out islands, The Bahamas

The Bahamas are a much larger island chain than most people realize; 700 hundred islands and a couple thousand cays (small islands; pronounced "key") make up the country. The geography may be sailor's dream, but for vacationers trying to plan a satisfactory trip, it can be a bit of a nightmare. Questions like "Which island should I stay on?" and "How will I get there?" can become quite daunting. Not to worry, though; most of the hotels are concentrated in a few areas. The remaining ones cater to adventurers, sport fishermen, yacht owners and other people who specifically seek out undeveloped areas.

Anyone looking for a busy nightlife scene or a sophisticated cultural center will want to stay in the capital city of Nassau. The Out Islands are known for their natural beauty, marine life and authentic island charm, not for their entertainment or shopping. People visit these islands to relax on pink sand beaches, to snorkel in underwater caves, to fish for giants of the sea and to enjoy the pristine ecosystems.

Hotels and guesthouses do their utmost to facilitate such activities. They also try to provide something in the way of dining and entertainment, especially on smaller or less inhabited islands, where there may be nothing outside of the hotel grounds. Whether you're looking for five-star luxury or a bare-bones retreat, there's a place on at least one of the 700 islands that will suit.

The Abacos

Comprised of Great Abaco, Little Abaco and a few inhabited cays, the Abacos are one of the more popular vacation destinations in the Bahamas, with several hotel choices and a number of guesthouses. Among the more expensive options are the Abaco Beach Resort & Boat Harbor, located in Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco, the lovely Green Turtle Club & Marina, located (no surprise here) on Green Turtle Cay, and the Banyan Beach Club, proudly located on what is arguably one of the world's top ten beaches. For something a little out of the ordinary, stay at Nettie's Different of Abaco, a New Age retreat, or Walker's Cay Hotel & Marina, a popular spot for world class sport fishermen. All of these hotels have restaurants and recreation facilities onsite.

Moderately priced accommodations on the Abacos are not easy to find, but a few standbys include Conch Inn Marina & Hotel and Club Soleil Resort. Both of these places have air conditioning and television—not always a given on these islands.

Andros

The largest island in the Bahamas, Andros is also one of the least explored and most mysterious places in the hemisphere. The island is rich in mythical and natural wonders, but the population is sparse, sticking to the eastern coast. Andros is one of the top diving spots in the world, thanks to the barrier reef and blue holes located offshore. Most people come here for the diving, while some hardy adventurers are drawn to the island because of its comparatively low prices and undeveloped tourist industry. The accommodation choices here are limited, and most of them offer just the basics, nothing else.

The priciest digs are the Andros Lighthouse Yacht & Marina, which has its own marina and dive center, and the new Point of View Villas, which boasts expert onsite fishing guides. Small Hope Bay Lodge is a famous all-inclusive resort, located beachfront in Fresh Creek. There are a number of inexpensive places to stay, ranging from the simple Chickcarnies Hotel to the pleasantly suburban Mangrove Cay Inn. Interestingly, while all of these places have air conditioning and onsite restaurants, only the Point of View Villas offers television. It seems that guests are expected to amuse themselves outside during the daytime and go to sleep early. Various private guesthouses and B&Bs, among them the Green Windows Inn and Charlie's Haven, are available, but they don't all choose to register with the Tourism Board, and many of them open and close without much warning.

Berry Islands and Bimini

These islands are known for one thing: fishing. The tourist industry revolves around fishing, as does the entertainment scene. The hotels are primarily sporting lodges, catering to sportfishing enthusiasts. People come to the various islands throughout the year for some of the most famous fishing tournaments in the world, including the Bacardi Rum Billfish Festival and the Big Five Fishing Tournament. The Bimini Big Game Fishing Club & Hotel, located in Alice Town, is the nicest of the Bimini hotels. The Berry Islands boast a few upscale resorts, most notably Great Harbour Cay Yacht Club.

Eleuthera & Harbour Island

The most developed and expensive of the Out Islands, these two are the most common daytrip destinations from Nassau. Harbour Island is the more upmarket of the two; several luxury hotels are located along its famed pink sand beaches. Several of the Eleuthera hotels were damaged by the 1998 hurricane, but the majority of them were restored to even better shape than ever.

For sheer luxury and exclusivity, the Pink Sands Hotel and the Dunmore Beach Club are equals, unmatched by any other hotel on Harbour Island. They offer world-class accommodations, a stunning range of activities, and most importantly to some people, the sort of privacy that can't be found on more accessible tropical islands such as Hawaii or even nearby Nassau. The Runaway Hill Club is less expensive but still offers the pink sand beach location.

There really aren't any budget lodgings on Harbour Island. For that one must stay on adjoining Eleuthera, where budget inns and modest guesthouses dominate the hotel industry. Hilton's Haven and the Unique Village are two popular hotels in the $100 per night range; the Village even offers its own pink sand beach to guests. For anyone who's determined to stay on Harbour Island at the lowest possible price, the best bet is Valentine's Resort, famous for its sunsets, its aquatic facilities and its reasonable prices.

Exuma

This chain of islands and cays is another popular excursion destination. There are innumerable cays in the island chain, a few of them boasting resorts, most remaining undeveloped and only enjoyed by daytrippers from nearby islands.

The biggest name in hotels here is Peace and Plenty. Named after the sailing ship of an eminent English colonist and trader, the hotel group takes pride in offering a friendly, warm atmosphere and an overall feeling of bounty not found anywhere else in the world. Sun worshipers, honeymooners and snorkelers will want to stay at Club Peace & Plenty or Peace & Plenty Beach Inn, while serious fishermen choose to stay at the simple Peace & Plenty Bonefish Lodge. Other hotel choices range from the secluded Staniel Cay Yacht Club to the Two Turtles Inn, a charming modern property located in the center of Georgetown. All of the hotels in the Exumas fall within the same price bracket: between USD 90 and USD 130 for a double-occupancy unit. The exception is all-inclusive resort Hotel Higgins, located on Stocking Cay.

Southern Bahamas:

Cat Island, Crooked Island, Great Inagua, Long Island, San Salvador

Rugged, remote and beautiful, the Southern Bahamas are barely touched by commercialization or development. Resorts cater to the solitary, adventurous folk that make their way to these islands. Offering beach access or fishing guides instead of modern amenities such as cable television or room service, they promote a simpler way of life. Yacht owners are the ones to visit most of these islands. While landbound visitors may find transportation to be a problem, the sailing wanderers are hindered by no such restriction, and yacht owners are the most common visitors to these islands. When the limited resources of one island begin to pale, they simply sail away to the next one.

The most easily accessible island in this group, Cat Island, is also one of the most developed ones. It has a few hotels that are almost luxurious, most notably Hawk's Nest Resort & Marina and Fernandez Bay Village. Fernandez Bay is situated on a breathtaking strip of beach, the sand of which actually appears turquoise in some lights. Inexpensive lodgings can be found at Greenwood Beach Resort or Pigeon Cay Beach Club.

Crooked Island is a tiny outpost located more than 200 miles southeast of New Providence. Lodging choices are few; most people stay at Pittstown Point Landing, while a few opt for the tiny, inexpensive Crooked Island Beach Inn. Even further south is Great Inagua, known for its pink flamingos, of all things. Lodging choices include Crystal View Beach Hotel and Main House, a small inn owned by the island's prominent Morton's Salt factory. While Long Island in the north has only two hotels, both of them are upscale operations, boasting a full complement of activities and amenities. Stella Maris Resort Club caters to the scuba divers and sportfishermen who find Long Island a most desirable destination. Cape Santa Maria is more for the sun-worshipper, 'yachtie' and windsurfing crowds. Tiny San Salvador's tourist trade was revitalized by the arrival of Club Med several years ago. This isn't just any Club Med either; it's one of the chain's most luxurious resorts. The smaller (but still luxurious by Bahamian standards) hotel is Riding Rock Inn. Both of these places cater to scuba divers.

While these are the main resorts and tourist destinations in the Bahamas, many smaller ones go unmentioned. A good phone number to have when planning your trip is the Bahama Out Islands Promotion Board (+1 954 359 8099). They usually have the most up-to-date information, even on small hotels, hunting lodges or guesthomes.

The Out Islands, a loose grouping of the Bahamian islands other than Grand Bahama, New Providence and Paradise Island, remain today as they have most of their remarkable history—sparsely populated, largely undeveloped and naturally wondrous. Because of the Bahamas' proximity to vital New World shipping routes, all of the islands became a commercial crossroads, while smugglers, bootleggers, and pirates used the obscure cays and lagoons of the Out Islands as a base for a more disreputable trade. Not only were many of the Out Islands remote and uncharted, the deadly native reefs made the navigation treacherous, often resulting in the loss of lives and property. The difficult geography protected much of the Out Islands from commercial development, making them ideal for contemporary travelers looking to experience unspoiled ecosystems and world-class fishing, diving and sailing.

Before European influences firmly took hold in the early 16th Century, an Arawak people, known as the Lucayans, populated the islands. A migratory tribe who traversed the Caribbean from South America around the 9th Century AD, most of the Lucayans established villages on Grand Bahama Island and New Providence Island. However, archaeologists have discovered numerous relics on Abacos, Andros, as well as the other Out or "Family" Islands.

Lucayan dominance of the islands ended on October 12, 1492 with Christopher Columbus's landing at Rum's Bay on the island of San Salvador. His historic arrival changed the course of world history, opening the Americas to the era of exploration and conquest. Like so many other native tribes, a combination of slavery, disease, religious persecution and violence soon obliterated the Lucayan civilization.

By 1520 the Spanish began to mine silver and establish sugar plantations on Hispanola and Cuba, causing labor shortages. About 20,000 Lucayans were transported and forced into backbreaking, menial labor, leaving the Out Islands virtually uninhabited. Because of lethal reefs and difficult navigational conditions, the European powers hesitated in colonizing the area. Much to the delight of latter-day treasure hunters, a Spanish treasure fleet of 17 galleons was wrecked off the Abacos in 1595.

Despite the trying maritime conditions, in the early 17th Century the British attempted to undermine the Spanish foothold in the Caribbean by establishing settlements in Eleuthera, Grand Bahama, and Nassau. The Bahamas were even granted a constitution making them part of the Carolinas in 1629. Alas, the towns were soon considered a failure, as settlers would often be wrecked on the reefs attempting to get to them. As the small villages struggled to survive, fortune hunters and pirates took advantage of the natural defenses to form bases of operations. The English Crown even offered some these privateers, such as Sir Henry Morgan, land and title to commit piracy against the Spanish.

For the next few hundred years, the Bahamas and the Out Islands, in particular, stayed a haven for buccaneers. The entrepreneurs used the islands' natural cover to launch surprise attacks on fat Spanish galleons bringing spoils back to Europe. The pirates used small, shallow draft sloops to negotiate the reefs and encircle their bulkier foes to broadside them to pieces. Though the settlers of the islands were very poor at this time, the rampant privateering created trade throughout the Bahamas. Taverns and merchants began to cater to the buccaneers and their prized booty. However, the governments of Europe eventually began to wipe out the pirates, including the feared Blackbeard. By the early 18th Century came peace but a drought of prosperity.

Soon, the economy and survival of the Bahamas became completely dependent upon activities in North America. When nations were at war, the cays and small islands would be transformed into supply bases, bringing commerce to the impoverished nation. Conflicts like the French and Indian Wars and the American Revolution would bring prosperity, only to see it fade away until the next fray.

Native residents, consisting by this time mostly of escaped and freed slaves, would live off wrecks, seafood, and the few indigenous fruits. In fact the Hope Town Lighthouse on Elbow Cay, off the Abacos, took years to build due to vandalism by locals. Residents feared that their profitable wrecking business would be ruined if ships could find their way at night. Until the lighthouse's completion in 1835, Abacoans even went so far as to intentionally cause shipwrecks by sending false signals to passing vessels. Artifacts and relics of the "Wrecker's Days" can be seen at Wyannie Malone Historical Museum in Hope Town.

The Out Islands saw their economy strengthen once again when the American Civil War broke out from 1861-1865. Confederate blockade-runners would tuck away their ships in the nooks and crannies along the coasts of the Abacos and Andros to evade the Union navy. Bahamian merchants, already benefiting from increased commerce, would additionally profit by letting the smugglers use their facilities as supply bases. The end of the war brought a deep recession to the Bahamas and wrecking returned as one of the primary industries.

When the United States enacted Prohibition in 1919, the Bahamas would again become the port-of-call for the nefarious. Bahamian Rum became the export of choice to the mainland, where liquors were now illegal. Bootleggers set up camp among the Biminis, only 50 miles from Miami, as well as smaller operations throughout the islands. Inns and taverns sprung up to gain patronage from the criminal element. After prohibition ended in 1933 and the United States fell into a depression, the Bahamas returned to a life of subsistence agriculture and fishing.

As America began to recover after the Great Depression and World War II, much of the population soon possessed enough extra income to afford vacations. This would mark the beginning of the first stable industry in the Bahamas—tourism. Resorts, restaurants, and shops sprung up to welcome the influx of visitors in the 1950s and 1960s. Though much of the development took place in Nassau and Freeport, the Out Islands also got their share of the bounty. They quickly gained a reputation for excellent sport fishing and natural splendor.

On July 10, 1973, the Bahamas gained its independence from Britain. Though the government got off to a shaky start, with leaders being accused of involvement in narcotics smuggling, the nation soon began to thrive and continued to develop its tourism economy.