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Condé Nast Traveler picks
 Best of the Bahamas
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Top Caribbean BeachesTop Caribbean spas Best of Jamaica Best of Puerto Rico 
There's more to this 100,000-square-mile archipelago nation than sun, slots, and conch shells. Away from the crowded drags of Nassau and Grand Bahama lie miles of empty beach, world-class bonefishing, and secluded inns. On the sparsely inhabited Out Islands, snorkeling and social sensory deprivation are favorite pastimes. No matter what your kicks, there's a Bahamian island where you're sure to get them. Remote British-influenced islands are generally not known for their food, but you can expect perfectly serviceable meals—a lot of Andros lobster and cracked conch—and occasional memorable ones.
The Abacos The Abacos—the islands of Great Abaco and Little Abaco, together with a sprinkling of cays—are the northernmost and most accessible of the Bahamian Out Islands. There are direct flights into Marsh Harbour International Airport from Florida. Attractions & Activities On Grand Abaco, Abaco National Park, created to protect the endangered Bahamian parrot known locally as Rainbows in the Sky, is a showcase for the islands's natural life, as is the 2,100-acre Pelican Cays Land and Sea Park, which is best toured with goggles and flippers. Lodging If you're in search of doting bellmen and marble baths, search elsewhere. But if you're after the rarer luxury of conversation, inspiration, and a quiet day of bonefishing, call Nettie Symonette, of Nettie's Different of Abaco, a ramshackle, handwrought eco-reserve. Andros The largest island of the archipelago and situated midway down it, Andros is known as the "Big Back Yard" of the Bahamas. The island's thick pine forests, muddy tidal creeks, and mangrove swamps make it largely impenetrable. Its attractions mostly lie close to shore, above the Androsian barrier reef, the third-longest in the world. Attractions & Activities The bonefish off Andros are said to be the world's largest. A boat, tackle, and a guide can easily be arranged through your hotel or the Andros Island Bonefish Club. The outer wall of the barrier reef, which plunges hundreds of feet straight down to the bottom of the Tongue of the Ocean, affords spectacular diving (242-368-5167; day-trip, $450). Lodging Just off the eastern coast of Andros, the small private island of Kamalame Cay can be rented whole, but even a few nights in one of the four tiny studios deep in the coconut palms deliver satisfying—although not cheap—isolation. There's great food, friendly staff, and tennis courts. Conservation-minded types who like to alternate hammock time with a little activity check in to Tiamo Resorts. In the beachside thickets of remote South Andros, it offers great snorkeling and hiking. Cat Island Not only are the beaches empty but the few signs of civilization that exist on this 50-mile-long needle of land are in the process of being swallowed by creeping vines and scrubby greenery. This is a place for people whose idea of a good time involves a beautiful setting, rocky hikes, and doing nothing. Lodging Fifteen quiet villas, houses, and cottages look out onto Exuma Sound at Fernandez Bay Village, which has an honor bar and an honor boutique. Exuma Follow the private jets to the Exumas—a barely developed archipelago known mostly to sailors and divers and as a location for multiple James Bond movies. Attractions & Activities The Exuma Land and Sea Park encompasses 184,000 acres of cays, reefs, and sandbars. Among the outfitters running guided sea kayak tours, which range from a leisurely day-trip with a picnic lunch to a rigorous 15-day expedition, are: Starfish, The Exuma Adventure Center (242-336-3033; kayakbahamas.com; day-trip, $100), North Carolina Outward Bound (828-299-3366; ncobs.org; seven-day trip, $1,895), and Ecosummer Expeditions (250-674-0102; ecosummer.com; eight-day trip, $1,795). Lodging As unwieldy as its name, the Four Seasons Resort Great Exuma at Emerald Bay is an awkward presence on the dainty island, but the accommodations and service are first-rate. Nearly all of the 183 sizable terraced rooms and suites face the white sand and the water. The place often feels like a hermetically sealed city unto itself—but that's okay. Entire days can be happily spent alternating between the spa, the poolside grill, the beach, and two free-form pools. On Stocking Island, across Elizabeth Harbour from Exuma, is the intimate Hotel Higgins Landing, five cottages run by a couple who know how to spoil you silly and when to leave you alone. Grand Bahama Although Freeport/Lucaya is a tacky Atlantic City to Nassau's Las Vegas, you can still escape on Grand Bahama's unspoiled beaches and nature trails or while snorkeling its coral reefs. Attractions & Activities On the grounds of the Xanadu Beach Resort and Marina in Freeport, Xanadu Undersea Adventures takes small groups of qualified divers thrillingly close to reef sharks dives, from $40). UNEXSO, a pioneer in scuba technology, organizes swims with trained dolphins—a popular if artificial activity (dolphin encounters, from $75). Lodging Old Bahama Bay, a 40-minute drive from Grand Bahama International Airport, is a refined, remote, and welcome retreat with airy plantation-style suites on the beach at the very western end of the island. About 12 miles from Freeport on the Queens Highway, Paradise Cove is a comfortable guesthouse with its own coral reef and cheap, '70s-style rooms that open onto the beach. Closed to overnight guests due to hurricane damage until late 2006, it is open for daytime snorkeling and diving during the renovations. Harbour Island With its pretty pastel houses, this three-mile-long island feels like nowhere else in the Bahamas. Attractions & Activities Harbour Island's waters seem to have been created for anglers and scuba divers. According to locals who've been fishing here for many years, Bonefish Joe Cleare is the island's best guide/fishing companion (242-333-2663; $300 a day). For diving, call Jeff Fox, at the Harbour Island Club & Marina (242-333-2323; dives, from $90). If you begin to tire of yet another day on the perfect shell pink beach, go to the dock and look for a boat to Spanish Wells. About 15 miles northwest of Harbour Island, it was settled by white colonists in the seventeenth century. Their descendants have intermarried over the generations and largely excluded outsiders. The men are famous locally for their fishing skills and supply the catch of the day for many of the hotels on Harbour Island, and the women produce beautiful traditional patchwork quilts (round-trip, $80–$100). Lodging In a charming eighteenth-century house with wide verandas that overlooks the harbor and is only a few steps from the passenger dock, The Landing has good food and the best wine list on the island. Since it's co-owned by India Hicks, the granddaughter of Lord Mountbatten, it rates high on the international hip scale. The Rock House is the newest, flashiest place in town. Its bar and outside grill are a magnet for even those not fortunate enough to be staying in one of the nine rooms built around the pool and thatched cabanas. On the ocean side, the pioneering Pink Sands resort still draws a faithful crowd despite the new competition and its steep prices, which include breakfast and dinner. Its 25 cottages are carefully distributed around the beautiful grounds, but beach is what this place is all about. It runs the entire length of the eastern shore of Harbour Island—about three miles all in all, and the sand truly is pink. The Dunmore Beach Club's 16 cottages are scattered gracefully in a beachside garden. While the staid floral decor might be a bit dull, the rooms are spacious and the staff unerringly cheerful. Dining There are no great restaurants outside the hotels, but you won't be disappointed if you go to the Rock House (Bay and Hill Sts.; 242-333-2053; entrées, $35–$55), The Landing (Bay St., Dunmore Town; 242-333-2707; entrées, $37–$44), or the Pink Sands (Chapel St.; 242-333-2030; prix fixe, $70). They all have well-trained kitchen staffs and solid wine lists, and their chefs transform the catch of the day—always a better bet than meat—into a delicious meal. Sip Sip is a popular lunch place overlooking the water, with good conch chili and carrot cake (Court St.; 242-333-3316; entrées, $15–$26). If you crave a bit of action Friday and Saturday nights, head for Sea Grapes Nightclub. It's painted purple, so you can't possibly miss it, and the live music will keep you up way past your usual bedtime (Colebrook and Gibson Sts.). Nassau/Paradise Island All that is wondrous, glitzy, compelling, and sometimes overwhelming about the new Bahamas can be found along the glorious sweep of ocean beach on tiny Paradise Island (formerly Hog Island), which is linked to Nassau by a bridge that soars over the harbor. Sol Kerzner's fantasy kingdom, which is in the process of completely overwhelming the island, has something for anyone with money or kids or both, but not much Bahamian remains. For a sense of history, you must go into Nassau, which, beneath the bustle of cruise ship tourism, has a glorious heritage of Georgian colonial architecture and interesting museums. Attractions & Activities Tom Weiskopf's Ocean Club Golf Course at the One & Only Ocean Club, which, like Atlantis, abounds in tennis courts and spa offerings. For the culturally inclined, horse-drawn carriage rides provide a good tour of Nassau, or you can simply find the sights on foot with the help of a guidebook. You can watch cricket in Nassau at the Haynes Oval in Clifford Park on Saturdays and Sundays beginning at 11 A.M. (242-326-4720). Lodging Gaudy, excessive Atlantis has waterslides, sharks, and cardsharps. The more subdued and classy One & Only Ocean Club has been tastefully restored and manicured, with rooms serviced by butlers and gardens with Italianate terraced plantings. At the other end of Nassau from Atlantis, and on the opposite end of the dazzle spectrum, is the estimable Graycliff, a remnant of a quieter, more elegant era. Although close to busy Bay Street, it has a hidden garden and a formal restaurant that lend it the feeling of an oasis. Compass Point's 18 brightly colored guest huts surround a pool at the tip of Gambier Village, five minutes from the airport. Dining With its serious dining room, 180,000-bottle wine cellar, and a cigar roller on hand, Graycliff is the classic choice for food lovers (8-12 W. Hill St.; 242-302-9150; entrées, $38–$46). Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Dune would be at home in Manhattan, were it not overlooking the ocean and serving island-inflected food at fairly outrageous prices (Ocean Club Dr.; 242-363-2501; entrées, $25–$75). In the Sandyport development of Nassau, lively Provence has a crowded bar and good, if overly complicated, French food (Olde Town; 242-327-0985; entrées, $28–$44). Truth in Travel is the guiding principle for all content published in Condé Nast Traveler. Other travel publications often accept free travel and accommodations. Condé Nast Traveler does not. It is independent of the travel industry. The magazine always pays its way, and, as far as possible, its correspondents travel anonymously. By doing so, they experience the world—both the good and the bad—as other travelers do, and their reports and recommendations are fair, impartial, and authoritative.
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