Bahamas Beach and Island Guide

The Bahamas comprise a chain of more than 700 islands (of which less than 30 are inhabited) and 2000 cays (small isles) that stretch for 96km across the Atlantic Ocean southeast of Florida.

Here is a round up of the most popular holiday islands in the Bahamas – just perfect for a beach holiday or romantic getaway to the Caribbean.

New Providence Island
Experience one of the Bahamas’ most popular holiday islands, just a 35-minute flight from Miami. New Providence Island is blessed with the shimmering white sands of Cable Beach, a resort-fringed holiday playground with easy access to fine dining restaurants, casinos, bars, duty free shopping, attractions and numerous land and water sport activities. Read more about Cable Beach resort and New Providence Island . . .

Paradise Island
Think Vegas in the tropics when you think of idyllic Paradise Island. Blessed with stunning white-sand beaches, the island also boasts a vibrant nightlife complete with Vegas-style gaming action, revues, bars, nightclubs and fine dining restaurants. Relax on the gorgeous powder-white sands of Paradise Beach or Cabbage Beach, swim in the calm turquoise waters and snorkel the offshore coral gardens. Read more about Paradise Island . . .

Eleuthera
Discover the jewel of the Out Islands, a pristine, undeveloped, pencil-thin island (3km wide by 160km long) of verdant pineapple plantations, rolling green hills, dramatic cliffs and quaint pastel-coloured colonial villages. Here you can unwind at a choice of secluded villas and upmarket resorts flanked by sheltered coves and stunning unspoiled pink- and white-sand beaches that gently shelve into crystal clear turquoise waters. Read more about Eleuthera and Harbour Island . . .

Harbour Island
Unwind at this chic, uncrowded island, home to one of the world’s most famous beaches – Pink Sand Beach. This stunning beach stretches for the entire eastern side of this tiny 5km-long, 1km-wide island located just off the northeast coast of Eleuthera. Pick a spot to sunbathe on the stunning pink-hued sands and spot movie stars, celebrities and European royalty from beneath shady casuarina trees. Read more about Harbour Island . . .

Grand Bahama Island
Discover a choice of sugar-white beaches edged by lavish resorts and duty free stores and offering a vibrant nightlife with fine dining restaurants, bars, nightclubs and casino action. Grand Bahama is the third most popular holiday island in the Bahamas and is only 81km-long and less than half an hour by air from Miami. Read more about Grand Bahama Island . . .

Abaco Islands
Escape to the uncrowded cays, white-sand beaches and slow pace of life on the tranquil Abaco Islands. With a 200km-long coastline fringed by pencil-thin cays, cerulean lagoons and crystal clear waters surrounding the world’s third-longest barrier reef, the Abacos offer some of the best snorkelling, diving and deep-sea fishing in the Bahamas. With favourable trade winds, Abaco is also known as the sailing capital of the Bahamas. Read more about the Abaco Islands . . .

The Exumas
Experience a huge array of holiday options on this mainly undeveloped 193km-long string of 360 picturesque islands and cays that stretch south of New Providence Island to Great Exuma. Discover friendly locals, rolling green hills, the remains of once-majestic plantations, gorgeous beaches, coral gardens that offer perfect snorkelling and diving in crystal clear water, and easily reached cays that are ideal for secluded picnics. Read more about the Exumas . . .

Andros
Andros is famous for its unspoiled and untouched dense forests dotted with lakes, rivers, mangroves and a rich marine habitat. More than 120,000ha on Andros have been preserved in the emerging Central Andros National Park and the surrounding waters are home to some of the best bone fishing in the world. Read more about Andros . . .

Bimini (or The Biminis)
Walk in the footsteps of authors Zane Grey and Ernest Hemmingway, who together helped popularised Bimini as a holiday destination, the latter with his novels To Have and Have Not and Islands in the Stream. The Biminis are world famous for sports fishing, excellent yachting conditions and gorgeous white-sand beaches that shelve gently into calm turquoise waters. Read more about Bimini . . .

Cat Island
Discover one of the Caribbean’s unspoiled gems. Cat Island is blessed with friendly locals, a pleasant summer climate averaging around 28˚C, pink-hued white-sand beaches framed by towering cliffs and fringed by dense forests and gently undulating hills. Choose from several gorgeous palm- and casuarina-fringed pink-sand beaches where you can sunbathe in seclusion. Read more about Cat Island . . .