I wanted to know if anyone had information on the Island of Eleuthera in the bahamas. We will be traveling with 2 small children and we were concerned about crime, safety, getting around, etc... We are considering renting a house there. Does anyone have any ideas on this? Thank you!

Eleuthera is a safe, out-island. Definately rent a car to tour the island. You'll want to drive to Ten Bay Beach for wading and shelling. South Palmetto Point is a nice area. Hint: stay on the Caribbean Ocean side, not the Atlantic side: calmer and serene waters with more colors. Robert

I've stayed on Eleuthera several times, and it's one of my alltime favorites. It is VERY quiet, there's no crime, and it's 100 miles long, so you will def need a car. Detail: no credit cards for car rentals, you rent one from a small company and pay cash at the end. There are hundreds of deserted pink(!) beaches there just waiting to be discovered. I happen to disagree with Robert (who gives excellent advice) about the Atlantic side. I've only gone in the summer though, when it is calm and somewhat breezy on the ocean side, and rather buggy on the "caribbean" side.

I'm attaching the URL of a house we rented in South Palmetto Point, with a real working lighthouse. It is oceanfront, has 3 bedrooms and so would be perfect for a family. There are other beachfront homes available for less $$ also.

http://pinksandbeach.net/

I was on Eleuthera several times, and the Atlantic side can grow very rough as compared to the Caribbean side. This is true for all islands in the eastern Caribbean, but particularly the Bahamian Archipelago. I have pictures taken on the Glass Bridge, with the dark blue Atlantic churning with surfer-sized waves crashing into the cliffs, while the lime green Caribbean waters, only several hundred feet away, were as smooth as glass. As far as safety goes, much has been happening in the Bahamas, with a slight decline in safety. The Bahamas have always been the transit point for drug shipments into the U.S. Recently, more Ministers of Parliament in Nassau expressed concerns over the increase in drug traffic. For example, on quiet Long Island, Grants Town Member of Parliament (Bradley Roberts) really inflamed U.S. Customs and DEA when he publicly named the names of DEA agents throughout Long Island, Eleuthera, and Abaco. A prominent businessman on Long Island spotted 3 cigarette boats off Long Island, dropping off drug shipments. Mr. Roberts has been their elected member of Parliament for 18 years, and is respected. He stated that a hotel under construction on Long Island was connected to the drug trade. Roberts followed up his tirade by visiting the U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas, Arthur Schechter several years ago, and got yelled at by Schechter for disclosing the dossier of DEA operatives on Long Island, Abaco, and Eleuthera. Mr. Roberts apologized, but added that he was very agitated that the drug traffickers were building a hotel on his boyhood island (Long Island), and the Bahamian Government was doing nothing about it. So, Long Island's Grants Town MP is frustrated over the Bahamian Government's apparent inability to combat the drug trafficking through Long Island, used as a transit point. Is someone being paid off? who knows. Not too long ago, 5,000 lbs. of pot and 1,000 lbs. of cocaine were seized by the RBPF, U.S. DEA & Customs, and the Dutch Coast Guard on 3 boats, heading to the Bahamas. With GPS systems, you could be in a rented car in a remote part of Long Island or Eleuthera, and happen upon a pinpoint rendevous between traffickers coming up from Cuba, and simply be on the wrong beach at the wrong time. There would probably be dozens of local Bahamians paid lots of money as "handlers" to get and temporarily hide the shipment. These transit relays probably take only 10 minutes to complete, but if you happen by....? It is a new fact of life. But, most happen during the night, so daytime excursions remain virtually safe. Robert

Does anyone have info. on rentals Twin Coves or On The Rocks? Thinking of staying at one of them but not sure. Have 3 kids (6, 9, 13). How's the beaches right in front of houses? Thanks

Robert, thanks for the news report? I visited Eleuthera once for about 5 days. My most vivid memory is walking on the main road and every car, bike, and local that approached waved or said hi to me.

Great place

jackflack; yes, we have explored Eleuthera, from the Glass Bridge down to Arvida Bay in the southern section. Ten Bay Beach was great snorkeling and shelling, and we really knew we were someplace unique while traveling in rental car, through Savannah Sound, Tarpum Bay, Rock Sound, Greencastle and Waterford. In some villages where tourism hasn't hit, the locals looked at us rather strangly, but were friendly. Many of the small villages were crowded with locals, and no tourists, and the people were, in general, poor. No one was rude in the remote villages in Eleuthera, just not used to tourists. I wouldn't recommend, though, traveling at night through the more remote areas of Eleuthera. Robert