fish

going to Elbow Cay mid-June. any suggestions?

RobertoB

Mid June is not far away. I would go to the Abaco Board and search the archives. Lots of info on the Abacos and Elbow Cay. Hoetown is one of the more picturesque harbors in the world.

http://coconuttelegraph.net/cgi-bin/...ds/abacos.cgi?

fish

thanks for you quick response. hope we're not too late in planning the details here. we have a place to stay (Crew's Nest-Tanny Key rentals). Any suggestions on where, and for how long, to rent a golf cart or a boat and where to explore with such vehicles? We are snorklers, not experienced boat drivers. Going with our 23 and 15 year olds.

RobertoB

We stayed on Lubbers both trips so needed a boat all the time. SeaHorse has a rental location in Hopetown and Island Marine is just outside on Parrot Cay. You may want to inquire as to the availability during your stay. No experience renting a golf cart.

For snorkeling I'd go out with the dive center in Hopetown to Fowl Cay Preserve. Easier than negotiating coral heads with a rental boat. If you rent a boat try the Sandy Cay Preserve to the south.

Callaloo

For our stays in Hopetown, we've always rented a boat for a few days (we are experienced boaters -- read the sidebar on the Abaco Message Board to decide whether renting a boat is for you), as well as renting a golf cart for a few days.

As quaint and picturesque as the settlement of Hopetown is, there is lots on Elbow Cay to explore. Though the island is only a few miles long, a golf cart is an easy way to get around. You'll want to go to Tahiti Beach at the south end of the cay. And I'd recommend dinner at both the Abaco Inn and the Sea Spray; I believe the Abaco Inn has a free van shuttle for dinner, but you may want to be in charge of your own transport. A golf cart will do the trick.

Crew's Nest is in a great location. And, if I recall correctly, the last time I saw the house there was a miniature replica of the house in the street-side yard (complete with miniature surfboards and jeep) named Lizard Lodge, with tiny lizards actually hanging out in the tiny house.

Don't forget to buy one of Vernon's superlative key lime pies at the grocery (go early -- they sell out fast!).

This is really making me miss Abaco! My last visit was two years ago, and I'm putting it on the 2005 agenda for sure!

joan

Hey fish! We may be going the same time as you (we are two couples) (june 19-26th). I believe the poster Abaco Peach is arriving that week also. We should do a Fodor's get together at one of the beach bars!!! What airline are you using? We are going Continental out of Ft. Lauderdale. Have already booked the boat and golf cart for the whole week - BTW the golf cart is "waitlisted" and we booked about two months ago...so you better get it locked in. I discovered that you apparently cannot navigate *through* the Hopetown village to explore the north side of the island (and vise versa). You must park your golfcart on the outskirts of the village and walk throughout. There is no path that bypasses the village and continues northward, so depending where your house rental is, plan accordingly.

Any of you Abaco experts know the Bali Hai Cottage on Tahiti Beach? Would love a first hand opinion...

fish

Joan and Robert and Callalo- thanks for you heads-up on the rental of boats and carts. our son is getting married 7/11 and we are going to hopetown 6/21, so we haven't had much time to plan the trip other than transportation (continental) and crew's nest.

mnag

Hi fish, recently returned from a 5 day trip from elbow cay. You will need a golf cart if you want to visit Tahiti Beach. It is beautiful...calm water no more than two feet deep for hundreds of yards. Abaco Inn will pick you up. I thought our dinner at the restaurant at hopetown harbor lodge was one of the best. Captain Jacks is right on the harbor and good for a casual and inexpensive dinner. We also enjoyed our lunch at Mangoes in Marsh Town before cathing the flight back home. We throughly enjoyed snorkelling with Froggies. We went to Fowl Cay. We saw a ton of fish. I would highly recommend it. We also enjoyed a day trip to guana cay. We had to take a ferry over to Marsh and then go to the conch inn marina to take another ferry to guana. We thought it was worth the hassle. Lovely cay. The beach by nipper is Gorgeous. A beautiful shade of blue/green. Also there are only three golf rental companies on elbow cay so make sure you book right away. We wanted to get a gas golf cart but ended up with an electric one cause it was the last one left. It worked out fine. Either one is ok. Have a great time.

AbacoPeach

Yes, we will be in Abaco from June 19-July 5. In fact, from June 20-27, we are having what we call a board meeting which is basically people who frequent the Abaco Message Board get together and have a good time.

A group of us will be in Hope Town on Monday, June 21, and will be having "lunch" at the Abaco Inn. Please feel free and stop by. You can't miss us. We will be the group doing a lot of laughing!

joan

Thanks, Peach! Will stop by and introduce the Tampa Bay contingent! I've been "lurking" on the Abaco board, and I think I asked maybe one question, but so many of the great threads there (and the sidebar info) already answered anything I wondered about...BTW do you recognize the house known as "bali hai cottage"? It's supposed to be the southernmost home on the bay side...next door to "bali hai mansion" which of course I cannot afford!

Thanks!

fish

Abaco Peach, Unfortunately, we will not be in Hopetown until late on the 21st, but thanks for your invitation!
mnag-thanks for the info!

AbacoPeach

Joan, I don't have any personal knowledge but have not seen or heard anything negative as to Bali Hai. In fact, I can't recall any negative feedback as to any cottage in Hope Town. I have looked at several places in Hope Town while visiting and they were all lovely places!