Bahamas Vacation: How to Choose an Island
Posted by Goody on 08/20/08 in Uncategorized
An experienced Caribbean traveler describes the mysteries and adventures waiting on each island in the Bahamas.
Thinking about a vacation in the Bahamas but don’t know which island
to visit? This article will introduce you to each island’s unique character and
the mysteries and adventures it has to offer.
New Providence Island is home to Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas
and by far its largest city. Nassau
was first settled in the 1600’s and is rich with history, including plenty of
genuine pirates. Nassau has some beautiful
colonial architecture, and on the outskirts, a strip of high-rise hotels and
casinos along CableBeach. ParadiseIsland,
connected to New Providence by a bridge, is
home to the gargantuan Atlantis resort with its shark pools and water slides. New Providence offers golf, tennis, diving, fishing
charters, gambling, night life, sight-seeing, and cultural activities.
Half a century ago, Grand Bahama Island,
where Freeport is located, was almost
uninhabited. Today, its port is one of the largest in the hemisphere, and the
city of 50,000 is well known as a resort and cruise-ship destination. The
tourism center is Port Lucaya, which features a large marina, high-rise beach
resorts, shopping, and dining. Unlike New Providence, the island of Grand Bahama
has less populated regions as well, with deserted beaches and tropical pine
forests. The LucayanNational Park includes a
nature preserve and vast underwater cave system.
The Abacos, the
acknowledged sailing capital of the Bahamas, are among the world’s most
beautiful cruising grounds. MarshHarbour on Great Abaco
is a major boat-charter center as well as a base for diving and deep-sea
fishing. The Abacos were settled by Loyalists who fled New England after the
Revolutionary War, and the islands are known for their Cape-Cod-style houses
with clapboard siding and picket fences. To contrast its quaint villages, Abaco
has several major resorts complete with championship golf courses and acres of
condominiums.
The Exumas are a
chain of over 300 islands and cays. Aside from Great and Little Exuma, which
are the two largest, most are uninhabited?and that’s half the fun. Like the
Abacos, the Exumas are wonderful cruising grounds. The largest settlement is George Town on Great
Exuma, a village of 1000 souls with a fine harbor. The ExumaCaysLand and SeaNational Park, at the
north of the chain, is popular with divers, and even has a few nature trails
for landlubbers. Exuma also has several major resorts, including the Four
Seasons at EmeraldBay.
Hemingway’s famous “Island in the stream,? Bimini lies in the Gulf Stream, just 50
miles from the east coast of Florida.
Hemingway helped make it famous as a center of deep-sea fishing, and it remains
so to this day. Bimini?which is actually two islands and a number of cays–is
also a popular cruising ground, and the main settlement, Alice Town, caters to
the yachting crowd. Bimini has one major resort, BiminiBay,
but is otherwise still very rustic. Bimini’s other claim to fame is Bimini Road, a
highway of stone in twenty feet of water that some believe is a remnant of the
lost city of Altantis.
With sixty miles of beaches and only a few dozen hotel
rooms, Eleuthera is a paradise for
beach lovers who enjoy privacy and unspoiled natural beauty. Eleuthera is an
island of rolling green hills and sleepy villages. The guidebooks are fond of
noting that Eleuthera has not a single traffic light, but that isn’t surprising
when you consider that most of it has only one road. Needless to say, there is
little need for a map, and on an island less than a mile wide for long
stretches, you’re never far from the beach. For more information about Eleuthera click , one of the most luxurious in the
Club Med chain.
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Tags: abacos, atlantis resort, boat charter, cape cod style, capital of the bahamas, colonial architecture, diving fishing, fishing charters, grand bahama island, major resorts, new providence island, paradiseisland, picket fences, pine forests, port lucaya, quaint villages, sailing capital, underwater cave system, vacation in the bahamas, water slides
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