Either the Abacos or Eleuthera could work for you, but the Abacos have more choices and are my personal favorite. Here's the scoop: <BR> <BR>1. As for exploration, the Abacos are best explored by rental boat, not rental car (though a rental golf cart will get you around the smaller cays). People staying on the main island of Great Abaco will often rent a car for a day or two, but getting to the other cays is generally handled by ferry or boat. Boating is generally simple, line-of-sight stuff, and there are lots of good cruising guides. <BR> <BR>2. If you are looking to play tennis or golf, the only place that's even an option is Treasure Cay, which is on the mainland of Great Abaco. The other cays just aren't big enough to support that kind of activity. <BR> <BR>3. I can vouch for the snorkeling in the Abacos, as well as the beach walking. Treasure Cay has a very calm, lovely strand on the Sea of Abaco. The other cays (Elbow Cay, Great Guana, etc.) have small beaches on the Sea of Abaco, and endless strands on the ocean side, all of which are eminently stroll-able, usually without another soul in sight. From many of these beaches, there is also great snorkeling. <BR> <BR>4. There is a full range of beachfront accomodations in the Abacos, from private rental villas to small, intimate inns. On Elbow Cay, there is the Abaco Inn, Hopetown Harbour Lodge, and Sea Spray Resort, all on the ocean. And this just scrapes the surface. Most visitors seem to gravitate to house rentals. <BR> <BR>5. There are many restaurant choices, but not an overabundance, and certainly no chains. Cuisine leans towards local specialties -- conch, grouper and lobster. Most tends to be fried. Dining choices include the famous pig roast at Nipper's (Great Guana Cay) on Sundays, and the infamous burgers at Pete's Pub (Great Abaco). My favorite spots are in Hopetown, on Elbow Cay -- Harbour's Edge and Captain Jack's. Great conch chowder. <BR> <BR>6. You should be able to find accomodations in your price range, perhaps even a rental house, depending on the time of year you are traveling. <BR> <BR>7. There is minimal shopping in the Abacos; that's not why people come here. That said, there are a few funky boutiques everywhere selling the work of local artists. Don't forget to stop by the gallery and foundry of Pete Johnston at Little Harbour, Great Abaco (Pete's Pub is an added attraction here). I commissioned a one-of-a-kind brooch (gold lizard on a silver leaf) from Pete for a very reasonable price, and it gets lots of unsolicited compliments. <BR> <BR>8. Entertainment tends to be low-key in the Abacos. Mostly local bands playing at some of the watering holes, and not playing too late into the night. Nightlife is what you make of it; a party can crop up any time. The most regular "party" occurs at the Nipper's pig roast on Sunday afternoon, but that doesn't qualify as nightlife because its usually over before dark. <BR> <BR>Sorry to go on and on like this, but I LOVE the Abacos. If you want more info, visit my personal website, which has a report of my last trip to the Abacos (I've been 3x, and the 4th is planned for 2001), as well as photos (
www.homestead.com/islandtime/MainPage1.html). Also, if you have any questions, feel free to e-mail me directly (I can also answer questions about Eleuther). Finally, a great resource is the Abaco Community Message Board (
www.abacoboard.com), which also has links to lodging information, etc. <BR> <BR>Good luck!
