The Bahamas


In the Bahamas I visited Eleuthera Island, one of the country's outer islands that's blissfully free of mass tourism and was one of the most relaxing and beautiful trips of my life. The island is long and thin - 180km in length and in places a little more than 1-2 km wide; population is about 11,500 and the people are some of the friendliest I've ever seen. To the right there's the Atlantic Ocean with the strong waves and dark-blue waters, while to the left you have the lighter blue Caribbean Sea with waters as still as a swimming pool. Eleuthera's name comes from the greek eleutheria (freedom), given to the island by the first European settlers in 1648.

There's lots of lush vegetation and the beaches on either side are nothing short of spectacular. Eleuthera is home to exquisite pink sand beaches that have to be seen to be believed. French Leave Beach is an excellent choice. Some beaches, such as James Cistern Beach, are full of cool seashells.

Food exceeded all expectations with seafood and fish highly recommended (don't forget to try the locally-produced hot sauces which were a blast). We stayed at the Rainbow Inn which was delightful and had some of the best food on the island.

Island life is relaxing and unpretentious. Eleuthera is a delight to explore - rent a car and drive from north to south on Queen's highway. Stop in any of the small settlements and grab a bite, relax at a cafe or get a hand-crafted souvenir.

One of the islands's most impressive features is its narrowest point, the Glass Window Bridge, where the Atlantic Ocean connects with the Caribbean Sea. Ocean Hole and Preacher's Cave are other recommended attractions.
In the Northern part of the island you can get a water taxi to Harbour Island, much smaller but full of colorful houses, cafes and restaurants, that can be explored on foot; Harbour Island also boasts impressive pink sand beaches just like Eleuthera.

Additional info:
- country entry on Wikipedia
- country profile on Wikivoyage
- Eleuthera profile on Wikivoyage
- Harbour Island profile on Wikivoyage

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Bahamas

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