23 Best Hotels in Eleuthera and Harbour Island, Bahamas

Nestled between the aquamarine and emerald waters of Rock and Exuma Sounds, gigantic villas have two bright bedrooms, a full bath, and a stainless-steel kitchen, while the beach cottages feature a luxury bathroom and wet bar. Watch breathtaking sunsets painted over the full-service marina from your second-floor balcony. If you choose to stay in one of the new private bungalows or suites, you'll also have a direct view of the stunning beach. For a unique experience, have the staff take you by boat to one of the nearby footprint-free islands for the day. Pack a picnic and your seashell bucket and get ready for complete solitude.

An elegant yet energetic flair accents this eight-acre oceanfront resort, right on the beach. The main lobby is a study in British colonial style, while the billiard room of the bar attracts a younger and hipper crowd. Guest rooms come in a variety of styles, including suites, bungalows, and cottages. All are decorated in a modern tropical style, with neutral tones, streamlined wood furniture, and flat-screen TVs. Worth the extra splurge are the Villa Carissa, a private, three-bedroom beach house with an adjoining one-bedroom guest cottage, and the newly-built Sol Y Mar and Hilltop four-bedroom residences. 

Originally deeded in 1796 and built by Thomas W. Johnson, Briland's first doctor and justice of the peace, this handsome B&B, in a garden filled with bougainvillea, royal poincianas, and hibiscus, thrives thanks to the loving preservation work of genial innkeeper John Hersh. The guest rooms are sweetly furnished with a distinctive array of antiques and local artwork and overlook either the harbor or the garden. The inn’s supremely stylish suites have grown to include two cottage accommodations, and there’s a full on-site staff, including a chef who will also prepare in-house dinners, box lunches, and picnics. The property includes a huge courtyard that features a pool and a tiki bar.

This Governor's Harbour resort offers gorgeous waterfront villas, a harbor-view bar and grill, and dozens of other luxurious amenities. Each villa is equipped with its own golf cart, which guests can use to visit the beach on the Atlantic-facing side of the resort. French Leave prides itself on maintaining the serenity and natural beauty of the property, so you won't find a casino or any buzzing nightlife here—instead, the resort provides paddleboards, kayaks, and snorkel gear free of charge for ocean adventures.

The private Howard Beach House is the perfect luxury vacation home, especially for large groups. The house features four bedrooms and bathrooms, all of which were recently renovated, along with a fully equipped kitchen. Other amenities include a covered sundeck, retractable canopy, lounges, and an outdoor shower. 

Those looking for history and luxury will find much to like about this historic building constructed in 1944 by the first premier of The Bahamas, Sir Roland Symonette. The resort still maintains its historical charm while welcoming modern, eco-friendly additions like solar water heating, solar lights, energy-saving refrigerators, and an outdoor organic garden. Each guest room at the two-story limestone inn has a full kitchen, in-room safe, air-conditioning and a mahogany deck. It's a short walk to the beach.

Founded by Louisiana native Mika Ann Webb in 2019, Mika's Resort is a small, modern beachfront resort with Caribbean flair and luxury amenities. The resort is close to the Governor's Harbour airport and set on a private beach perfect for sunbathing or water sports. Budget-oriented families will likely appreciate the stunning one-bedroom Casita suites, all of which have mini-kitchens and a view of the ocean. There's also a luxury penthouse on the property, with a full kitchen, living room, and balcony. There's no on-site restaurant, but the resort is close to popular eateries like The Deck and Daddy Joe's.

These quaint cottages are nestled into a hillside with an extraordinary view of the Atlantic. Each unit comes with a small kitchenette, satellite TV, and a deck, perfect for watching the sunrise. Proprietor Rose Gibson also runs a restaurant steps from the cottages, where you'll find Bahamian specialties like fresh grouper and conch.

Set atop a rocky cliff on Whale Point, Ocean Tally is a luxurious bed-and-breakfast surrounded by Eleuthera's natural beauty. This adults-only property features three cottages, each with its own sun terrace that has views of the property's private beach. The rooms are spacious, airy, and with a TV, kitchen supplies, and a private bathroom. You can choose to have breakfast on your private deck, on the outdoor dining deck, or in the common area in the lighthouse. There's also an on-site bar where you can grab drinks and food.

The spectacular view of Harbour Island's Pink Sands Beach is the major selling point for this luxury boutique hotel. The decor is both modern and tropical—rooms are decorated in shades of green, with wooden furniture, and surrounded by coconut and palm trees. There's a restaurant on the property that serves three meals a day, but the resort is also centrally located if you feel like dining at one of Harbour Island's more popular restaurants. The Ocean View Club is also great for guests who seek privacy and seclusion but don't want to stray too far from the center of the town.

Across the street from a pink-sand Atlantic beach and Tippy's oceanfront bistro, Pineapple Fields is the perfect base for a disappearing act; hole up in one of 32 condo units, each with front and back verandas, a full kitchen, and a living room with pull-out queen sofa. Washers and dryers in each unit are especially handy for families and visitors who aren't planning to leave anytime soon. Next door to the hotel is the 25-acre Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve. When you've had enough seclusion, Governor's Harbour, Eleuthera's liveliest town, is just four miles down the road.

Harbour Island's famed beachfront resort has long been praised by celebrities—Martha Stewart, Nicole Kidman, and Brooke Shields, to name a few—and honeymooners alike for its 25 secluded acres of beautiful rambling gardens and private cottages and villas. With all the creature comforts in the way of luxurious bedding, plasma-screen TVs, and imposing native wood furniture, the newly renovated guest cottages truly feel like an island getaway in paradise. Blue Bar & Restaurant serves Bahamian-infused European cuisine until sunset and has a prime vantage point overlooking the beach.

Originally a complex of historic harbor-side buildings, Rock House was designed by the late Wallace Tutt (the builder of Gianni Versace's mansion in Miami) and owner Don Purdy, who attentively orchestrates a pampering, intimate haven for his discriminating international clientele. Fresh orchids fill every room, private cabanas line the heated courtyard pool, and the congenial staff caters to your every need. Guest rooms are a sophisticated mix of contemporary and island furnishings, outfitted with thoughtful amenities like a picnic basket for beach forays and custom-designed extra-padded mattresses. After feasting at Rock House's celebrated restaurant, you'll want to take advantage of the spa services and yoga offered by the hotel. Although the hotel is on the harbor side of the island, chairs and umbrellas are set up daily for Rock House guests who want to relax on the beach. There's also a gift shop on-site where you can purchase souvenirs.

Pink Adirondack chairs on the dock welcome you to this colorful and casual resort situated on the bay side of the island. Guest rooms are in cottages with private patios, built on sloping grounds, each decorated in an upscale Caribbean design. Both restaurants at the resort are among the best on Harbour Island, serving delicious Bahamian fusion dishes. The resort also boasts what is perhaps the island's best sunset view, which you can enjoy while you're splashing around in the infinity pool or lounging in one of the cabanas on the small private beach. 

This quiet seaside inn on gorgeous, rolling grounds feels far removed from the rest of the island, which is precisely the point. This is not a place you'll be waited on hand and foot. Rather, longtime guests appreciate the lived-in quality of this rambling 1938 New England–style beach house, where you have the run of the place and can be left alone to mix a drink at the honor bar or relax poolside. Guest rooms are simply furnished in a comfortable contemporary style, and bathrooms display colorful tile work and Fresh bath products. At dinnertime, chef Krishna Higgs serves French and Bahamian cuisine, with a focus on local seafood.

Perched on 22 acres of oceanfront property, this modern resort features three poolside one-bedroom bungalows and four large four-bedroom houses. All accommodations have a spectacular view of the Atlantic and a refreshing ocean breeze. Several of the houses have private pools, though you might prefer the swim-up bar at the resort's restaurant. While free Wi-Fi and satellite TV come standard, a good book and poolside cocktail may be all you need. This service-oriented resort can also arrange adventure tours and fishing guides.

Immaculate and generously sized cottages, some octagonal—all with large private porches—have sweeping views of the ocean. The resort has also introduced spacious luxury suites with patio or garden views. The Rainbow Room restaurant is one of the island's best, and islanders drive great distances for a meal here, especially when the famed Doctor Seabreeze or other local musicians strum away and sing island tunes on weeknights (in high season). A sublime beach is a short walk down the paved road along with a tennis court, and a small pool is on the property. The helpful staff will arrange fishing trips and adventure tours.

Forty secluded acres studded with scenic beach cottages set the tone for this relaxing island escape; a rocky promontory separates two coves, each with a sandy beach and calm water, perfect for snorkeling. The poolside patio is a good place for breakfast or cocktails, but sitting at the Point Bar (or the "Sunset Bar"), built into the rock between the coves, will become one of your favorite activities. Newly renovated clustered cottages have ocean or garden views, high-slanted ceilings, flat-screen TVs, and rustic furnishings. Take in the sunset from any of the three restaurants on the property, work up a sweat at the new fitness center, or relax in your private cottage and order room service.

This charming, retro-glam hotel with private cottages evokes a 1940s club in the tropics—with its mahogany bar, casual yet elegant dining room, and faded paperbacks in the clubhouse library, it's a favorite with the New England yachting set. A guest-to-staff ratio of almost one-to-one services the 18 cottages scattered throughout the grounds, which are tastefully decorated with white slanted ceilings and spacious marble bathrooms that have separate sink-vanity areas and stand-alone showers.

Sparse white walls and crisp white linens evoke a timeless, understated chic at The Landing, which is acclaimed as much for its singular style as for its superb cuisine. Each of its guest rooms is simply decorated in a colonial plantation style in the Captain's House, built in 1820, and the main house, built in 1800. Want a memorable harbor view? An antique telescope peers out of a lookout nook from the Attic Room, which also has a gleaming white bathroom complete with a sumptuous white chaise lounge. Soothe yourself in the garden's tranquil pool when you're beached out—and don't miss the sybaritic outdoor shower, cleverly designed around the roots of an ancient fig tree.

Each of the rustic cottages on this property, owned by the Percentie family, is named after a different island of The Bahamas. The native theme continues inside the lodgings, where each individually decorated room features a private bathroom, flat-screen TV, and tea and coffee maker. There's no lobby to speak of, since the room where you check in also doubles as the famous Ma Ruby's restaurant, but the place is full of local charm and just a short walk from the pink-sand beach. Juanita Percentie, "Ma" Ruby's enterprising daughter, also rents a luxurious five-bedroom beach villa nearby, complete with a romantic rooftop bedroom, gourmet kitchen, and waterfall pool with swim-up bar.

Just south of Governor's Harbour near North Palmetto Point on marvelous pink Poponi Beach, this resort has large, tropical-style rooms with French doors opening to private balconies. Second-floor rooms have better views of the ocean. The Unique is probably the best bargain on the beach, with a great Bahamian restaurant and large pool steps away. At night you can hear the lapping waves and watch a full moon rise over the ocean. The resort is efficiently run, with a friendly staff who will be happy to organize fishing trips and tours.

With the largest marina on Harbour Island, equipped with 51 slips capable of accommodating yachts up to 160 feet, this resort is ideal if you're a self-sufficient traveler or family that doesn't require many amenities but enjoys spacious condo-style rooms and water-focused activities. Each junior suite or one- and two-bedroom unit is well-appointed in a modern colonial style, with rich dark woods and plush beige sofas sharing space with sepia-toned photographs and plasma-screen TVs. Valentines draws a serious boating crowd with its dockside bar and complete dive shop. For the best marina views, request a room in the Andros building.