Which islands in the Bahamas to visit
Sep 19th, 2000, 02:43 PM
#1
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Which islands in the Bahamas to visit
We are going to Nassau in February and don't have our rooms set yet. Wondering about staying at Atlantis a few days then going to another island for a few. We have NO idea which to choose. We want beautiful beaches, sand and clean with some water sports, etc. How do you get to Harbour Island or Eaxuma? How much does it cost? Where to stay? Are there nice resorts or what?
Sep 19th, 2000, 07:06 PM
#2
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Kelli; Many of the outer islands have beautiful beaches: Great Guana Cay off of Abaco Island; Eleuthera, Exuma, etc. Guana has a 7-mile beach but there aren't water sports like in Nassau. If you go to Exuma, try the Hotel Peace and Plenty downtown or their Beach Inn, just outside of town. A little different from Nassau, watch out for the wild boars on the runway in the Abaco's, too. Call Bahamasair Air, and get their flight schedules and destinations in the outer islands from Nassau.
Sep 20th, 2000, 03:03 AM
#3
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I believe there is a high-speed ferry from Nassau to Harbour Island -- the cost is something just less than $100 pp. The other Out Islands you'll have to reach by plane -- as Robert wrote, Bahamasair is probably your best bet. Your experiences in the Out Islands will be very different from Nassau -- you'll find a totally laid-back and relaxed attitude and far fewer people --residents and travelers alike. The accomodations match the mood -- small, relaxed, and casual, but often with lots of personal attention from the innkeepers. As for watersports, you have many options -- fantastic snorkeling, diving, swimming, beaching, etc. -- but expect the water to be pretty chilly in February. I have visited the Abacos 3x (planning trip #4 as I write) and Eleuthera once. If you want more specifics on the Abacos, visit www.oii.net or www.go-abacos.com.
Sep 20th, 2000, 06:07 AM
#4
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Go to www.where2stay.com and ask for help from Tweedy. That lady knows more about the Bahamas than anyone I've run into.
Sep 20th, 2000, 09:01 AM
#7
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Kelli; Call Bahamsair. They have a toll free number, but I don't know it. My wife and I many times used Nassau as a base and then flew to the outer islands for scuba diving and to do reef surveys on Bahamasair. They fly to Georgetown, Exuma for $120 RT; Harbour Island, in North Eleuthera for $96 RT, but you must take a ferry over to Harbour Island; Abaco for $120, in Marsh Harbor and maybe Treasure Cay, too; Cat Island for $120; Long Island for $128; etc. Remember, though, some of these are very remote, and there aren't any banana flotation stuff pulled by power boats on them. Hope this helps. Robert
Sep 20th, 2000, 09:04 AM
#8
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Kelli; Almost forgot. Don't make plans blazened in granite. In Bahamas, things change often, or don't happen at all. The flights are usually one in the am and one in the pm. But, every several months they change the days when the flights go to particular out islands. Don't Worry...Be Happy. Robert
Sep 20th, 2000, 04:56 PM
#9
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HI GANG and thanks for the nice words. It is appreciated. <BR> <BR>Keiii, all the info here already is right on and don't know how much more I can add. <BR> <BR>I have been going to the Bahamas on vacation and to sing with a chorus (as guests of the Bahamas) since 1986. The chorus has been down 3 times now and we are planning on going again this spring, so I get all kinds of info to share. <BR> <BR>Nassau is a guaint town and the capital of the Bahamas. The first capital was Harbour Island which is one of the 10 most beautiful islands in the world (as per Island Mag a few years ago). <BR> <BR>Nassau is busy lots of things to see and do, and Harbour Island is very laid back, but all kinds of water sports and now an underwater sub to see some of the reefs in the area, that is new for this season. <BR> <BR>There are several nice places to stay on Nassau, somthing almost for any budget. We usually stay at the Marriott, but will be staying at the Atlantis this fall. The Atlantis is AMAZING, and there is something to do and see 24hrs a day. There are 2 casinos on island at the Atlantis and the Marriott Cable Beach. <BR> <BR>Bahamas Air is the only regularly scheduled interisland airline, but as someone earlier pointed out, flight times are more like a "suggestion", sometimes they go out on time and well,,,let's just say I know Nassau airport REALLY well due to flight delays. <BR> <BR>The ferry the BoHengy goes over to Harbour Island twice a day and I have heard rave reviews, we will be taking it over soon too (we need some vacation). The price to fly or take the ferry over is just about the same $96rt pp. The major difference is the ferry leaves and arrives ON TIME, (lol) <BR>By air Eleuthera is 20 minutes away and a short cab and water taxi ride over to HI. The ferry takes almost 2 hours. <BR> <BR>If you want to see some pictures go to www.were2stay.com and "kalik" on the top left "Islands" scroll down to The Bahamas and look around. <BR> <BR>Abaco took a BAD hit last year from Hurricane Floyd but is up and have had a good season last year. The Hurricane stayed on top of Harbour Island and Eleuthera for over 18 and did quite a bit of damage there too, but I hear that everything is back and things are running just fine. <BR> <BR>If you need any more info, please let me know. <BR> <BR>tweedy
Sep 22nd, 2000, 03:46 PM
#11
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We stayed on Eleuthera a year ago before the hurricane and had a nice time. We rented a house at Palmetto Point which in my opinion, having traveled a lot around the island, is one of the nicest beaches after Harbour Island. Eleuthera is an extremely quiet island. The distances to drive from one end to the other are very long and therefore it is not necessarily easy to explore. It is 110 miles from one end to the other, which means that if you set out to dinner you may well be driving 20 or 30 minutes to the restaurant. And there are very few of those, although the ones we found were pleasant enough. Harbour Island is a different world from the rest of Eleuthera. It has jet set resorts and one long stunning beach. It also has a touch of attitude which I can definitely do without. But the resorts and people are very chic. The rest of the Eleuthera is totally laid back and almost asleep. While there are a few gorgeous beaches with pink sand, etc., I was dissappointed by the garbage washed up on the untended, non-resort beaches, and more than once I found my feet covered with oil/tar. Don't let that scare you away. Also interesting for a visit was the shell of a once-famously glamourous resort -- the Cotton Club. It is now a fascinating ruin which you can pick your way through if you ask permission of the security guard. If you want to experience the Bahamas of an era past, Eleuthera is a good bet! But be prepared to drive a lot.
Sep 22nd, 2000, 09:01 PM
#12
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I have not heard of a barefoot cruise to Harbour Island, it is a long trip by boat, and even the fast ferry takes 2 hours to get there, so a bareboat would be what 4 or 6 hours? Don't think there would be enough demand for a cruise but hey Harbour Island is really "being discovered" now with all the publicity, on the plus side though there will not be any more resorts built so the day tripers leave and the island becomes pretty quiet again at night. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps. <BR> <BR>tweedy
