While touring through Eleuthera, we fell in love with the natural beauty of this island. There are quaint towns, beautiful beaches, and so much nature to explore. In this post, you’ll learn of our favorites whilst visiting and will help you plan a trip of your own from booking a flight to knowing what to explore along the way. Whether you plan to stay in one spot, you’re just passing through, or staying for a couple weeks, you’ll have a great time in Eleuthera.
Make sure to check out the interactive map of Eleuthera at the bottom of this post to learn where to find all our favorite spots or visit the map here.
General Knowledge
Named by sailors seeking religious freedom from Bermuda, Eleuthera’s name is derived from the Greek word, Eleutheros, meaning “free”.
Settlements
The island of Eleuthera is 180 km (110 miles) long and 1.6km (1 mile) wide at its most narrow part. It is divided into North Eleuthera, Central Eleuthera, and South Eleuthera and also consists of a handful of other islands and cays surrounding the main land. Settlements on the island include (north to south) Spanish Wells, Harbour Island, the Bluff, Upper and Lower Bogue, Current, Gregory Town, Alice Town in Hatchet Bay, James Cistern, Governor’s Harbour (capital), North and South Palmetto Point, Savannah Sound, Windmere Island,Winding Bay, Tarpum Bay, Rock Sound, Greencastle, Deep Creek, Delancy Town, Waterford, Wemyss Bight, John Millars, Millar’s and Bannerman Town. We did not visit ALL the settlements but did enjoy many of them in some way, shape, or form.
Planning Ahead
Before arriving to Eleuthera, be sure to come prepared with essential items and cash. Groceries and alcohol have much higher prices compared to the United States. Don’t get sticker shocked upon arrival, Bahamaians have quite a high cost to importing goods and it reflects in their pricing. Worth it to enjoy paradise for a while. Also, because of the rising popularity of the island, it would also be wise to prepare in advance for rental car reservations and certain restaurants.
Flights + Accomodations
There are three airports on the island located in North, Central, and South Eleuthera. If you are price shopping, it may make more sense to fly into Nassau, New Providence and take a ferry over to Eleuthera. Take a look at Booking.com to look over options and then visit Bahamas Ferries to see what makes the most sense for your schedule.
Although we are on our sailboat, here are our picks in a few different areas to stay at. Use Booking.com and Airbnb to browse and compare pricing.
- Coral Sands Resort – Harbour Island – $$$
- Bay Inn Estates – Alice Town – $
- French Leave Resort – Governor’s Harbour – $$$
Getting Around
If you’re not traveling by sailboat, we highly suggest renting a car to get around. We even rented a car in the midst of Eleuthera to head back North for a day on Harbour Island and got a sneak peak at some of the beaches in Southern Eleuthera. The best spot to get a car is from Lutra Car Rental in Governor’s Harbour.
Restaurants + Groceries
Don’t plan to make all your own meals while in Eleuthera. There are too many great spots to enjoy fresh seafood and traditional Bahamian favorites. Although we try to cook all our own meals to save money, groceries are sometimes just as much money as going out. So it’s okay! Head out and treat yourself to some of Eleuthera’s delicious food and beverage. Here are some of our favorites!
- Wreckers – Spanish Wells – $$
- Beyond the Reef – Harbour Island – $$
- The Front Porch – Alice Town – $$
- Twin Brother’s – Alice Town – $$
- Buccaneer’s Club – Governor’s Harbour – $$
- Fish Fry Fridays – Governor’s Harbour – $$
- 1648 Bar and Grille – Governor’s Harbour – $$$
- Tippy’s Restaurant – Governor’s Harbour – $$
Outdoor Attractions
Unique features on Eleuthera include high cliff views, a variety of caves, pink sand beaches, and ocean holes. It is one of the coolest places in the world and provides a pleasant visit for any length of time.
Water Sports + Fishing
Water in Eleuthera is gin-clear and will show you every color blue imaginable. There are plenty of reefs to snorkel or dive in North Eleuthera and all along the ocean side of the main land. Surfing is quite popular and you’ll also see visitors kite boarding along Surfer’s Beach. If you’d rather take out a small hobie cat or paddle around in a kayak there are options for that in each area of Eleuthera too!
In addition to the sports mentioned, there is great fishing all around the island. Known for its Spiny Lobster, or crawfish as the locals say, the primary contributor to their economy is fishing and attracts many boaters to visiting this area of the Bahamas.
Beaches
There are so many great beaches to explore on Eleuthera and almost all the ocean side beaches will have a pink hue to the sandy shores. You’ll see the pinkest sand on Harbour Island but see similar hues at the old Club Med Beach and French Leave Beach in Governor’s Harbour. We’ll show you our favorite beaches in all of the Bahamas in an upcoming post but for now, look at these beautiful spots in Eleuthera!
Caves
Our favorite thing to explore while in Eleuthera were the numerous caves scattered all throughout the island. We visited many of them, each being unique compared to the previous one. Some caves were completely underground and others were built into the surrounding wilderness. Some were secluded on the water frontage while others were explored daily. Our favorites were Preacher’s Cave, Hatchet Bay Cave, Sea Cave, and Cathedral Cave. Such a cool feature of the island!
Blue Holes, Boiling Holes, and Blow Holes
I’m not exactly sure of the exact differences between blue holes and boiling holes but they are both really neat features that we always made time for. Take a look at the map below to learn where to find some to explore.
Natural Beauty
Eleuthera has so many beautiful rock formations all throughout the island <3
Flora + Fauna
Nature all around Eleuthera is spectacular and you’ll especially enjoy the bright colorful flowers and fruits all around the island. While in Governor’s Harbour, visit The Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve to learn of all the different plants and animals native to the area. It’s takes a couple hours to get through but will teach you everything you need to know about the island’s flora and fauna.
Farming
The island is also known for its organic farms and was once known as a main producer of pineapples. Our favorite though were the huge, flavorful avocados we found at a local fruit stand. At one time they were also known to have farms filled with cattle all throughout Central Eleuthera but have reduced their efforts greatly.
Avocado Pineapple
*All areas of interest are approximate on the map
**If you notice I’ve missed any attractions in Eleuthera, please email me us at hello@svtipsygypsy.com. We LOVE Eleuthera and don’t want to miss out on any of the beauty this island has to offer 🙂
Cheers and thanks for reading!
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