We leave in 3 days for our 2nd trip to Grace Bay.

Last time we did not rent a car. This time I'm wondering if we should do so for a day or two and drive to Chalk Sound. MDH likes to take photos and this looks like a good place for that. Other than Chalk Sound, any other suggestions would be appreciated. Would a taxi work?

We have so many photos from last year, but they are all on Grace Bay.

Taxi would not work...would be a pain and too much $$. Check out Grace Bay Car Rentals, $39.00/day ( older Corolla) good cars, well taken care of. They will bring the car to you at your resort. Take a drive to Blue Hills, eat at Da Conch Shack - excellent fritters and cracked conch, shrimp...take photos there too!!

there are a few places that will make nice pics. chalk sound is #1 on the list - the water color is a treat for the eyes. go all the way out north dock road until you see the cargo dock/oil storage on the lefet. then turn right onto chalk sound road. the sound will be on your right. about 1/2 mile? on the left is a little sand road to sopadilla bay beach. park here and walk onto the beach. nice place for a swim and often several yachts moored out - pics. (if close up pics interest you walk up the hill near this beach to the rock carvings by pirates - someone on island will describe where to park for this)
then drive out chalk sound road. lots of vistas and nice villas. you'll come to a Y in the road. either direction is good. left is shorter and dead ends at a fabulous private home with its OWN MOAT! left at the Y takes you along the sound, with some nice vistas., also dead ends.

also take a ride over to long bay beach. take a walk along this beach. some parts very sandy - some its hard to walk for all the conch shells washed up and embedded partially in the sand. in this area off seagate hill road is 'the hole' - an odd spot which made me nervous.

get a jeep (needed for clearance) if you want to go out to malcolm road beach. very picturesque beach with good snorkeling. amanyara is out there.
also on the west end is pelican rock/beach. i've not made it out there but poster Stacey G posted this a couple years ago:
"Pelican Point, Osprey Rock, South Bluff, or West Harbor Bluff (all different names on the various maps for the same place) – this is located in the southwest point of the island. This was an incredible and isolated (private) beach area. To get there, head towards Blue Hills but don’t take the split towards ‘Da Conch Shack”. Stay on the main road which was being paved last week. Go past the school on your right and a couple of driveways with big buildings on your left and continue until the next major road to the left. It’s a wide and very white road (due to the stone color). This was one of the smoothest roads we took on the entire island. Stay on this until you come to the dead end (several miles). You’ll see three grass/stone ‘driveways’ to take. Either take the short one in front of you or better yet, if your car can make it take the longer one to the left. This will lead you to a completely private beach. Then you can walk all the way to the ‘floating’ rock in the water covered by pelicans. Plus there’s a cave around the first bend you can venture in to."

after blue hills stay/da conch shack, on that road drive all the way out to northwest point resort. another beach. you'll see what the island looked like years ago on this drive. nw point has gorgeous bouganvilla on their driveway. if you pass their driveway, there is a sand road out to a deserted beach.

or, the part of grace bay beach on the east end, referred to as leeward is somehow different than the beach near the resorts.
we explorred on the east end of the island and found little roads into a mangrove area - kayaking in would be a better choice.

here's a map: http://www.aquamarinebeachhouses.com/map.htm
there is a good map for free at the airport, etc.

Fodorites come through again!

Thanks Caribzack and Virginia. This is exactly what I was looking for. We're checking out Grace Bay Car Rentals, and the drive Virginia suggests sounds perfect.

If I can ever figure out how to post photos on this site, I will do so when we return.

Virginia posted great information.
We like having a car to explore of the beaten spots and just find nice photo opportunities. I also like Long Bay, Cooper Jack and places like that to photo too.

hope you'll have dh post some pics when you get home. have a great trip.