sparklegem

(reposting, was posted in wrong topic)
What is the weather generally like in February? Will it be warm enough to play in the water? Snorkel? Should I pack a sweater for evenings?

What time is sunrise and sunset?

How long of a walk is it to get from one place to another? We will be renting a house near the Pink Sands Hotel. Is it far to the bakery? Harbour? Restaurants? Are the roads sand?

What are the grocery markets like? Do they carry fresh produce? Meat? Tofu? Is there a fruit market or truck?

Thank you in advance!
Gem

wantsomesun

February should be nice enough to play in the water, but you might want to bring a tee shirt to wear if you go snorkling, as the water is not the bath water temp it will be later in the year.

Sunset is the same time it is here, and it is beautiful to see setting over the ocean.

The walk from one resort to another is not far, the island is very small, only 5 miles long by half a mile wide, and most of the time you will be near Dunsmore Town, which is a ten minute walk to anywhere, at most.

The roads are paved, mostly and with the passing of the last storms, my guess is they also have large pot holes, but it's usually not a problem with the golf carts to get around.

Tofu, no,,,,,I don't think so, but yes meat, veggies, and just about anything else you might want. The grocery store is the Pigly Wigly, and there is also a smaller grocery Johnson's.

Arthur's bakery is also an internet cafe, and they make the most delicious breads (get the coconut.

For fresh fish you can go down to the dock as the fishermen come back and pick what looks good, can't get it much fresher than that. There's usually conch available as well.

Hope this helps have a GREAT TIME!!!

sparklegem

Dear wantsomesun,

Thank you so much for answering all of my questions. I was hoping to hear from you! I have gotten so much good advice from reading your other posts about Harbour Island.

Do you have any other suggestions for us? This will be our first visit to Harbour Island. We are traveling with our daughter who will have just turned eight. I would love to learn more about the more local restaurants and little shops. Does the Piggy Wiggly have a good selection of fruit? Is there a fruit market? Did I read somewhere that the stores have supplies delivered once a week and that is the day to shop? If so, do you know when that is?

I can't wait to try Arthur's coconut bread! I make an amazing coconut bread, too; so I am required to try all delicous baked goods when traveling.

What time does the sun set where you are? It sets here at 4:28 pm. I am sure it is quite a bit different there!

What are your days like when you are on Harbour Island?

Very Best,
Gem

wantsomesun

You might want to try some of the Harbour Island websites like,,,
www.myharbourisland.com and www.briland.com for info and pictures.

The island is pretty laid back, so just go, relax and have a wonderful time. You daughter should be able to meet some other children on island to have fun with and you should be able to give her quite a bit of time to herself, the island is very safe.

When you arrive on island, Reggie and Jenna will be at the dock to pick you up and take you to your house. Ask Reg (or Jenna) for a tour of the island on the way, so you can get familiar with the island, it won't take long.

As for places to eat, Miss Mae's Tea house is very nice for lunch and of course you have to go to Angela's Starfish, for the best conch fritters on island.

You should not have problems getting some fresh fruit and produce as quite a bit is now grown on Eleuthera. There's pineapples, papaya, mango and bananas for fruit and some veggies. Also scotch bonnets, one of the hottest peppers in the world is also grown there.

Androsia, is the local clothing store, and the clothing is made on Andros, so you might pick up a couple of pieces.

Tingum Village is where to get the BEST hamburgers, and Ma Ruby will make you feel right at home there.

So have a GREAT time and give my love to everyone there.

Traveler863

Sparklegem,
A good thing to do is pack your own cooler full of meats and/or other essentials but not getting too crazy....remember its only a week, eat fish! But for supplies to certain places we've always found packing frozen meats into a stryofoam cooler then fitted into a cardboard box works best....not only makes the journey fine but the packaging is disposable and you don't have to haul home an empty cooler, should you use a real one. Have a great trip!

sparklegem

Thank you again, wantsomesun! I really appreciate your tips and insight.

Traveler863, thank you for the cooler tips. I don't know if we will bring one. We will probably try to eat what is fresh and local while we are there.Although I am a bit tempted to bring some chicken and tofu. Thanks again!

wantsomesun

You really don't need to bring a cooler to Harbour Island, the food is not really all that expensive there. You can get a full meal at Angela's for under $10, and the conch fritters are a meal all alone!!

Chicken and meat are available at the Pigly Wigly as are fresh veggies and frozen. There is (or was, there was a big hurricane or two this season) right on Bay St and you can get fresh fish on the dock as well. Just ask the locals where.

The cooler will be more of a hassle than a help quite honestly and you can get all you really need locally.

Enjoy, I'm a bit green since I probably won't get down in the very near future.

One thing I didn't mention, you might enjoy a visit to the Day Nursery, the children there, are very welcoming to guests and enjoy anyone coming to read to spend time with them. I always go and teach a song or game or two. The Day Nursery is right behind the Methodist Church. A small donation of books or a toy or honestly anything would be also most welcome. It is very expensive for the day nursery to buy books as they have to be shipped over.

We did a benefit concert for the day nursery and brought lots of toys and books a few years ago, and helped save them lots of money. It operates on donations and a small fee from the parents monthly.

I also noticed you put up a question about the kyack, and I have absolutely not idea of where to tell you to go with it other than to ask when you get there.

An off island day, you really might enjoy a day trip to Spanish Wells, which has some REALLY interesting history. Spanish Wells is a big fishing island, and most of the people make their living fishing. It was not open to tourism until very recently, and I think there is still only 1 hotel and 1 restaurant on island for the 1,000 or so inhabitants.

Again, have a great time.

sparklegem

Wantsomesun,

You are amazing!! Thank you for all the wonderful suggestions. We would love to go to the day nursery. We will definitely bring some books or toys.

I saw some where that there is a library on the island. Have you visited it before? Once when traveling in the Yucatan, my daughter and I brought down a huge box of prizes for a very small library's reading program. It was fun to visit and so nice to help.

I am very intrigued by your suggestion of visiting Spanish Wells. How does one visit the island?

I think that I am with you about the cooler. (thank you for your opinion on that) We have not taken a cooler before. (I am always surprised to hear of people who do that when going to Hawaii) We usually don't cook much when we are vacation and if we do it is part of the fun, for us, to cook and eat is local.

Thank you taking the time to give us such wonderful advice. We are really looking forward to our trip!!

wantsomesun

Um Spanish Wells is a VERY interesting destination. The island I think was settled by Dutch settlers, and there is a very distinct accent and everyone there is related to everyone else on the island. A really funny story I can share happened in NYC, I was on 34th and 5th Ave by the Empire State Building and saw a couple with a map throughly confused, and as a habit I guess, I always ask if they need directions. They said YES and could I please tell them where the Empire State Building is (with a Spanish Wells accent no less), and of course I said yes and pointed up!. I asked what they were doing in NYC from the Bahamas, and of course they were amazed I recognized their accent was from the Bahamas and specifically Spanish Wells, and THEY were amazed that I would know about Spanish Wells, and of course I introduced myself and that I visit Harbour Island on a regular basis and they had head my name which shocked us all!! Just to show it really is a pretty small world.

Tourism is just catching on in Spanish Wells, because tourism has helped Harbour Island so much, the locals are not objecting to the outside world coming to the island as they had in the not too distant past.

From Harbour Island, you can ask one of the water taxis to take you over, or you can take a water taxi to Eleuthera and a taxi to the dock and another water taxi over to the island, be a really fun day trip.

OH the Library is up and running and is not internet connected. You can get online for a small fee to check email and there is a good selection of books and of course people coming to the island often read and leave a book behind to help the library. It is not far from Tingum Village and the Medical Clinic, and you might find it interesting. The Library has hours posted on the door and of course anyone on island will know when it is open as it is staffed by local volunteers.

wantsomesun

......sorry that should have read "now internet connected".

sparklegem

Thank you, wantsomesun. It is very a small world. What a great story!

What do you do when you go to Spanish Wells for the day?

wantsomesun

Walk around the island is about all there is to do, and see the sites. The beaches there are as beautiful as Harbour Island and the people there are very interesting to meet. The accent is very specific to Spanish Wells.

A tiny bit of shopping and of course some very fresh fish, you can take back and cook for dinner.

The water taxi's go off duty at sunset, so make sure you are well on your way back, so you won't get stuck on Eleuthera overnight.