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Beach experts : St John verses Eleuthera
Beach experts : St John verses Eleuthera
Hi everyone,
We happily have our flight and Villa booked for next May to St John and Virgin Gorda. We are staying at Orchid Knoll a Villa I have looked at before but never booked. We are now seasoned enough St John travelers to stay on top of that Mountain !!!
My question I love to try new places also and was looking at Eleuthera in the Bahamas. We tried the Abacos last year and my Hubbie loved it. I was disappointed in the shore snorkeling, really none to speak of. , but it was really a wonderful place and I have no regrets going there. How is the snorkeling on Eleuthera I got a travel guide but its not really giving me a good idea of what to expect. I thought I know where to find out my forum buddies will know!!!
Nancy T
We happily have our flight and Villa booked for next May to St John and Virgin Gorda. We are staying at Orchid Knoll a Villa I have looked at before but never booked. We are now seasoned enough St John travelers to stay on top of that Mountain !!!
My question I love to try new places also and was looking at Eleuthera in the Bahamas. We tried the Abacos last year and my Hubbie loved it. I was disappointed in the shore snorkeling, really none to speak of. , but it was really a wonderful place and I have no regrets going there. How is the snorkeling on Eleuthera I got a travel guide but its not really giving me a good idea of what to expect. I thought I know where to find out my forum buddies will know!!!
Nancy T
Eleuthera is a wonderful island. There are some lovely beaches and Harbor Island, in particular, is a wonderful spot. Having been to both Eleuthera and Abaco, I personally enjoyed Abaco much more. Unless you stay on Harbor Island, Eleuthera is a little tricky. The beaches aren't marked and are hard to find and there is less snorkeling there than in Abaco. At least I wasn't able to find it!! If you are looking for a different experience with some lovely calm beaches and unique old-style Bahamian towns, Eleuthera is a great choice. For snorkeling, it might not be the best choice.
Diana---I have been to both Eleuthera, and to Harbour Island (off the coast of north Eleuthera), although its been awhile. Harbour Island is an absolutely charming place and I'd like to get back sometime. Nice historic town on the water, pristine pink sand beach, 5 or 6 interesting small inns or hotels, good restaurants. I wasn't interested in snorkeling at the time so I can't comment on that.
Eleuthera itself is somewhat more isolated----we rented a beach house near Governor's Harbour, and it was directly on a gorgeous pink sand beach that we had all to ourselves. I see the ability to rent houses directly on the beach as a significant plus of the Bahamas out islands. Eleuthera was very limited, however, in terms of restaurants---we ended up eating at home most meals. But the island was SO friendly. At the time we rented the house, my sister had just recently had a baby. We woke up at our house one morning to find a baby stroller at the door of our house. We didn't know where it had come from---we later asked the maid at our house about the stroller. She explained that someone in the town of Governor's Harbour had seen my sister carrying the baby around town and thought she could use a stroller, so she dropped one off for us. Places like this do still exist.
We might go back, but we like to escape the frigid Iowa winter and the Bahamas weather is a little risky in February.
Eleuthera itself is somewhat more isolated----we rented a beach house near Governor's Harbour, and it was directly on a gorgeous pink sand beach that we had all to ourselves. I see the ability to rent houses directly on the beach as a significant plus of the Bahamas out islands. Eleuthera was very limited, however, in terms of restaurants---we ended up eating at home most meals. But the island was SO friendly. At the time we rented the house, my sister had just recently had a baby. We woke up at our house one morning to find a baby stroller at the door of our house. We didn't know where it had come from---we later asked the maid at our house about the stroller. She explained that someone in the town of Governor's Harbour had seen my sister carrying the baby around town and thought she could use a stroller, so she dropped one off for us. Places like this do still exist.
We might go back, but we like to escape the frigid Iowa winter and the Bahamas weather is a little risky in February.
---Jim
Eleuthera is lovely, and many of the stunning hidden beaches we found were completely deserted (we used the book 'Elusive Beaches of Eleuthera' to find them.
Here's an Eleuthera beach story: One cloudy day, we went for a walk on one of our favorite beaches, and we could see two people waaaay in the distance walking toward us. As we passed them, we saw that it was LENNY KRAVITZ and a friend...evidently, Lenny owns a place on the island and vacations there from time to time. My husband asked him some silly question while I smiled and tried not to stare....!
Anyway, back to business: the snorkeling seemed to be pretty disappointing, but we were there in March, so maybe it's better in warmer months?
Here are some Eleuthera shots:
road to the "elusive" beach above:
Here's an Eleuthera beach story: One cloudy day, we went for a walk on one of our favorite beaches, and we could see two people waaaay in the distance walking toward us. As we passed them, we saw that it was LENNY KRAVITZ and a friend...evidently, Lenny owns a place on the island and vacations there from time to time. My husband asked him some silly question while I smiled and tried not to stare....!
Anyway, back to business: the snorkeling seemed to be pretty disappointing, but we were there in March, so maybe it's better in warmer months?
Here are some Eleuthera shots:
road to the "elusive" beach above:
