We are thinking of taking a family vacation with our 2 daughters to the Abacos. We are pretty well traveled and do not need a lot of "entertainment". Which is why we would skip the main island and head out to the Abacos. (We've even camped on St. John's in years past and that was both unique and fun.) Some Questions: 1) How long does it take to ferry out to Marsh Harbour? If it takes all day then maybe we'd fork over the $150-$175 per person to fly. 2) We know very little about boating but would like to explore some of the closer outer cays for picnics & snorkeling. Is this a suitable place to learn? We're adventurous but not reckless. 3)What do the golf carts cost per day? Also, can 2 adults w/ 2 skinny teenagers ride in one cart or should we plan on 2 carts? (The girls obviously want to drive their own cart!)
4) Any family friendly suggestions for places to stay are always welcome.We are thinking Easter break...
Thanks!
Wendy

Wendy

Just to clarify the Abacos, Marsh Harbour is on the main island ( Great Abaco ) and the majority of visitors fly into there and ferry or boat to one of the nearby cays such as Great Guana-Elbow-Man-O-War-Lubbers. etc. There are also rental homes on the Eastern Shore near Marsh Harbour.

The Abacos are an easy boating environment for boaters with little or no experience since you are always in sight of land. The Dodge guide is a very useful tool to prepare for the trip and yes the cays are ideal for picnics and snorkeling or shell hunting. Noticed that you're aiming for Easter break. Reserve a boat as soon as you commit as rentals may be in short supply.

No experience with a golf cart but someone here should be able to answer that question. Additionally I would suggest searching one of the Abaco specific boards for house recommendations.

Great choice for spring break!

Hate to burst your teens' bubble, but you'll all fit on a golf cart (unless, of course, you want to let them have their own...). As I recall, they rent for about $30/day, and like the rental boats, are a hot item, so reserve immediately.

I have to respectfully disagree with RobertoB on the rental boat. I would say that if you have no experience with boats, the Abacos are not the place to learn. You don't need the stress of unfamiliarity added to your vacation. And while you are always in sight of land, navigation is not an immediately intuitive skill. Having a GPS helps. I would recommend reading this article: http://www.drralph.net/Advicetonovic...alBoaters.html and then deciding whether you want to undertake boat rental.

If you don't rent a boat, you can always ferry to other cays (nothing is more than a few minutes away), or take one or more excursions with the likes of Froggie (Hopetown), Brendel, or Lincoln (Green Turtle Cay).

The Abacos are a great family destination. Have fun!

Thank you both for your responses. I'll pick up The Dodge Guide and continue to do my research. I've already picked up heaps of information off of various websites and I'm liking the solitude that can be had. See ya at Nippers!
Wendy

Wendy, as Robert point out, Marsh Harbour is where the airport is and is the main island. Many people stay on Elbow Cay or Great Guana cay. Both these cays have better beaches etc than Marsh Harbour. Travelling between the cays is easy and fun. The ferry is frequent and convinient. Golf carts are driven on the cays (elbow, guana, man-o-war etc). We paid between 40-45 a day when we visited Elbow in 2004. I would choose a villa on Elbow since its centrally located and has many beautiful beaches and a nice restaurant selection.

We have taken our two teenage girls to the Abacos several times to different locations. Last year we stayed on Green Turtle Cay in a house called Tranquility:
http://www.cyberrentals.com/Bahamas/...ay/p109820.htm
It was great for the four of us, almost all alone on its own bay. If you rent a house, you might want to bring a few groceries...fresh meat is hard to come by anywhere in the Bahamas, but the grocery stores are better on Green Turtle than Elbow Cay.

You can definately fit all four of you in a golf cart, which you will need almost anywhere in the Abacos. They would not let our 18 year old drive the cart, and threatened to take it away if she got caught (its a very small island).

If you want to go to Green Turtle, you fly into Treasure Cay and take the ferry (5 minutes). I think you can fly into TC or Marsh Harbor for Guana Cay (absolutely spectacular beach, but very small and quiet). If you want to go to Elbow Cay, you fly into Marsh Harbour. Staying in Marsh Harbour is ok, but its busy compared to the other islands, and not great beaches. Treasure Cay has beautiful beaches, but not ocean (very calm, no snorkeling).

We always rent a boat. We bought a book that has detailed maps of each island area. It is very easy to get stuck if you don't know what your doing, and can be pretty rough in a little Whaler. One of our favorite stories is taking the boat into town (Hopetown) on Christmas day to go to church...great memory. If you can handle a boat, you can get to a lot of islands and deserted beaches (you can't take it into the ocean though).

If you are talking this Easter, you might have trouble finding lodging and flights. Its very busy during the holidays. Summers are great, very calm and warm water.