Bahamas Vacation: How to Choose an Island

>cruising ground, and the main settlement, Alice Town,
An experienced Caribbean traveler describes thecaters to the yachting crowd. Bimini has one major
mysteries and adventures waiting on each island inresort, BiminiBay, but is otherwise still very rustic.
the Bahamas. Thinking about a vacation in theBimini’s other claim to fame is Bimini Road, a
Bahamas but don’t know which island to visit?highway of stone in twenty feet of water that
This article will introduce you to each island’ssome believe is a remnant of the lost city of Altantis.
unique character and the mysteries and adventures itWith sixty miles of beaches and only a few dozen
has to offer.hotel rooms, Eleuthera is a paradise for beach lovers
New Providence Island is home to Nassau, the capitalwho enjoy privacy and unspoiled natural beauty.
of the Bahamas and by far its largest city. NassauEleuthera is an island of rolling green hills and sleepy
was first settled in the 1600’s and is rich withvillages. The guidebooks are fond of noting that
history, including plenty of genuine pirates. Nassau hasEleuthera has not a single traffic light, but that
some beautiful colonial architecture, and on theisn’t surprising when you consider that most
outskirts, a strip of high-rise hotels and casinos alongof it has only one road. Needless to say, there is little
CableBeach. ParadiseIsland, connected to Newneed for a map, and on an island less than a mile
Providence by a bridge, is home to the gargantuanwide for long stretches, you’re never far
Atlantis resort with its shark pools and water slides.from the  beach. For more information about
New Providence offers golf, tennis, diving, fishingEleuthera click here.
charters, gambling, night life, sight-seeing, and culturalAndros is by far the largest of the Bahamian islands,
activities.with an area of 2300 square miles. The interior, said
Half a century ago, Grand Bahama Island, whereto be the largest still-unexplored landmass in the
Freeport is located, was almost uninhabited. Today,world, is home to six-foot iguanas and the rare
its port is one of the largest in the hemisphere, andBahamian boa constrictor. Sasquatch has not been
the city of 50,000 is well known as a resort andsighted, but only because no one has braved the
cruise-ship destination. The tourism center is Portiguanas and boas to look for him. The east coast of
Lucaya, which features a large marina, high-rise beachthe island, the only populated area, has scattered
resorts, shopping, and dining. Unlike New Providence,villages and miles of beautiful beaches. Just offshore
the island of Grand Bahama has less populatedis Andros’s other great attraction, a vast
regions as well, with deserted beaches and tropicalbarrier reef—the second largest in the world.
pine forests. The LucayanNational Park includes aLong Island is one of the few Bahamian islands which
nature preserve and vast underwater cave system.does not depend primarily on tourism. Fishing, and to
The Abacos, the acknowledged sailing capital of thea lesser extent agriculture, still predominate. The
Bahamas, are among the world’s mostisland was settled by American Loyalists from the
beautiful cruising grounds. MarshHarbour on GreatSouth, who came with their slaves and established
Abaco is a major boat-charter center as well as aplantations. The soil would not support large-scale
base for diving and deep-sea fishing. The Abacosfarming, however, and the plantations were gradually
were settled by Loyalists who fled New Englandabandoned. Their ruins can still be seen. Long Island is
after the Revolutionary War, and the islands arealso home to Dean’s Blue Hole, one of the
known for their Cape-Cod-style houses withdeepest in the world and a spectacular sight with its
clapboard siding and picket fences. To contrast itshigh cliff walls.
quaint villages, Abaco has several major resortsFifty miles long and with a population of 1600, Cat
complete with championship golf courses and acresIsland is a place for people who want to get away
of condominiums.from the hustle and bustle of, for example, rural
The Exumas are a chain of over 300 islands andNorth Dakota. Cat has many miles of deserted,
cays. Aside from Great and Little Exuma, which arepink-sand beaches, and a central ridge that reaches
the two largest, most are uninhabited—and200 feet, the highest elevation in the Bahamas. A
that’s half the fun. Like the Abacos, themonastery known as the Hermitage, hand-built by an
Exumas are wonderful cruising grounds. The largestAnglican clergyman turned Catholic priest, is located
settlement is George Town on Great Exuma, a villageatop the peak. Aside from heaven itself, a hermit
of 1000 souls with a fine harbor. Thecould hardly have found a better place for peace and
ExumaCaysLand and SeaNational Park, at the northquiet.
of the chain, is popular with divers, and even has aColumbus made his first landfall in the new world on
few nature trails for landlubbers. Exuma also hasthe Bahamian island of San Salvador. There are four
several major resorts, including the Four Seasons atmonuments to the event scattered about this lonely
EmeraldBay.island of 1000 souls. The interior of San Salvador is
Hemingway’s famous “Island in thetaken up largely by salt lakes and marshes, and the
stream,” Bimini lies in the Gulf Stream, just 50 milesonly road follows the circumference of the island. San
from the east coast of Florida. Hemingway helpedSalvador is almost entirely surrounded by a reef and
make it famous as a center of deep-sea fishing, andhas some of the best diving in the Bahamas, including
it remains so to this day. Bimini—which is actuallycave diving and wreck diving. The beaches are also
two islands and a number of cays--is also a popularexcellent.