Bahamas: Marsh Harbour/Hopetown
 

I need help with planning a quick 3 night stay over Memorial weekend....I've been researching but am still a bit confused...I was thinking that Marsh Harbour was on Harbour Island....that's not right, is it? We are flying into MHH (Marsh Harbour). Debating staying right there or taking the ferry to Elbow Cay based on friends' recommendation. We currently have a rez @ The abaco club managed by Ritz Carlton, but our friends tell us it is way out of town & not convenient to explore the area (shops, restaurants). They say its more of an isolated resort intended more for folks that just want to be there at the property.

We want to get a golf cart & explore the area; try different restaurants, probably rent a boat for a day or so. Any thoughts on whether to stay in Marsh Harbour or Elbow Cay would be appreciated. I was looking at the Abaco Beach Resort, even though the reviews are mixed. Would this be convenient for exploring the area? For only 3 nights, I think being in or near town would probably be best.

Marsh Harbour and Harbour Island are two completely different places. Personally, I prefer the Abacos to Harbour Island but to each his own. Given what you are planning, I think you should take a ferry (20 minutes) to Hopetown on Elbow Cay and spend your short stay there. See if you can get a room at the Hopetown Harbour Lodge, Abaco Inn or SeaSpray (in that order as far as proximity to town on a short stay)and you can explore by cart, bicycle or foot and easily rent a boat to island hop and adventure. No place you stay will be a Ritz (imo, thank goodness for that) but it will be friendly, safe and a great introduction to "the real Bahamas" (as their travel videos say- if you have not found them, you should). You can find plenty of restaurants, bars and sights to keep you busy for a short trip in Hopetown. Have a great trip- it is a wonderful place!!

runawayhill.com

Harbor Island my fav

fly into North Eleuthera airport for this

perfect pink sand beach easy strolling

Abacos also better than Marsh Harbor

on mid south eleuthera not great ok for golf

but remote spread out probably my least fav...

Assuming you're already set with your flights, I agree with ishkribbl. Marsh Harbour is the "big city" as far as the Abacos go -- there is even a traffic light, if I recall. The Abaco Beach Resort is not going to have the quality of beach as other places in the Abacos. Hopetown is out-of-town, and just a quick ferry ride away. Elbow Cay (where Hopetown is located) will give you the laid-back Out Island experience, with convenient access to restaurants, shops and beaches. I always suggest Elbow Cay or Green Turtle Cay for Out Island beginners.

Go to Elbow Cay! It is a little dream. You can rent a golf cart and go all over. Marsh Harbour is more of a base, not pretty and Great Abaco is kind of boring. Abaco Beach Resort is a good base but you will end of up taking ferries to the other islands. Abaco Inn (on Elbow Cay) is a lovely place. Beaches are alot nicer as well on Elbow Cay.

There is a short article in the April 2011 issue of Coastal Living magazine about Elbow Cay that will give you a quick overview of what it is like.

" I always suggest Elbow Cay or Green Turtle Cay for Out Island beginners"

Where do I go once I have graduated? Does it get any better ?
Can it get any better?

Elbow Cay and Green Turtle are good for figuring out if the Out Islands are for you. The further "out" you go, the more difficult it can be to get there, and the more solitude (and challenges) you are more likely to get. If it's solitude and challenges and quirkiness you seek, IMHO it DOES get better than the Abacos.

I absolutely LOVE the Abacos, don't get me wrong, but I also love the Exumas (hundreds of empty beaches, mostly accessible only by boat), Cat Island (the beach thing again, plantation ruins, shabby-chic lodgings), Andros (spectacular sea life), etc. But you have to be prepared to fly airlines you've never heard of (or book air charters recommended by bartenders where the only thing you do to hold your reservation is give your first name); change plans on the fly; be utterly dependent on weather for travel, food, and entertainment; be without phone, TV, wireless. Well, you get the idea!

If you relish the challenge, and your idea of a good time is sharing an empty beach with swimming pigs or iguanas, and later mixing your own drinks for happy hour, then go further "out."

Callalou- you sure are making me wish I was there right now in any of the out islands we have visited or the ones still on the bucket list!! You did a very good job of explaining that. There is just something about sitting at the bar in a tiny little out island "resort" (and we know how loosely I am using that term)with an icy rum drink and having the bartender tell you it is time to go to the plane because they just radioed in- Stella Maris and Staniel Cay both spoiled me for waiting for an hour or more in one of those semi open air concrete block airports in some other spots!
"Further out" places hold some very special places in my memory. I hope they remain more challenging to get to and never lose the quirkiness.