Location & History

The Darby Islands are individually called Little Darby, Big Darby, Goat Cay, Guana Cay, and Bette Cay. They are located in the middle of the Exuma chain in the Bahamas approximately 286 miles southeast of Miami, Florida and 96 miles south of Nassau, Bahamas.

The twins, Little and Big Darby, lie in close proximity to each other with Big Darby just to the west. This arrangement has created our beautiful natural harbor. This still and protected water is a favorite anchorage for passing sailboats and yachts. Most of our facilities are located on Little Darby which encompasses approximately 250 acres. A series of roads traverse the island from end to end; from the dock and caretakers home to the main house to the different beaches and airstrip. Big Darby, a former plantation built by Sir Baxter in 1938, encompasses approximately 550 acres. It was once the largest employer in the Exumas, with hundreds of workers building stone walls by hand. These great walls traverse the island both east to west and north to south. This work force constructed the largest man made structure in the area, the legendary "Darby Castle". Big Darby was a working plantation with goat, cotton, palm oil and fruit as its products. It operated during the Second World War and still harbors many tales and legends about the Englishman, his mistress, why he built the castle and whose side was he on during the great World War.

The Darby Islands have historically been purchased over the last 100 years as a set of five islands. The current owners plan to keep them pristine and beautiful for guests to visit and enjoy for years to come.