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Trip report I missed St John
Trip report I missed St John
We traveled the last 3 years to St John so I figured I was ready to try somewhere new. Decided on the Abacos islands in the Bahamas. We got back a few days ago and decided I would let my old friends on this forum know how it went. First of all traveling to the bahamas was a nightmare. We had multiple flight delays including missed connections, lost luggage etc. I know this can happen anywhere but in our 3 years going to St John all went well. The place where we stayed was more than any of the villas on St John but not nearly as nice. The beach in front of the house was covered with sea weed. The snorkeling from shore was not good , lots of dead coral. We went out on a boat one day and that snorkeling was great.The town of Hopetown on Elbow cay was the high point of the trip. I must say I really did like it better than Cruz Bay, much easier to park (golf Cart) I kept comparing the island to St John all week and although I am glad we went, St John is my island I am sure now. The views are to die for the villas the best, the people are wonderful and yes I even love okay like Cruz bay. Already looking at Villas but nextyear is supposed to be a off travel year( new driveway) Anyway just in case anyone knows of a great Villa up really high with that killer view. Just do not tell hubbie I am looking!!!
Nancy
Nancy
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Kentuckygirl
- Posts: 1903
- Joined: Sun Oct 08, 2006 10:17 am
- Location: Kentucky
While I have only been to STJ twice I have been to the Abacos may times and it is a totally different feel. The Abacos are quiet and the trip is all about the villa, most of which are on the beach, island hopping on a rental boat and quality time alone with the family. If you thought Elbow Cay was quiet you should see Man of War. There are not nearly as many places to eat out, and most of those are not what I would call dining. The snokeling from the beach is generally poor, but the underwater park, just south of Elbow Cay, is pretty good, you just need a boat to get to anything worth while. That being said the Sea of Abaco is generally fairly calm and all navigation is line of sight, with good charts redily availible. Even are relitively inexperienced boater can manage quite well.
Phil
Phil,
I think without a rental boat we really missed out on what the abacos had to offer. I am a snorkeling nut underwater camera and all and I was very dissapointed. The place where we stayed was run down and you had to climb down a steep hill to get to the beach which was covered with seaweed. We have stayed in some great places on St John, and we actually paided more for our rental on Elbow. I really did enjoy Hopetown and I actually liked the places to eat. I guess I need to design my own island !!!
Nancy
I think without a rental boat we really missed out on what the abacos had to offer. I am a snorkeling nut underwater camera and all and I was very dissapointed. The place where we stayed was run down and you had to climb down a steep hill to get to the beach which was covered with seaweed. We have stayed in some great places on St John, and we actually paided more for our rental on Elbow. I really did enjoy Hopetown and I actually liked the places to eat. I guess I need to design my own island !!!
Nancy
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Jan&MikeVa
- Posts: 1084
- Joined: Mon Aug 07, 2006 5:32 pm
- Location: The Chesapeake Bay
pmlykens - We LOVE Man of War!! The "commuter parking lot" with golf carts is TOO funny.
We spent a week sailing with friends between Abaco, Elbow, etc. and really enjoyed being on the water. I couldn't possibly compare that trip to STJ, it was totally different. I did not have the warm, fuzzy feeling in the Bahamas that we always have on STJ. Hopetown was very pretty and quaint, but I LOVE Cruz Bay.
In the future we'd like to spend a month on Man of War, as long as we had a small boat!
Jan (akaCharlie)
We spent a week sailing with friends between Abaco, Elbow, etc. and really enjoyed being on the water. I couldn't possibly compare that trip to STJ, it was totally different. I did not have the warm, fuzzy feeling in the Bahamas that we always have on STJ. Hopetown was very pretty and quaint, but I LOVE Cruz Bay.
In the future we'd like to spend a month on Man of War, as long as we had a small boat!
Jan (akaCharlie)
As already mentioned, it would be a mistake to visit the Abacos expecting St. John, just as it would be to visit St. John and expect the Abacos.
If one wants to totally unplug from the world then Abaco is more suited for that type of trip. Abaco also lends itself to more of a "do it yourself" boating vacation than St. John. Almost all the villas in the Abacos come with a private dock, or are in close proximity to a public dock. There, it is more common to rent a boat for an entire stay whereas in St. John you rent boats by the day.
In terms of personal safety, one is always advised to exercise the same caution you would at home when visiting St. John to avoid becoming the victim of a crime. In the Abacos, you can pretty much throw caution to the wind as the only crime you *might* encounter would be at the hands of other tourists. For instance, the Abaco Inn doesn't even issue keys to their rooms because there's no need to lock your doors. You can leave your luggage at the ferry dock all day, and when you return your luggage will still be there - untouched (this is extremely convenient on your last day when your flight is much later in the day than the checkout time at your villa or hotel).
The views and scenery from this hills in St. John are unmatched. The Abacos are flat so your views are limited to what you see horizontally on land and from your boat.
One can spend their entire trip on St. John and occupy their time by visiting different beaches and restaurants. In the Abacos, you'll need to rent a boat to really enjoy everything that is available to do. Whereas different flavors of the island exist in two distinct spots on St. John (Cruz Bay and Coral Bay), each of the different cays - along with Great Abaco - offer vastly different experiences of island life. In the Abacos, assuming you rent a boat, it is extremely easy to find an uninhabited and unspoiled spot to spend time. Whereas in St. John, you are always likely to run into other people no matter how remote the spot.
IMHO, the snorkeling is FAR BETTER in the Abacos, but ONLY if you rent a boat. No one cay in the Abacos offers the equavalent snorkeling that can be found just by driving to different spots on St. John. Collectively though, Abacos wins hands down for the variety of sea life that you will encounter - including pods of dolphins.
If different cuisines and EXCELLENT food are your thing, St. John wins by a landslide. The Abacos are a bit limited both in variety and in the number of restaurants.
In any event, I'm greatly looking forward to my next trip to the Abacos in the coming weeks just as I am to my upcoming trip to St. John during New Years - just for entirely different reasons.
Richard N. Kurpiers
If one wants to totally unplug from the world then Abaco is more suited for that type of trip. Abaco also lends itself to more of a "do it yourself" boating vacation than St. John. Almost all the villas in the Abacos come with a private dock, or are in close proximity to a public dock. There, it is more common to rent a boat for an entire stay whereas in St. John you rent boats by the day.
In terms of personal safety, one is always advised to exercise the same caution you would at home when visiting St. John to avoid becoming the victim of a crime. In the Abacos, you can pretty much throw caution to the wind as the only crime you *might* encounter would be at the hands of other tourists. For instance, the Abaco Inn doesn't even issue keys to their rooms because there's no need to lock your doors. You can leave your luggage at the ferry dock all day, and when you return your luggage will still be there - untouched (this is extremely convenient on your last day when your flight is much later in the day than the checkout time at your villa or hotel).
The views and scenery from this hills in St. John are unmatched. The Abacos are flat so your views are limited to what you see horizontally on land and from your boat.
One can spend their entire trip on St. John and occupy their time by visiting different beaches and restaurants. In the Abacos, you'll need to rent a boat to really enjoy everything that is available to do. Whereas different flavors of the island exist in two distinct spots on St. John (Cruz Bay and Coral Bay), each of the different cays - along with Great Abaco - offer vastly different experiences of island life. In the Abacos, assuming you rent a boat, it is extremely easy to find an uninhabited and unspoiled spot to spend time. Whereas in St. John, you are always likely to run into other people no matter how remote the spot.
IMHO, the snorkeling is FAR BETTER in the Abacos, but ONLY if you rent a boat. No one cay in the Abacos offers the equavalent snorkeling that can be found just by driving to different spots on St. John. Collectively though, Abacos wins hands down for the variety of sea life that you will encounter - including pods of dolphins.
If different cuisines and EXCELLENT food are your thing, St. John wins by a landslide. The Abacos are a bit limited both in variety and in the number of restaurants.
In any event, I'm greatly looking forward to my next trip to the Abacos in the coming weeks just as I am to my upcoming trip to St. John during New Years - just for entirely different reasons.
Richard N. Kurpiers