- A Brief Tour of the Abacos - - A Down to the Basics Quick Planner - Considering a trip to the Abacos? Here are some fundamentals.The details can be found at: Sandy Estabrook's Guide to the Abacos, Bahamas But first you might want to take a look at this video. The Abaco Cays (pronounced Keys) are a string of islands that line the Atlantic side of the Island of Great Abaco 180 miles from Florida - a one hour flight from southeastern Florida cities with weather pretty much the same.. There are two resort areas on the big island / Great Abaco, and seven inhabited cays, four with settlements, food and accommodations. There are three more smaller cays with rental accommodations and at least one restaurant. The number one attraction of the area is the Abaconian waters and beaches. Again, for the whole story, pictures, videos & more, check out Sandy's Guide to the Abacos. If our home page leaves you befuddled, we'll try to summarize things here. First, get yourself a copy of the colorful Cruising Guide to the Abacos (by Steve Dodge). You'll want to bring it with you. It's made for the cruising folks but it's packed with info - more than any travel guide. It's sold state side at West Marine. You can learn about anything from weather to the snorkeling spots. Restaurants, hotels and the popular watering holes are also included. It includes a yellow pages arranged by location where you can look up a shop for anything one might want. And it's an absolute must if you rent a boat. Definition of a resort in the Abacos: Includes hotel and rental villas with bar(s), restaurant(s), pool, beach, and marina . Sometimes the marina, or beach are optional but found close by. As for the Beaches They are bountiful and beautiful and found on both the Oceanside and Sea of Abaco side of the Cays. The ocean beaches for the most part are only attainable by land. And it is the ocean side where you'll find the reefs for snorkeling and diving. The Sea of Abaco beaches are just as beautiful (less reefs) and easily accessible by rental boat. Note: use of rental boats is generally not permitted in the Ocean. Boat or No Boat? That is the Question. The question one always asks, Should we Rent a boat when visiting the Cays?: In our opinion, it's a must. The Abaconian waters are the appeal to this part of the world and Abaco life is spread out over many different islands. The maximum travel time between two adjacent Cays, shouldn't be more than a half hour. You'll want to explore the beauty of uninhabited island beaches for some frolicking fun, fishing, picnicking, snorkeling, beach combing etc. etc. Then there are the out island watering holes where folks gather for lunch or on the way home after a day of fun in the sun. Yes a boat can be expensive and so is gas but plan a rental for at least a couple days. And if boating still isn't your thing, day trips excursions that offer picnics, snorkeling, fishing, bar hopping are easily found at most locations. Please consider our advertisers. Click image for info We can tell you up front that the two most popular Out Islands (Cays) are: Green Turtle Cay with its village of New Plymouth & Elbow Cay with its village of Hope Town. As mentioned, most people are attracted to the Abacos for their waters and their offerings. A boat can also influence your decision on where to stay. That said, if we had no boat (or golf cart) at our disposal, Would we still go?. Absolutely! Our choice of place to stay would be then Elbow Cay. We say this because all resorts are on the Ocean and if you are staying in Hope Town you can walk to everything. Also the resorts at the south will come and pick you up for dinner, lunch and even for a few drinks and a swim in their pool. And this courtesy even works in reverse - staying at a south end resort, the Abaco Inn or the Sea Spray they will take you to town on request. If you rent a home out side of town, you'll need a golf cart which is sometimes included. All the resorts on Elbow Cay are on the ocean except Club Soleil which is on the harbour's, not connected, west side and where a boat is absolutely necessary. Incidentally that is the side with the lighthouse. To get the full picture of Elbow Cay check out the home pages of our Abaco Guide. On Green Turtle Cay where it all started for us back in '73, the pace is slower and the island a little more laid back. Yet it's settlement of New Plymouth offers more to do than Hope Town with three times as many shops and restaurants and four times as many churches. You'll need at least a golf cart to get to New Plymouth or another resort or restaurant for dinner. Nobody provides "on call" courtesy transportation (at least a/o 2010). And keep in mind the island's two resorts, the Green Turtle Club, where we stay and the Bluff House are on White Sound on the north end of the Cay requiring a golf cart to get to New Plymouth. The beautiful ocean beach is a 20 min. walk from the G.T.C. (5 min. by cart), and about twice that from the B.H. G.T., being north of the Whale Cay passage pretty much limits your boat rental travels to the neighboring uninhabited pristine Islands of Manjack and Noname cays. Just 15 - 20 minutes to it's north are some of the loveliest uninhabited beaches anywhere. For a trip south to Guana Cay you'll need a larger boat and good weather. There is also lots to explore on the nearby mainland of Great Abaco as written about in "Abaco Off the Beaten Path" in the side bar of our Abaco Guide. To get the full picture on Green Turtle Cay, again, check out the main pages of our Abaco Guide linked above. Treasure Cay & Marsh Harbour Both are on Abaco's mainland. Treasure Cay boast's one of the worlds 10 most beautiful beaches. Their are two resort areas at Treasure Cay. Both have no hotel but are a collection of condos which management rents. The larger, the Treasure Cay Resort & Marina includes homes, villas, and townhouses, all scattered about. Their focus is on the beach, golf course and marina. Still many condo / homeowners choose to represent themselves directly though advertising or on the internet or our accommodation listing found on our home page. The other resort is the Bahama Beach Club. Included close by the Marina are the usual resort amenities; shops, restaurants, a grocery and liquor store, and bakery. There is also a dive shop, boat rental agency and ferry that runs to Guana Cay. From here you might want to rent a car and explore the settlements to the north and the near by wild horses and blue holes written about in "Abaco Off the Beaten Path" in the side bar of our Abaco Guide. Please consider our advertisers. Click image for info.

And if you choose Marsh Harbour, you're probably not going for beaches. Also many of the lovely rental homes are a bit of a trek to town. You'll need a rental car (not cart) to get to Marsh or explore the island and it's settlements to the south such as Cherokee, Little Harbour and Sandy Point. Or hire a guide and look for Parrots while on the way to Hole in the Wall Lighthouse. Again, all written about in our in "Abaco Off the Beaten Path" in the side bar of our Abaco Guide. What some folks do, especially if you have an early flight home, is ferry over the day before your departure, rent a car and explore Great Abaco. Then check into one of the downtown hotels such as the Conch Inn or Lofty Fig. Both are with walking distance to everything, and a good way to see Marsh Harbour too. Guana Cay As far as a rental home on Guana Cay you'll need a boat unless you plan to stay put and use the ferry to get back and forth. As far as boat size and distance limitations see our Boating Page. Guana Cay has has a small settlement, bars & restaurants scattered about. One is of some international renown, Nippers. There is also a couple gift shops plus a grocery and liquor store. But the number one attraction is it's fantastic beach - it's great for snorkeling too. There are two what we'd call loosely, resorts, and many rental homes. On Guana there is definitely the out island feel especially by night as the daytime visitors depart. As described by a regular "Our cottage is right in the settlement and I find it alot of fun to hang out on our deck and meet new friends and see old ones. Secluded? No. Affordable? Very". Here one can definitely spend a week without a boat, but rent a golf cart. Guana is seven miles long. Man-O-War Cay Man-O-War Cay is a day stop for most visitors. It is the quietest of the four major cays yet a busy place. Sounds like an oxymoron I know. We say this because M-O-W has a busy settlement by day with boat builders and repair shops aplenty with nautical craftsmen of all types. Accommodations are limited but available and the same applies to their eateries, and the ones that be, are alcohol free as it is the only "dry island" There are gift shops and food stores and it is a regular stop on the ferry line. Oh, it too has a lovely ocean beach but not the scale of Guana. Lubbers Quarters On Lubbers Quarters, there are rental homes many geared for the eco-tourist. There is only one (maybe two) restaurant(s). No provisioning of any kind is available, so you definitely need a boat as a ferry charges "charter rates", to get you there. However it's only a short hop to Hope Town (10 Min. by boat). Lubbers has no beach to speak of since it is not on the ocean, but it is just "across the street" from popular Tahiti Beach. More on accommodations on both islands can be found on our home page. Please consider our advertisers. Click image for info. Summary If you are looking for a quiet out of the way place with remote islands and beaches where you'll have a good chance to be alone to yourself then Green Turtle and its village of New Plymouth is the place to go. As pointed out there is still plenty to do on the Island with a golf cart. And if you have rented a boat (a 15 - 17 footer will do), the uninhabited islands 20 minutes to it's north are loaded with beaches on the protected bay side where you can pretend to be the only people in the world. As of the mid 90's the term "Family Islands" have taken on new meaning especially on Elbow Cay. Here because of it's village of Hope Town, lighthouse, many new homes and proximity to Marsh Harbour, it has become a popular bustling vacationing spot not unlike many US coastal cities where families gather seasonally. On Elbow, in summer, a table at a casual restaurant will often consist of 2 adults and 2-4 kids. Also, it's more of a challenge to find a quite spot to be alone. Even on the lovely and numerous islands south of Elbow Cay you'll have company most of the time. If you are adventurous and a boater with some navigation experience, you might want to pick up at least a 22' boat from Rainbow Rentals or other rental agency in Marsh Harbour as we often to. Then trek north the 30 miles for Green Turtle for a few days then south to Hope Town for a few more. As mentioned, this inter island approach will require commonsense boating experience and a copy of the Cruising Guide to the Abacos. The downside to this approach is weather. It could be unpleasant on the day you've committed to pick up or return your boat. Otherwise staying close to your home island with a boat you rent there, will suffice. You say you want "really quiet and out of the way" and don't mind picking up your own provisions. A place where you can "almost be undisturbed / border lining solitary" baring casual meandering down an island path to a restaurant(s), then head to Guana or Lubbers. In the case of Guana though, stay away from the settlement as there is often a lot of partyin' goin' on. On Snorkeling: The reefs are spectacular and usually just off the beaches on the ocean side of the cays so plan to rent snorkel gear or better yet bring it with you. Dive shops with experienced divemasters can be found on all islands for Scuba. They all can arrange for our favorite event - a snorkeling or fishing trip with a picnic on a isolated beach featuring the catch of the day accompanied with conch salad and a Goombay Smash. It's heaven! REMEMBER, If all you want to do is, lay on a beach, snorkel, read a book, cook your own meals or dine out, and or other romantic activities, the possibilities are many. And as far as other things to do, check our home page at AbacoEscape.com. What ever you come up with you wont be disappointed. . Suggested Travel Tips Note: The world economy has no doubt impacted Abaco travel as became apparent in our 2009 trip as deals are being offered by all the resorts. In 2010, a 3% "foreign transaction fee" started to be added to US issued credit cards. This applies to Debit or Credit, Master or Visa on the credit cards of the banks we are most familiar. This fee has nothing to do with foreign currency rates as the Bahamian dollar is on par with the US dollar and used interchangeably. Check with your bank. You might want to use cash or travelers checks. 1) Normally if you are considering going in May, June, July or around Christmas and especially on weekends during those periods, book well in advance. This particularly applies to airlines and boat rentals and to a lesser degree, golf cart rentals. 2) With the exception of the two major US carriers, the airlines servicing Abaco come and go regularly so, reconfirm your flight a couple times to avoid any surprises. More on our Air Carrier Page 3) Changing planes, try to avoid Nassau in either direction as connections are tight and planes often late. Add to that lost luggage. So if you must use Nassau, use carry on baggage. 4) When departing Marsh Harbour, try to avoid a late day flight flight and get there early especially if you have connections. The main reason they want you to check in so early before departure, is not to deal with lines, but to allow time for your passport number to clear with Homeland Security. It’s not uncommon to hear of a passenger arriving 15 minutes before departure and not be allowed to board even on a half empty plane. 5) Try not to arrive too late in the Abacos, as late arrivals can cause conflicts if trying to catch the water taxi to the Cays resulting in an expensive charter. 6) If you are required to change planes in southeast Florida, Try to use West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami in that order. Our 2006 trip had us connecting through West Palm Beach. Including baggage pickup, customs and immigration, we were at the departure gate for Tampa in about 15 minutes! The following year, our flight via Lauderdale on Continental had us missing our connection and spending a night there!.

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