USVI-On-Line

The beaches on St John are the best no doubt. Has anyone been to Eleuthera how do they compare, water clarity, snorkeling.
Nancy

Hi Nancy! Hopefully someone that knows more about Eleuthera than me will respond, but I'll pitch in if I can help. I have only been once and it was years ago....

The island of Eleuthera is not as beautiful, in that it's pretty flat and scrubby, however you'll find that the beaches in the Bahamian out islands are quite beautiful. In my opinion, the beaches do rival the St. John beaches. Very white sand, very shallow clear water and more shades of blue than you can imagine. Eleuthera also has some incredibly beautiful pink sand beaches. Gorgeous. Snorkeling is good from some beaches, although I don't think it quite compares to STJ.

When I was planning my trip, I found this beach listing to be very useful. The beaches are well off the main road on Eleuthera and the signage wasn't very good when I went. This was helpful in getting good descriptions, photos, best for snorkeling, and most importantly: directions!

http://www.discover-eleuthera-bahamas.c ... aches.html

To date, Ten Bay Beach and Pink Sands Beach of Eleuthera are near the top of my "most beautiful" beaches list.

Good luck!

Not going to be able to travel to St. John in 2009, d/t husband's plant closing. Thinking about traveling to Bahamas. Which island would be the best to stay on? Thanks

plynn wrote:Not going to be able to travel to St. John in 2009, d/t husband's plant closing. Thinking about traveling to Bahamas. Which island would be the best to stay on? Thanks

If you are looking for cheap airfare and a resort atmosphere, look at Grand Bahama and Nassau/Paradise Island. However, if you are a STJ fan, you aren't likely the type of person that will enjoy the atmosphere those islands offer. In that case, I would recommend checking out the Abaco cays, Eleuthera/Harbor Island, or Cat Island. A little pricier on the airfare, but the out islands are a wonderful experience when you can't quite get to STJ.

I've been to Eleuthera, although its been quite a few years. The beaches are beautiful---fine pink sand in many locations and the water is clear---comparable to St. John. The beaches are much more deserted than St. John, except maybe on Harbour Island. I don't think the snorkeling will compare, but I was less interested in snorkeling when I visited Eleuthera. The Atlantic side beaches have biger surf than in St. John. For me, there wasn't enough going on in Eleuthera---not much of anywhere to eat at night---we ate almost every meal at home. But maybe that will appeal to you---the nice thing is you can get a house right on the beach. Harbour Island (off notheast coast of Eleuthera) is more populated and offers a nice mix of one long fantastic pink beach and charming inns and restaurants.