BeachGirl247

Just booked super-cheap fare to Ft. Lauderdale for May 3-9 and want to get to an out island. My airport choices to choose from are:

Bimini
Marsh Harbour
Freeport

Want beautiful beaches, low-key environment, possibly day trips to other beaches. Lodging under $300.

Lost my hold to Georgetown so now looking for other option. Have to book in 24 hours.

HELP!!

BeachGirl247

Forgot to post that the only flight left for Georgetown leaves at 8am and puts us in Ft Lauderdale for the day/overnight.

If Georgetown is still worth that crummy connection out, by all means let me know if you would pick this over the others above -- which have great dep/arrival choices, for now anyway.

What do you think???

BeachGirl247

ok, Treasure Cay is now an option.

(Have to fly Continental out of Ft. Lauderdale)

Now down to:

Treasure Cay -- good connections
Bimini -- good connections
Georgetown -- have to depart at 8am

Its all about the beach this trip.

Callaloo

If you want REALLY good beach, and you end up choosing Abaco, you'll need to go beyond Marsh Harbour and head for one of the cays (Elbow, Great Guana, Green Turtle), or choose Treasure Cay. You should be able to find something right on the beach for under $300 -- try Hopetown Harbour Lodge, Abaco Inn or Seaspray Resort on Elbow. Though I haven't stayed there myself, I might choose Dolphin Beach Resort on Great Guana Cay -- LOVE Guana! The nicer resorts on Green Turtle (Bluff House and Green Turtle Club) are not right on the best beach. Unfortunately, I don't know Treasure Cay at all.

One other alternative out of FLL -- have you looked at TBI (the Bight, Cat Island). Great beaches can be found at Fernandez Bay Village and Sammy T's. Definitely under $300/night.

Lucky you!!

BeachGirl247

OK, now down to flights available to these airports:

Bimini -- know nothing about Bimini.
Marsh Harbor airport
Treasure Cay

Top choices???

Thanks Callalou. Checking out your suggestions!!

blamona

Treasure Cay, it has a gorgeous beach, plus you can take a ferry to Green Turtle Cay, and day trips to Guana Cay (Nippers bar is fun!) and Elbow Cay. (Gorgeous town, pretty lighthouse, nice beaches.)

wantsomesun

You can also fly into Eleuthera out of Ft. Lauderdale on USAir. So you might look at

www.cocodimama.com
www.coralsands.com
www.rockhousebahamas.com
www.romorabay.com

I think Runaway Hill is just a bit out of your range but check and see

www.runawayhill.com

Have a GREAT time.

BeachGirl247

Wantsomesun: We love Harbour Island but out of the price range for this trip anyway.

We are looking for something more low key and not so "glamourous", if you will.

Thanks.

BeachGirl247

Thanks Blamona.

On Treasure Cay, when you take a ferry to another cay, what accomodations are available to you? Beach huts? Beach bars, chairs, etc?

If you had the choice of Treasure Cay, Guana Cay or Elbow Cay, which would it be?

Booking tomorrow. Love these last-minute trips!!!

blamona

I would pick Treasure Cay because of access to hop. The ferry to Green Turtle is just 2 miles up from Treasure Cay resort.
We took day trips from the marina at treasure Cay to the others. I day was Elbow and Man O War Cay. Another day was Great Guana Cay. In GGC Nippers is awesome. www.nippersbar.com
Great Sunday pig roasts at Nippers.

BeachGirl247

Tresure Cay it is!

Thanks for all help on short notice.

GeorgeW

Unless you're most intersted in deep sea fishing, Bimini's specialty, I would go to Abaco and/or Green Turtle Cay. Green Turtle has nicer beaches than Bimini and a better social environment. Having been to both, I found Bimini superior to Abaco(Marsh Harbour) only in the food and the beer prices, due to Florida being nearer, being more reasonable. The half-dozen panhandlers that Bimini had on an island not much bigger than most public parks was iritating to say the least.

Marsh Harbour's landing strip is aged and looks to have been laid at least fifty years ago. Bimini is reached by sea plane, one of which crashed off Miami last December.

I have never been to Freeport.

GeorgeW

Where did you go and did you enjoy yourself?

BeachGirl247

Hi George,
We went to Treasure Cay for a week and stayed in a villa on the beach. Stunning beach and was very quiet. Flew into Marsh Harbour and took a cab to Treasure. We rented a boat and visited Green Turtle Cay during their Heritage Festival which was a lot of fun. Ate lots of good food and met new friends.
Then Nippers, of course, on Sunday at Great Guana. It was a hoppin' place and really getting started as we left around 4. Beautiful beach area. Will definately go back for that.

Restaurants on Treasure were not open -- except for the marina. Food was mediocre (sp?) there.

We didn't make it down to Elbow Cay so we're planning on a return trip in early 2007.

Lots of fun. Thanks again for your help.

johnb

Beach Girl,

Did you drive the boat or were you driven? How much was boat if you drove yourself? Was it hard or a far ride? we would love to island hop..Are there no rest on Treasure?

BeachGirl247

I can't find my charges for the boat but I think it was around $180 for 2 days. We rented from JB? I think down at the Treasure Cay Marina. The other guy who rented or has a ferry service there was on vacation at the time. (yes, we 'drove' ourselves.)

The ferry left near the airport so we had to cab it to the ferry to go back to Green Turtle Cay. Time? I think the ferry took all of 10 or 15 minutes max. In the whaler we had I want to say 45 minutes from Green Turtle down to Great Guana. We stopped or slowed down a lot so I don't know if that helps you or not.

You might try another board, too, for Abaco -- LOTS of great first-hand info and locals to answer specific questions.

http://coconuttelegraph.net/forums/

Enjoy as those cays are so much fun and won't be this charming forever.

blamona

johnb:
In front of Treasure Cay Resort is a small strip of shops. A couple are "offices" (handwritten signs on the doors) for some of the boats. One guy named Ozzie, and his dog Buddy gave day trips to the different cays, with some trips being multiple cays. He charged per person, but there was never more than 4 more people. One trip was Elbow Cay, and Man of War (got to see some really cool private cays too) I also requested to see Tahiti Beach, and was not a problem for him. Ate lunch at Abaco Inn at Elbow Cay, then by boat to see the lighthouse and the town and beaches.
On another trip, we went to just Guana Cay at hung out at the main beach and Nippers. Nippers has pig roasts every Sunday, and you can always catch a cheaper ride for that. I think each trip was in the $60-90 range?
At the marina, you can always ask around the different boats too.
There is a ferry that can take you to Turtle Cay, about 3 miles from Treasure Cay.
PS we saw dolpins every time we went out!

johnb

Thanks you two!!BG..not understanding..you stayed at Treasure key and whalered to Green Turtle and other correct? Not sure what you ment about Green Turtle and ferry? Please advise

blamona

to cay hop: a taxi ride to the Turtle Cay ferry is 3 miles away from Treasure Cay Resort.
I don't know how long the actual ferry takes. I do think they have ferries all day though.

GeorgeW

I have taken that ferry and it is about a fifteen to twenty minute ride.