What to expect: Located on the site of Fort Nassau, built in 1695 to guard against pirates, the hotel dates from 1898. (A fire destroyed the original wood building.) For generations, the British Colonial Hilton has been Nassau's social and business center. Featuring a marble lobby under a 1.5-story vaulted, translucent ceiling, the hotel attracts business and leisure travelers.

Amenity highlights: Bordered by a garden, a heated, 55-foot-wide, irregularly shaped pool and a sundeck furnished with cushioned lounge chairs provide year-around swimming/sunbathing. A 75-yard-long private beach furnished with lounge chairs and thatched sunshades fronts the resort. Use of kayaks, snorkeling gear, and floats is complimentary. Sundeck and beach offer views of cruise ships moored nearby and the western tip of Paradise Island 300 yards off shore.

Insider tip: A seaside dining village known as Arawak Cay Fish Fry is 500 yards west of the hotel and contains numerous restaurants and cafés.

What to expect: Converted in 1974 into a hotel with contemporary amenities, Graycliff has a storied history. It was built in 1740 as a residential compound by Capt. John Howard Graysmith, an English pirate who preyed on Spanish ships. What is now the Main House's wine cellar was a jail for his prisoners.

Graycliff served as an American base during the U.S. Revolution in 1776, opened as a French inn in 1844, and served again as an American outpost during the U.S. Civil War. In the 1920s, when owned by a companion of mobster Al Capone, it again became an inn.

European royalty and government leaders such as Winston Churchill came during the years leading up to WW II. Later it became a private residence for a wealthy Canadian couple and then England's Lord and Lady Dudley, who entertained the Duke and Duchess of Windsor here.

Evidence of Graycliff's long life can be found throughout the compound and its tranquil gardens that include ponds, bougainvillea, bamboo groves, and ancient palm trees. An international clientele, including sports and entertainment celebrities, come here for the Graycliff Hotel's history, privacy, fine dining, and award-winning wine list.

Amenity highlights: Gardens include a 65-ft, four-lane lap pool and a 30-by-15-ft pool, both flanked by sunbathing decks. Open to hotel guests only for breakfast and to the public for lunch and dinner, Graycliff Restaurant, with a 275,000-bottle wine cellar, serves Nassau's government, business, and social elite. Humidor Churrascaria, a Brazilian-style tableside-service restaurant, provides an option for dinner.

Insider tip: A seaside-dining village known as Arawak Cay Fish Fry is one mile west of the hotel and contains numerous restaurants and cafés.