beachroamingmama

My husband and I would like to go to the bahamas in July with our 2 year old and 2 month old sons. We definitely don't want the "Atlantis" type vacation. We want relaxation, good food, beautiful beach, a town we can wander through...We are considering either Eleuthera or Harbour Island. Any thoughts on which would be better with the kids? Also any recommendations on the best hotels with kids? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!

wantsomesun

Eleuthera is beautiful, but not much in the way of tourist attractions,,,yet. Harbour Island is small and easy to get around, beautiful beach, good restaurants, cute "downtown" for a little shopping and the nice thing is you can walk everywhere, or rent a golf cart to get around.

Eleuthera you have to have a car and the restaurants are few and far between. The island is 110 miles long and the settlements are very spread out. The beaches are the big draw on Eleuthera, miles and miles of deserted beaches.

On Harbour Island I would suggest staying at either Coral Sands or Romora Bay (www.coralsands.com and www.romorabay.com) both have a nice pool area and overlook the water.

Have a great time.

beachroamingmama

Thanks for your advice! We are definitely leaning towards Harbour island...but we are having some challenges coordinating our flight with the ferry schedule (I am a nervous flier so there is no way I am taking my babies on an inter-island flight...I'm sure they are safe but it would take all week on the beach for me to get over the stress from the flight!) SO I was wondering if you knew how realistic it would be to take the ferry from Nassau into Governours Harbour then take a taxi to catch the ferry from eleuthera to Harbour Island? I can't find how far it really is. THANKS!!

joan

I agree with wantsomesun, there is more to do with kids along on Harbour Island. Eleuthera is more of a rent-a-house, make your own fun type of island. (No tourism to speak of) And there are several resorts to choose from on HI. You could rent a golfcart and cruise around with the babies (hold on tight!)

Please do reconsider the flight. You would be flying direct from either Miami or Ft. Lauderdale into the North Eleuthera airport, and it won't take long at all! These are very reliable planes, major airlines. Just a bit smaller than you might be used to. I just looked at the ferry schedule, it appears that Nassau to Harbour Island is scheduled every day for 8 AM, necessitating an overnight in Nassau. The return is 3:55 PM, probably another overnight in Nassau. That is considerable expense! A quick cocktail in the airport, and you will relax and think of all that conch salad waiting for you! Whatever you choose, it seems that you won't have to go through Governor's Harbour, you can go direct to North Eleuthera by plane, or direct to HI by fast ferry. Then it is a five minute taxi ride, and a ten minute water taxi (very casual, no set times, but no after-dark crossing I believe) and you are in paradise.

wantsomesun

The ride from GH to the ferry dock over to HI will take about an hour and I think the cost is about $100, it's about 60 miles from GH. The water taxi over to the island is $3 or $4 each and you might bring a few dollars for help with luggage.

The Bahamas Air flight to N. Eleuthera is not a small plane, it seats 45, but it is a propjet with a flight attendant. Also the flight only takes 15 minutes so you might think about taking the ferry one way and flying the other direction.

A nice thing about HI is the people there, I'll bet your 2 yr old will find a friend to two to play with, and you might stop in at the Harbour Island Day Nursery, the day care center to meet some children and have a play date. Visitors are always welcome.

ccrosner

We loved HI when we went (without our children) in November. But I wonder if it's the right choice with two very little ones and a mom who clearly doesn't love flying in small planes.

I think you need to try for a spot that has the least number of transfers (can't imagine hauling two kids and luggage on all of the short connections to HI) and has some at home amenities like a mini fridge and easily procured baby items. Neither of our two Coral Sands rooms had a minifridge. And there is a lot of walking.

Not trying to be negative. Just want to make sure that you actually enjoy yourselves. A somewhat larger island with direct flights might be better. Are you totally committed to the Bahamas? We have travelled quite a bit with our children even when they were that young and think it can be done without going to an all inclusive. But you need to think through what will make the trip enjoyable (and miserable) for all four of you.

beachroamingmama

Thank you all for your advice! I reconsidered my fear of flying and decided that 6 full days on the beach was worth 2 scary hours on a plane - although I am still considering a benzodiazapine before the flight! We have decided on Harbour Island. Coral Sands was booked so we booked a suite at the Dunmore Beach Club as they could more easily accomodate us than Romora Bay(a suite as opposed to booking 2 rooms). The only problem is that they don't have a swimming pool! Does anyone know if any of the other hotels on the island are likely to let our 2 year old take a dip in theirs? (He is potty trained, if that makes a difference) He LOVES to swim, but has never been in the ocean, so I'm not sure how he will react to it. Thanks again for all the words of advice and persuasion! We leave in 4 days, so I will let you all know how it goes when we return!

mnag

Pls post a trip report when you return. Coral Sands is a resort we are considering for our next trip in combination with a week stay on Eleuthera. The beach on HI looks so inviting. We may end up renting a cottage on the island for a few days since I am worried about staying in a hotel room with our toddler (no kitchen facilities). Anyway pls post a trip report and let us know if your kids enjoyed HI. Thanks