My friend went on this fabulous vacation, to Hope Town, Elbow Cay, Bahamas.  She shared her how-to-get-there, what-to-do secrets. Hope it will help with your travel plans or give you a new little tropical adventure to add to your bucket list.

1.  How do you get to Hope Town, Elbow Cay, Abaco, Bahamas?

*Flight and ferry ride.

Taking off…

It’s only a 45-minute flight from Florida.  She, her husband and teenage son hopped on a plane in West Palm Beach, and flew to Marsh Harbor, Abaco Islands, Bahamas.    For some of us, non-Floridians, I looked at the flight prices from Hartford, CT. to Marsh Harbor during July, 2012 and they ran in the $600 range, although, that was my first glance at Travelocity and I didn’t shop around.

Once you arrive in Marsh Harbor, she said it was a short taxi ride to the dock where you wait for the next ferry to Hope Town.  She rode the ferry with a crowd of dressed-up local girls and their mothers going for tea at the Hope Town Harbour Lodge.

Ferry at Hope Town Harbor Lodge Photograph courtesy of Wendy Cawley Maus©

The Marsh Harbor ferry leaves every couple of hours and takes about twenty minutes to get to Hope Town. To get the latest information, the website for the ferry is http://www.go-abacos.com/travel/fersch.html#anchor63038.

 2.  Where’d they stay? 

 *Hope Town Harbour Lodge.

The ferry took them right to the Hope Town Harbour Lodge. It used to be an old Captain’s House and is a beautiful lodge with lush grounds.  The staff were all very friendly.  There lodge also has a lovely pool area with a bar you can see above in the photo.  A path through the gardens leads to the beach, and fun snorkeling. Check out their website for more information www.hopetownlodgecom.

In case they are booked up, or if you’d like to try something different, there are other hotels, as well as houses to rent.

How did she get around? 

 *Walk, golf cart and boat (bicycles rentals were also available)

Their family rented a golf cart for one day and used it to go and visit Tahiti Beach, on the other end of Elbow Cay.  My friend described it as beautiful, with a few people, and boats pulling up, quiet and relaxing.  They snorkeled there also.

Golf cart currently run around $40 for a day or $240 a week during the off-season according to their ads.

They also spent a couple of days renting a boat.  The boats rent for a day or a week and the costs depend on how many days you rent.  NOTE: This family owns their own boat and are accustomed to working with boats and navigation.

My adventurous friend said the best thing about renting the boat was the ability to island hop.  Their family enjoyed Man-O-War Cay where they watched the Albury Brothers Boat Company make boats and enjoyed goodies made from a bakery that was located in the baker’s own home.  She also browsed through the Albury Sail Shop and purchased a beautiful purse that had a tag that read:  Made by Mrs. Norman Albury, Sailmaker, Man-O-War Cay.

Man-O-War Sign   Photograph by Wendy Cawley Maus ©

She also raved about visiting Great Guana Cay and finding a really great spot for lunch, Nipper’s. They walked down a path past a rusted piece of construction equipment with graffiti all over it, walked a little further and found Nipper’s.  She said you could spend the day there, great food, a bar, gift shop, beach where you can snorkel and a pool. Nipper’s website even includes videos www.nippersbar.com. Note:  Afternoons are great for families, but you may want to avoid Sunday and holiday adult parties if visiting with children.

Nipper’s at Great Guana Cay Photograph courtesy of Wendy Cawley Maus©

The other island hop treasure they found was on Little Harbour, Abaco, a place called Pete’s Pub and Gallery.  She said it was the quintessential beach bar, sandy floor great food, and wonderful atmosphere. Their website is www.petespubandgallery.com.

Pete’s Pub and Gallery, Little Harbour, Photograph courtesy of Wendy Cawley Maus©

What’d you eat?

*Their favorite was:

*Mom…Souse,  soup that was filled with meat and veggies 

*Dad…Fried fresh fish sandwiches and conch fritters. 

*Teenaged son…Mac and cheese pies, baked macaroni and cheese with             peppers to make it spicy, then baked and cut into squares.

That said, she still had many, many foodie stories that she gushed about from her trip, whether it be from the banana bread you could smell from outside Vern’s to breakfasts to Capt’n Jacks for lunch (could walk or take boat) – sit outside right on the water.  For dinner they took the golf cart to Sea Spray Resort and Marina.  She said it had a fun bar and restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, as well as a great band playing for entertainment and dancing. You can see more about them at www.seasprayresort.com

What were the other cool, sights you enjoyed?

 *Hope Town Light or Elbow Reef Lighthouse

Hope T own Light, Photograph courtesy of  Wendy Cawley Maus©

*Snorkeling and seeing the wonderful sea creatures

*The beautiful crystal clear water.

*Architecture – New England style houses

Typical Hope Town House and Street, Photograph courtesy of  Wendy Cawley Maus©

What was the vibe of Hope Town? 

 *Relaxing, pretty quiet, friendly, laid back.

Need additional information?

 *For Overall Hope Town information:  www.hopetown.com

 *For a webcam current shot of the beach there, go to: www.rockybay.com/webcam_page.htm

I hope this either gave you a relaxing tropical coffee break, a mental mini-vacation to the Bahamas or prepared you for a real trip the Islands.

Be sure to double-check all of the information before your departure in case of changing circumstances.

What tropical trip was your favorite?  What made it so special?  Let us know in the comments so we can add it to our tropical bucket list:)

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