Why A Rental Car Is Crucial When Vacationing On Eleuthera, Bahamas

Although Eleuthera, one of the family islands of the Bahamas, doesn't have a very large population (11,165 according to the 2000 census), it's a fairly large island. It stretches out, North to South, for almost 110 miles. So, if you want to get around to the many beaches and other attractions, a rental car is an essential part of your vacation.

The Many Beaches of Eleuthera
With well over 200 miles of coastline, it goes without saying that Eleuthera has plentiful supply of beaches. If you'd like to visit several of these beaches, you're going to need a vehicle.

For example, if you plan to visit Lighthouse Beach, and your accommodations are near Governor's Harbour, that's at least a 45-mile drive. And it's a drive well worth making.

Many fabulous beaches are strewn across the length of Eleuthera's coast. And there are many of them that you're going to want to spend time at.

Ben Bay, at the northern end of the island, is a tropical cove like you see in the movies. Once again we'll assume a starting point of Governor's Harbour. The distance to Ben Bay is also about 45 miles - in the opposite direction.

Other Things to See and Do in Eleuthera
There are other attractions worthy of your attention that you can visit as well.

If you're at Ben Bay, it's an easy side trip to Preacher's Cave.

The Ocean Hole in Rock Sound is a good place to stop while driving south to Lighthouse Beach. Take along a picnic lunch and plan to feed the fish that live at Ocean Hole.

Distances in Eleuthera
Because of the length of Eleuthera, a long and skinny out-island in the Bahamas chain of islands, the distances between settlements can be significant.

Traveling from one settlement to another can be quite challenging without a vehicle. You'll often see people hitchhiking along the Queen's Highway.

If you plan to take cabs from place to place, you can be sure that those fares will add up pretty quickly. If all you want to do is get from the airport to your hotel and back again, then a cab is a good idea. But if you plan to explore Eleuthera then you're going to need a rental car.

From Governor's Harbour Airport (GHB) to the settlement of Governor's Harbour is no more than ten miles. So if you don't plan to go anywhere from there, it makes sense to take a cab.

However, if you'd like to do some shopping on historic Harbour Island, the water taxi dock is almost 35 miles from Governor's Harbour. That would be an expensive cab fare - each way.

Such distances are just a fact of life in Eleuthera. Most things are pretty far apart.

You need to decide if you need to book a rental car for all or part of your vacation. If you want to just chill out at your hotel or vacation rental, you might not require a vehicle. If you're going to do any exploring at all then there is no doubt that you will need one.

Renting a Car in Eleuthera
Renting a car in Eleuthera is a bit different. There are no national chains or regular rental offices here. If most circumstances you'll be dealing directly with the owner.

Some of these renters have formal rental agreements, some don't. Your car may come with a full tank of gas or you may need to fill it up right away.

Prices are dependent on a couple of factors - how long you plan to rent the car and the type of vehicle you want. You should be able to negotiate a better daily rate if you want the car for a week or more.

Eleuthera is a wonderful place to explore Be sure not to miss out on all it has to offer.

Geoff and Vicky Wells, authors of the popular guide book The Elusive Beaches of Eleuthera, spend as much time as they can on this tropical island and have a lot of experience with Eleuthera car rental.

Original article

Plan A Vacation To Eleuthera In The Bahamas

If you want your vacation to be different from the normal resort-type experience, then Eleuthera awaits. However, know in advance that it's not for everyone. If you're looking for nightlife and casinos, then Eleuthera is not for you. If you hope to spend time just relaxing and enjoying an amazing tropical location in a friendly, slow-paced location, they this is the right place.

Just Where is Eleuthera

Eleuthera is a Bahamian Family Island, sometimes referred to as an out-island, about 60 miles east of Nassau. When you look at a map of the Bahamas, it's a long, thin island with a "whale tail" at the southern end. It is actually almost 110 miles long, yet only 2 miles wide at its widest point. The majority of the island is much narrower than that. The narrowest part of the island can be found at the Glass Window Bridge.

Ways To Get To Eleuthera

Eleuthera is home to THREE international airports - North Eleuthera (ELH), Governor's Harbour (GHB) and Rock Sound (RSD).

When departing from Florida there are a number of options for flying to Eleuthera. American Eagle, which is part of American Airlines) has regularly scheduled flights from Miami to North Eleuthera. Continental Airlines flies from Fort Lauderdale to North Eleuthera and Governor's Harbour. TwinAir/Calypso (a small private airline) flies from Fort Lauderdale to all three airports on Eleuthera.

You can also get to Eleuthera via BahamasAir, however, you'll need to make connections through Nassau.

From Nassau you have a few more options as well. All three airports are serviced by BahamasAir. SouthernAir also offers flights from Nassau to all of Eleuthera's airports. You can also opt to take the Bo Hengy, a high-speed ferry, from Nassau to Spanish Wells, Harbour Island and Governor's Harbour.

Naturally, you'll need to check the schedules for all of these options.

Accommodations in Eleuthera

You won't find any high-rise hotels or huge resorts on Eleuthera, and that is part of it's charm. You'll find the priciest resorts on Harbour Island. This is also where the rich-and-famous have some homes.

You can also find a few deluxe resorts on the main island of Eleuthera - The Cove, Pineapple Fields and Cape Eleuthera Resort. However, the majority of hotels on Eleuthera are low-key, laid-back and comfortable. There are many such hotels in Eleuthera. A few that come to mind are Surfers Manor, Rainbow Inn, Duck Inn and Unique village.

For a more private, home-away-from-home experience, there are several vacation home rentals available. Just do your research and you'll find something that suits your taste and budget.

The Amazing Beaches of Eleuthera

Eleuthera has more than 50 fabulous beaches, but many of them are hard to find and if you're only here for a short visit, you might miss some of the best ones.

While a few can be seen from the Queen's Highway (the main road running North and South), many are down dirt roads that don't look like they'll lead you to a beach.

There are pink sand beaches, white sand beaches, pebbly beaches and ones where you can find some fabulous shells. Most of the are also deserted, so expect to have an amazing beach all to yourselves, once you've found it.

The more famous beaches of Eleuthera are Pink Sand Beach on Harbour Island, Surfers Beach, French Leave Beach, Cotton Bay and Lighthouse Beach, to name just a few.

What's the Best Time to Visit Eleuthera

It's wonderful to visit Eleuthera any time of year, however, you're likely to encounter the best weather from November to April. Summers tend to be hot and humid with a lot more rain and even the possibility of tropical storms or hurricanes. The summer season also produces more thunderstorms. I'm actually a big fan of thunderstorms and the ones in Eleuthera can be pretty amazing.

We have only scratched the surface of all that Eleuthera has to offer. Even though it takes a little more effort to visit Eleuthera, it's well worth the trip.

Self-proclaimed "beachologists" Geoff and Vicky Wells are the authors of the wildly popular book The Elusive Beaches of Eleuthera. They spend as much time as they can on this Bahamian out-island and lots of time on Eleuthera beaches.

Original article

Things To Do On A Vacation to The Bahamas

The territory of the Bahamas is located east of the coast of Florida. This archipelago of islands houses' the third largest barrier reef in the world and the longest underwater cave system in the world. Bahamas has more than 700 small islands combined and is one of the most important of the Caribbean destination for water sports activities. The different small islands are called "Out Island" which is a term for islands located away from the mainland. Nonetheless, there are two exceptions. These are New Providence Island and Freeport Grand Bahama Island. Many of these islands are close to each other making them ideal target for activities such as sport fishing, sailing, water skiing, scuba diving, windsurfing, snorkeling and island hopping. Additionally, the islands offer a quiet and natural environment for visitors to enjoy, relax and have fun.

Snorkeling in the Bahamas

The islands offer some trilling experiences for visitors wishing to travel from island to island. Water sporting activities are by far some of the most exciting things to do on each island. One of the main activities done is snorkeling. Some of the major snorkeling destinations include Stocking Island San Salvador, Elbow Cay, Paradise islands, Grand Bahama Island and Long Island. These islands offer enthralling experiences for visitors with its underwater caves and beautiful coral reefs. Also, visitors have the opportunity to snorkeling and swimming with pods of dolphins when the conditions are most favorable. Moreover, hotels on these islands offer snorkeling equipment and organize boat cruise for visitors to snorkel offshore, and participate in various water activities.

Place to go Fishing and Site Seeing

Fishing is another of vacations to Bahamas top events. The Treasure Cay, Green Turtle Cay, New Providence Island, Abaco Inn, Grand Bahama, The Exumas, Kamalame Cay and Green Turtle Club Resort and Marina allows for some of the most exciting fishing expedition in the Bahamas. These destinations have excellent activities organized around fishing and sailing for guests to have fun. Also, there are great selections of clubs that allows private sailing expeditions for visitors. Some other attractions that visitors can enjoy are the Ardastra Gardens, Zoo and Conservation Center. These are ideal for nature lovers. The Atlantis Water Park is one of the most famous places to have fun in the Bahamas. The destination offers fun with exciting water sports for all ages. Visitors enjoy exciting rides and spectacular water slides.

Top Hotels in the Bahamas

The Bahamas offers a number of top rated hotels for visitors to enjoy its different vacation offer. There is the Cove Atlantis which offers visitors a modern atmosphere of the fineness hotels activities in the Caribbean with it exciting water sporting activities. The Royal Plantation Island is a couple's dream of a vacation or honeymoon. It is an ideal place for a group visiting as well. Other exciting destinations in the Bahamas are Pink Sands, The Reef Atlantis, Sandals Grande Emerald Bay, Kamalame Cay and Atlantis Coral Towers.

The islands of the Bahamas are exciting places to visit. They offer some of the best water activities anyone can think of. The territory spectacle coastal marine life and coral reefs is the fueled by the Gulf Stream phenomenon. The Gulf Stream is a system where strong and warm ocean currents produced by the Gulf of Mexico move into the Atlantic Ocean. This has fed the spectacle marine life of coastal Bahamas. Remember Bahamas is a place where you can find some to the best hotels in the Caribbean.

Memorable Quote 1: I can do all thing through Christ who strengthen me.

Memorable Quote 2: Through rough roads reach the stars

Author - I am a graduate of the NCU where I completed a degree in business marketing. I have an innovative mind set and have a willingness to accept new challenges.

Original article