Bob Marley’s resort and spa in Bahamas selling for $9.5 million

The family of reggae icon Robert Nesta Marley has placed the Marley Resort and Spa, a luxury boutique resort and spa located on Cable Beach, Nassau, the Bahamas on the market for almost $9.5 million.

The 21-bedroom property is now listed on the website of real estate company C.A. Christie at $9.5 million. Christie told Guardian Business that the Marley family became open to selling the resort last year so the property was formally brought to the market in December 2019.

Even though the luxury boutique property has come on the market at a time when the entire world is battling a global pandemic and economic crisis, Christie thinks it is too early to tell if the property will be a difficult sell in these times.

“We hope the banks don’t go on the defensive,” he said. “That won’t be good for the local economy.” According to Christie, there was an initial buyer who began the process of attaining the funds to purchase the resort last year, but the deal fell through.

He said the property is a great opportunity for a buyer interested in a boutique property that has the potential for expansion. “The properties surrounding the Marley Resort are being put on the market, expanding the opportunities to grow the resort’s acreage”.

Although the family has licensing agreements across the world for the use of the Marley name, it is not known whether they will allow the name to be used when the property is sold.

The Marley Resort & Spa used to be a private vacation home for the Marley family. Bob and Rita Marley discovered this former governor’s mansion on a visit to Nassau, while they were recovering from an assassination attempt in Jamaica (1976). “The property’s lush gardens and oceanfront location provided a respite for the Marley children to balance with life in the mountains of Jamaica”.

According to the resort’s history, when Rita first inquired about the property, a staff member of the previous owner warned that the house would never be sold to a Black person. “Staying true to her strong character, this warning did not sway her” the site reported.

In 1982, Rita purchased the home, and for 16 years Rita and their children spent holidays and summer vacations together in Nassau. However, in 2004, they planned to renovate the home for the growing family, but Rita decided that this retreat should be a home away from home for everyone.

Rita Marley remodelled the home into a resort. She created the Natural Mystic Spa and its focus on holistic renewal. “Mrs Marley’s Afro-Caribbean aesthetic helped shape the room designs and adherence to feng shui” while the hand-carved furnishings, exotic fabrics, art, and dramatic carpets were all sourced from Africa and the Caribbean.