Location: Caribbean > Islands of the Bahamas
Islands of the Bahamas
With 700 or so islands to choose from, it’s not hard to find the exact tropical getaway you’re looking for in the Bahamas.
Posh hotels? Endless shopping? A spin at the roulette wheel? Then place your bets on the Freeport/Lucaya resorts on Grand Bahama Island, or the water-themed mega-resort of Paradise Island, where saltwater pools, waterfalls (and slot machines) are just a short stroll away from the cosmopolitan capital of Nassau Both mirror a new Bahamian tourism renaissance
Nassau, the cultural hub of New Providence Island, has retained much of its British character, a fact appreciated by a rising tide of cruise ship passengers each yearAnd beyond the resorts, both New Providence and Grand Bahama have fine white-sand beaches – but even those sumptuous strands pale by comparison with some of the deserted beaches of the Out Islands, as some 700 outlying islands are traditionally known.
In the Abacos, the northern links in the chain, New England-like villages settled by British loyalists after the American Revolution set the stage for the low-key, laid-back life-style of these smaller isles (and, for good measure, another 2,000 or so coral cays). The nearby Gulf Stream put Bimini near the top of the world-class fishing charts, and the tradewinds have made the Bahamas a favorite sailing destination since the days of square-riggers. And the clincher? The nearest Bahamian shores are only about 50 miles off the Florida coast.
 Sailing Capital of The Bahamas The Exumas were settled in 1783 by American Loyalists who wanted to remain true to the British king after the United States won the American Revolutionary War. They reassembled their former way of life in these islands, complete with cotton plantations and African slaves. Remnants of these plantations still remain. Lord John Rolle was a major landowner and one of the most powerful Loyalists. When he freed his slaves in 1835, he bequeathed his land to them for life. In gratitude, several towns are named after him and many of the people in The Exumas wear the name of "Rolle" with pride.
They...
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 Freedom Island Three hundred years ago a small band of English pilgrims, seeking religious freedom, landed on this island and gave it the ethereal name, Eleuthera, which means "Freedom" in Greek. The name seems to be as apt today as it was then. Eleuthera, delivers on its initial promise by bestowing its gifts upon the lucky who've stumbled upon it, or the smart who know to go there. Miles of glistening pink and white sand beaches, serene colonial villages, and the rolling acres of pineapple plantations make Eleuthera an island of the most casual sophistication. The cool laziness of Eleutherean life and...
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 Islands of the Bahamas Acklins and Crooked Island are two of the four islands forming an atoll which hugs the beautiful shallow waters of the Bight of Acklins. Bordered by the nearly uninhabited Castle Island and Long Cay, they are as natural as they were when The Bahamas was first "discovered." Columbus reputedly sailed down the leeward side of the islands through the narrow Crooked Island Passage, which has ever since served as an important route for steam ships travelling from Europe to Central and South America. This seaway, referred to locally as 'the going through,' also earned these islands the notorious...
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 The "High Land" of The Bahamas Cat Island may have derived its name from Arthur Catt, the famous British sea captain or notorious pirate (depending on whose side you were on). A competing source for the name are the hordes of wild cats that the English encountered here on arrival in the 1600s. The cats were said to be descendants of their tamer cousins orphaned by the early Spanish colonists in their rush to find the gold of South America.
This boot-shaped, untamed island is one of the most beautiful and fertile of The Bahamas. A lush sanctuary, it provides tranquillity for those seeking an escape from the pressures of...
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 Islands of the Bahamas What we think of as Bimini is actually two separate islands, North and South Bimini, separated by a shallow, narrow channel. North Bimini, the focus of the population and activities, consists of a strip of land 7 miles long and no wider than 700 yards. South Bimini, has a small airstrip and two hotels. As a result, it's silent and rustic, while still offering easy access via water to the North Bimini happenings.
Despite the fact that Bimini is the Bahamian island closest to the United States, sitting only 48 miles east of Miami, its easy way of life is reminiscent of the past. The island...
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 Islands of the Bahamas Long Island is not only long (60 miles), it is also narrow--no more than 4 miles at its widest point. It is indeed a land of eloquent contrasts in geography, architecture and enterprise.
One of the most scenic hideaways in The Bahamas, it is divided by the Tropic of Cancer and bordered by two very different coasts, one with soft-white, broad beaches and the other rocky headlands that descend suddenly into the roiling sea. The terrain varies from sloping hills in the northeast to low hillsides in the south fading into stark white flatlands where salt is produced; from swampland to beautiful...
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 Islands of the Bahamas Largest of the many Islands of The Bahamas (104 x 40 miles), mysterious, mangrove-choked Andros is also the least explored, which means that you'll be sharing space with more terns and whistling tree ducks than humans--and maybe even a chickcharnie or two, those mischievous mythical inhabitants that are exclusive to this island. Reputed to be elfin creatures with three fingers, three toes, and red eyes, chickcharnies bring lifelong good luck to anyone lucky enough to see one. Andros even has its own "Loch Ness Monster," a dragon-like sea monster called the Lusca. No wonder the island was called...
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 Islands of the Bahamas Look around at the elegant resort hotels, golf courses, casino, marinas, and shopping malls of Freeport/Lucaya – and you may find it hard to believe that none of this existed when JFK was president. Faster-paced than Nassau, this cosmopolitan "second city" of the Bahamas is really only four decades old, a monument to modern tourism. But what makes Grand Bahama special is the fact that while you can play, shop, gamble, and boogie the night away to your heart's content in American-style comfort, much of the island remains as it was before the resort revolution.
That includes miles of uncrowded,...
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 Nassau/Paradise Island is the home of the Bahamian national capital. Welcome to Nassau, bustling hub of The Bahamas since the shipwrecking days of the legendary pirate Blackbeard. Prized for its sheltered harbour, the city made history and preserved it beautifully in Victorian mansions, cathedrals, 18th-century fortresses and a Queen's Staircase whose 66 steps lead to a view not to be missed. Nassau is home to weatherbeaten, ancient forts; elegant, noble architecture; and fine local and international crafts and goods, from handmade lengths of batik to Rolex watches.
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 For sailors, there is no sight to match a blue sea raked by a steady breeze but sheltered by a long barrier reef, with a string of islands on the horizon. Which is why the Abaco Islands, stretching for more than 130 miles through the northernmost Bahamas, have long been recognized as one of the world’s favorite winter cruising grounds.
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