GOING to the Bahamas is, without a doubt, the easiest way to get warm fast — at least from the East Coast. With frequent flights not only to Nassau but now to smaller islands like Eleuthera, plus constant airfare and hotel specials, it’s often the cheapest, too, if you plan right. With 700 islands in the chain, though — the closest of which, Bimini, is only 50 miles off the Miami shoreline — planning a trip can be rather baffling. Which one is right for you?
Sadly, the island country is more often associated with a certain mega-resort that lies off the capital city of Nassau on tiny Paradise Island, New Providence, than its own colorful history.
You could indeed spend your entire time in Nassau; there’s plenty to see if you’re willing to leave the all too comfortable confines of Atlantis (odds are you’re staying there).
The Bahamian government seat was once a strategic stronghold for pirates — Blackbeard among them — who used it as a base to hide booty and intercept Spanish galleons. During Prohibition days, Prince George’s Wharf was built specifically to accommodate bootleggers and rumrunners smuggling contraband to the States.
These days, the signs of Nassau’s history as a British colony are still everywhere, from its pastel colonial buildings to its driving conventions (on the left). On the other hand, unless you commit to going fairly far afield (or hole up somewhere like the exclusive One & Only Ocean Club), you’ll generally be surrounded by screaming kids, the cruise-ship passengers who dock here virtually everyday, and a glut of tourists enjoying cheap, last-minute packages.
Venture further, however, and you’ll discover an entire collection of islands that couldn’t be more different from New Providence, or from each other. The most rewarding experiences beyond Nassau will be found on the Bahamas’ Out Islands — essentially the islands outlying New Providence — are easier to get to than you might think. Most are only short flights from Nassau, and depending on what you’re after, well worth the extra leg. Here are our top recommendations, and why:
Andros:
Best for amazing scuba diving. Here, you can dive over the barrier reef known as the “Tongue of the Ocean” that curls through the islands. Off Andros, it falls a sheer 6,000 feet down. Diving it is called “going over the wall.” Andros, which is really a web of connected limestone cays, is the biggest of all the islands, the least explored, and has only 8,000 inhabitants. So stay for the diving, great bonefishing on its flats or simply to hide away in gorgeous Kamalame Cay (see “Where to Stay”) — not for the nightlife.
Abaco:
Best for deep-sea fishing (marlin, tuna, wahoo, and mahi-mahi) and boating. Home to an iconic peppermint-candy-colored lighthouse, Hope Town on Elbow Cay is also one of your best opportunities to visit some history in the Bahamas. The area (like most of the Bahamas) was settled by British Loyalists, mostly from the Carolinas, during the Revolution. You’ll find both museums — The Wyannie Malone Museum, filled with old treasures from Loyalist settlers and Lucayan Indians; the Cetacean Museum, dedicated to sailing — as well as plenty of cute little restaurants and a little nightlife (Nippers Beach Bar and Grill on Great Guana Cay).
Bimini:
Tiny North Bimini is regarded as the big-game fishing capital of the Bahamas and it’s also where Hemingway groupies seek out his Alice Town haunt, the Compleat Angler Hotel, where he lived while writing “Islands in the Stream.” It’s now part museum, part bar. The closest island to the States, it’s also one of the easiest to reach (Continental flies non-stop daily from Fort Lauderdale). Unfortunately, for those seeking solitude, you’re too late (unless you have your own boat): The island is being transformed into a massive “Fisherman’s Village” which, by 2010, will include a 410-room Conrad Hilton; all the usual retail suspects (John Bull, for one); a 20,000-square-foot casino; a “Spa Chakra”; and a Robert Trent Jones, Jr., golf course. Candy-colored houses on the north side, which cost over a million apiece, have been under development for a couple of years already.
Harbour Island:
Known as “Briland” to natives, it’s the Nantucket of the Bahamas, characterized by its uniform: low-key summer pants bleached by the sun and softened into submission by years of repeated wear join gauzy designer caftans. Here, it’s all about the look, which is expensive, yet just a little bit careless, where everyone is at least suspected of being someone. While this little island north of Eleuthera was also settled by Loyalists, you would swear it was settled by India Hicks and the collection of models that alight here as soon as the weather elsewhere gets chilly. There’s not a hopping (public) nightlife here, but Harbour Island does have some of the best shopping, hotels and beaches in the Bahamas.
Exumas:
Best for yachting, the 365 cays comprising the Exumas are especially crowded during George Town’s annual Family Island Regatta. Most of the year, though, Great and Little Exuma are relatively quiet. Great Exuma is by and large devoted to the Four Seasons Exuma, one of the best resorts for families in the Bahamas. But it’s also home to Staniel Cay Yacht Club (see “Where to Stay”) which will give you a 13-foot Boston Whaler if you want to set out on your own.
Cat Island:
Best for pure escapism. The narrow 110-mile strip has some of the most beautiful pink beaches in the Bahamas, mostly unpopulated. Its calm bays are great for snorkeling. Don’t look here for nightlife; it’s all about getting away.
San Salvador:
Best for Club Med devotees. There are few other places to stay on pristine San Salvador than Columbus Isle, the Club Med that has transformed the tiny island into a hopping, self-contained Euro scene. Those familiar with the old Club Med format — which always tempered its Socialist roots with Spartan accommodations and much aerobicizing — will barely recognize the village, stuffed to the gills with art collected in Bali, carved doorways from India and airy rooms with gauzy curtains, flat-panel TVs and constant maid service. On the other hand, it’s difficult to escape the terminal “rah-rah” activity direction.
Eleuthera:
Best for escape, beaches and cheap access to Harbour Island. Until the 1970s, the long slender island of Eleuthera was one of the swingingest in the Bahamas. But until the last few years, all the glory has been going to Harbour Island. However, a clutch of investments in the last several years are bringing it back (probably much to the dismay of celebrities like Lenny Kravitz and Mariah Carey who bought houses here for the solitude). The developers responsible for Pink Sands and Jamaica’s exclusive Strawberry Hill have opened Pineapple Fields, an 80-acre property on the Atlantic side of the island. The property’s super-popular restaurant, Tippy’s, which serves Mediterranean/Bahamian food from local sources, has been going strong since 2002. The best place to get a little peace and quiet at the moment (with the easiest access to Harbour Island), is a pristine little resort (close to Lenny Kravitz’s house) called The Cove Eleuthera (see “Where to Stay”), whose owners overhauled it, replacing a chintzy, old interior with modern, beachy rooms (iPods, 600-thread-count sheets) and its own line of amenities. Ten miles south of Rock Sound, the old Cotton Bay Club is slated to reopen (some day!) as a Starwood development, with access to two private islands, a 20-acre bird sanctuary and a seven-acre private beach.
Grand Bahama:
Where Nassau’s a mix of old and new, Grand Bahama is really just a pre-planned community. No authentic culture or history to lure you in, and no easy way off it to neighboring islands. True, you can fly here direct from Ft. Lauderdale, but then you’re stuck; better off planting it in Nassau where, at least if you get bored with its historic landmarks and the like, you can hit any other island with ease.
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