning: with the permanent residency threshold now set at BSD $1,000,000, new-construction acquisitions can form part of a considered residency strategy, always structured with qualified legal counsel.
The current pipeline will not remain a buyer’s market for long. As Baha Mar breaks ground, as Grand Bahama’s redevelopment advances phase by phase, and as Exuma’s branded inventory is absorbed, early pricing will give way to delivered pricing. The window is the construction cycle itself.
Explore current opportunities across our Exuma real estate portfolio, or speak with an advisor for a confidential assessment of where your capital works hardest in the 2026 development pipeline.
The most significant Bahamas new developments in 2026 include Baha Mar’s $350 million fourth resort on Cable Beach (350 rooms, 50 branded residences, opening 2029), the Six Senses resort village in Grand Bahama (45 waterfront villas), the $827 million Grand Lucayan redevelopment in Freeport, and the Bvlgari Resort & Mansions Cave Cay in Exuma (opening 2029).
Pre-construction Bahamas purchases offer entry pricing below delivered value, phased payments across the construction schedule, first selection of inventory, and the branded-residence premium at resale. The key is due diligence: verify the developer’s track record, confirm financing, understand deposit protections, and retain independent Bahamian counsel.
Savills research puts the average global branded-residence premium at 33 percent over comparable non-branded properties, with resort destinations commanding higher premiums. The premium reflects hotel-managed services, rental programs, and stronger resale liquidity — and it largely persists through resale cycles.
Entry points vary widely by island and brand. New canal-front homes in Grand Bahama start from approximately USD $1,350,000, while branded residences on Cable Beach and in Exuma command ultra-luxury pricing. Early-phase release pricing is typically the most advantageous.
The permanent residency investment threshold is BSD $1,000,000 as of January 2025. New-construction acquisitions can form part of a residency strategy, but structuring requires qualified Bahamian legal counsel to confirm eligibility and timing.
The principal risks are construction delays, developer financing failure, and projects that never advance beyond announcement — as the Velaa project in Exuma demonstrated in 2026. Mitigate them by choosing developers with completed track records, confirming financing, verifying deposit protections, and engaging independent legal counsel before signing.
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