Bahamas.

The proximity play. The Bahamas AI market is shaped by two things: Nassau sits closer to Miami than Miami sits to most of Florida, and Atlantis Paradise Island is a category unto itself. True all-inclusive inventory in the country is thin — most Bahamas resorts run European-plan or modified-AI — but what's there ranges from family-mega-scale (Atlantis, the legacy Cable Beach properties) to high-luxury Out Island isolation.

Geographically: New Providence and Paradise Island host the volume (Atlantis, Baha Mar, Margaritaville); Grand Bahama (Freeport) is the budget-flight option; Exuma, Eleuthera, and Andros are the Out Islands — small properties, fly-in seaplane transfers, very high price floors, and the rare combination of all-inclusive product and genuine remoteness. Sandals Royal Bahamian on Cable Beach and Sandals Emerald Bay on Exuma are the brand's two presences in the country.

What works in the Bahamas: the proximity (most US East Coast hubs have 90-minute direct flights or less), the Atlantis ecosystem for families (waterpark, aquarium, casino, indoor entertainment on rainy days), and a small but credible high-end Out Islands option for travelers who genuinely want isolation and have the budget.

What to weigh: the AI product is the thinnest in the region. The Bahamas does European-plan luxury better than it does all-inclusive — Rosewood Baha Mar and Grand Hyatt Baha Mar are arguably better hotels than any AI on the islands, but they're not AI. Out Islands properties are spectacular but the per-week math often doesn't compete with comparable luxury in Saint Lucia or the Riviera Maya. And the hurricane corridor runs directly through the chain — September through October planning is meaningfully riskier here than in the western Caribbean.

The honest filter: Atlantis if it's a multi-generational family trip with at least two kids who'll use the waterpark daily. Sandals Emerald Bay if it's an adults-only escape and the per-night cost is acceptable. Otherwise the Bahamas is usually a non-AI luxury destination dressed up as one.