With over 700 islands of varying sizes of soft golden-white sands and clear blue-green waters, the Bahamas offers a range of luxury holiday possibilities from quite commercial resorts of large purpose-built hotels to quainter, more characterful and secluded places on outstanding beaches. Scrub and wispy casuarina pines are the natural vegetation on the low-lying coral limestone islands of the Bahamas where the highest point is rarely 50ft above sea level. The gulf stream washes the shores and all islands are known for their clear waters and soft banks of sand. New Providence with its capital Nassau has the obvious links with Britain with Government House and the regular changing of the guard. New Providence also has superb beaches and is more commercial than the Out Islands. Eleuthera, one of the Out Islands, has a much slower pace of life. Water sports including diving, boating and fishing are to be had on all the islands of the Bahamas and there are good golf courses.
Facts
Capital
Nassau on New Providence
Airport
Nassau International
Size
New Providence is 21 miles by 7, Eleuthera is 100 miles long and 2 miles wide.
Currency
Bahamian dollar with the same exchange rate as the US dollar
Population
About 255,000
Temperature
High 20 degrees Centigrade in summer, mid 20s in winter
Local highlights
Nassau with its pink neo-classical buildings including Government House, the Straw Market in Nassau, Versailles gardens Pink Beach with its miles of delicately shaded pink sand on the Harbour island, Eleuthera. Pineapple festival in Gregory Town, Eleuthera, Conch fritters, salad and chowder, local pineapple, rum cocktails called Yellow Bird and Goombay Smash, Junkanoo festival on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, Goombay festival starting in June, scuba diving to see flower corals and carpet anemone, swimming with dolphins. The underwater ‘Grand Canyon’ on Andros Island which is home to pilot whales and whale sharks.
Getting out and about
Car hire is available on most of the islands as are motor scooters and bicycles. You can take the Bahamasair flights to many of the main islands. New Providence with the capital Nassau is quite commercialised but the Out Islands have a much slower pace of life. Well worth combining a stay in Nassau or New Providence with some time on Eleuthera (Harbour Island) as well to get a feel for the Bahamian way of life.
Travel arrangements
Flying time London to Nassau is about 9 hours. British Airways has direct flights from London Heathrow to Nassau. For Eleuthera you connect by Bahamasair or private charter. For Andros fly to Miami with British Airways or Virgin daily and then connect with American Airlines.