The best beaches of Bahamas

Beaches of Bahamas

Cable Beach (New Providence Island): The glittering shoreline of
Cable Beach proffers easy access to shops, casinos, restaurants, watersports,
and bars. It’s a sandy 6.5km-long (4-mile) strip, with a great
array of facilities and activities.

Cabbage Beach (Paradise Island): Think Vegas in the Tropics. It
seems as though most of the sunbathers dozing on the sands here are
recovering from the previous night’s partying, and it’s likely to be
crowded near the mega-hotels, but you can find more solitude on the
beach’s northwestern extension (Paradise Beach), which is accessible
only by boat or on foot. Lined with palms, sea grapes, and casuarinas,
the sands are broad and stretch for at least 3km (13⁄4 miles).

Xanadu Beach (Grand Bahama Island): Grand Bahama has 97km
(60 miles) of sandy shoreline, but Xanadu Beach is most convenient
to Freeport’s hotels, several of which offer shuttle service here. There’s
more than a kilometer (2⁄3 mile) of white sand and (usually) gentle surf.
Don’t expect to have it to yourself, but if you want more quiet and
privacy, try any of the beaches that stretch from Xanadu for many
miles in either direction.

Tahiti Beach (Hope Town, Elbow Cay, Abacos): Since this beach is
so isolated at the far end of the island, you can be sure that only a
handful of people will ever visit these cool waters and white sands.
The crowds stay away because you can’t drive here; you have to walk
or ride a bike along sand and gravel paths from Hope Town. You can
also charter a boat to reach the beach—which isn’t too hard, since the
Abacos are the country’s sailing capital.

Ten Bay Beach (Eleuthera): Ten Bay Beach lies a short drive south of Palmetto
Point, just north of Savannah Sound. Once upon a time, the exclusive Cotton Bay
Club chose to build a hotel here because of the fabulous scenery. There may not
be any facilities now, but ever since the hotel closed, the white sands and turquoise
waters here have been more idyllic and private than ever.

Pink Sands Beach (Harbour Island, Eleuthera): Running the entire length of the
island’s eastern side, these pale-pink sands stretch for 5km (3 miles) past a handful
of low-rise hotels and private villas. A coral reef protects the shore from breakers,
making for some of the safest swimming in The Bahamas.

Saddle Cay (Exumas): Most of the Exumas are oval-shaped islands strung end
to end like links in a 209km (130-mile) chain. One notable exception is Saddle
Cay, with its horseshoe-shaped curve near the Exumas’ northern tip. It can be
reached only by boat but offers an unspoiled setting without a trace of the modern
world—and plenty of other cays and islets where you can play Robinson Crusoe
for a few hours, if you like.

Stocking Island (Exumas): One of the finest white sandy beaches in The Bahamas
lies off Elizabeth Harbour, the archipelago’s main harbor, which is close to
the little capital of George Town on Great Exuma Island. You can reach Stocking
Island easily by boat, and the sands of this offshore island are rarely crowded;
snorkelers and divers love to explore its gin-clear waters. In addition to its beach
of powdery white sand, the island is known for its blue holes, coral gardens, and
undersea caves.

Cat Island (Southern Bahamas): The white beaches ringing this island are pristine,
opening onto crystal-clear waters and lined with coconut palms, palmettos,
and casuarina trees—and best of all, you’ll practically have the place to yourself.
One of our favorite beaches here, near Old Bight, has a beautiful, lazy curve of
white sand. Another fabulous one lies 5km (3 miles) north of New Bight, at the
Fernandez Bay Village resort. This one, set against another backdrop of casuarinas,
is unusually tranquil. A good shoreline here is the long, sandy stretch that
opens onto Hawk’s Nest Resort & Marina, on the southwestern side. None of the
Cat Island beaches has any facilities (bring everything you need from your hotel),
but they do offer peace, quiet, and seclusion.