Best Bahamas Islands For Every Kind of Traveler

Key Takeaways

• The Bahamas offers distinct island experiences, from family attractions on Grand Bahama Island and ecotourism on Andros to surfing on Eleuthera.
• Travelers can choose an island based on their favorite activities, whether that means beaches, local food, wildlife encounters or outdoor adventure.
• Travel protection is designed to help with certain covered disruptions, including trip cancellations, medical and dental, travel delays and delayed and lost and stolen baggage problems.

Because the Bahamas are a wide-ranging archipelago– 700 islands and 2,400 cays (mini-islands), with around 30 inhabited year-round by residents and overnight visitors. Each island has the opportunity to develop a personality that appeals to a certain type of traveler.

While we’re not going to claim to be experts on each of these islands there’s an island for everyone, and by extentension, there is an island match for most types of travelers.

Here are those types and those islands.

Family Travelers

The pick: Grand Bahama Island

Why: You get to play with dolphins at UNEXSO; you can visit Lucayan National Park, where scenes from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies were filmed; you can explore waterfalls, enjoy a petting zoo and do gentle hikes at Garden of the Groves; and you can cap off your day with a Smith’s Point fish fry.

Where to stay: Grand Bahama has multiple family-friendly resorts like Pelican Bay and Lighthouse Point at Grand Lucayan, which has a treehouse-style kids’ club.

Also Read: The 6 Best Caribbean Islands for Families and Kids

Eco-Tourists

The pick: Andros. First runner-up: Great Inagua, for birders.

Why: Andros is the Bahamas’ “Big Island,” though it’s actually three small islands connected by mangrove swamps and estuaries perfect for exploring by sea kayak and other low-impact means. It sits on the edge of the Andros Barrier Reef, the world’s third-largest barrier reef; resorts on the island offer guests reef-restoration opportunities where they can dive and plant coral. Meanwhile, Great Inagua has Inagua National Park, home to about 60,000 West Indian flamingos.

Where to stay: Small Hope Bay Lodge is small, family-run, eco-friendly, less opulent than many lodgings on the islands, and 100% Bahamian. It’s also family-friendly and all-inclusive, so you can focus entirely on your surroundings.

Also Read: The Best Countries to Visit for Breathtaking Ecotourism

Adventurers

The pick: The Exumas.

Why: Swimming with wild pigs may seem like an odd choice but in the Exumas it’s possible! Beyond aquatic porkers the Exumas offer iguanas, nurse sharks, and an opportunity to explore Thunderball Grotto, where the James Bond film of the same name was shot. Lots of tour operators offer Exuma adventures, so you never feel like you’re too far removed from civilization.

Where to stay: Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Very authentic and welcoming, the club has 14 multistory cottages painted in typically Bahamian shades of coral, green and blue.

Also Read: Travel Protection for Adventure Trips

Beach Lovers

The pick: Harbour Island and Eleuthera.

Why: The three-mile Pink Sands Beach on Harbour Island’s Atlantic side is a major draw. Also French Leave Beach and Lighthouse Beach on Eleuthera. In all these two islands and nearby cays boast more than 100 beaches.

Where to stay: Coral Sands or Pink Sands Resort. Both are right on the beach(es) and allow for as much sand time as you can stand.

Also Read: Save Big with an Off-Season Beach Week

Foodies

The pick: Nassau.

Why: Walking tours that get you up close and personal with conch fritters, conch salad, rum cake, fish fries, rum distilleries, and more. The Arawak Cay Fish Fry has more than 30 vendors offering up a plethora of seafood, while the Potter’s Cay dock is renowned for its conch salad.

Where to stay: Graycliff Hotel, a restored 1740 mansion with a massive wine cellar, a cigar company, a culinary academy, a chocolatier, and free beach access.

Also Read: The World’s Most Iconic Dishes and the Destinations They Call Home

Active Travelers

The pick: Eleuthera

Why: Surfer’s Beach, near Gregory Town, is one of the best-known places to surf in the Bahamas. Atlantic swells bring some of the strongest waves from October through April, with reef breaks that appeal to experienced surfers. The setting also has a more off-the-beaten-path feel than the Bahamas’ busier resort areas, making Eleuthera a worthy choice for a surf-focused getaway.

Where to stay: Look for accommodations around Gregory Town or nearby communities for convenient access to Surfer’s Beach and Eleuthera’s Atlantic coast.

Also Read: Traveling to Learn a New Skill

Travel Protection for a Bahamas Vacation

Even a well-planned Bahamas vacation may face unexpected disruptions. Depending on the plan and covered reason, Trip Cancellation is designed to help provide reimbursement for prepaid, non-refundable trip expenses when illness, injury, severe weather or another covered event forces a traveler to cancel before departure. Trip Interruption coverage may also help with unused trip costs and additional transportation expenses when a covered event cuts a vacation short.

Learn more about Trip Cancellation and Trip Interruption coverage.

After choosing the right island, consider helping protect the investment made in flights, accommodations, tours and other prepaid arrangements. Review benefit limits, covered reasons, exclusions and state-specific Plan Documents to understand how a plan applies to the trip. When it is time to start planning, get a fast and free travel protection quote.

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