Visiting Eleuthera, Bahamas With Kids

Eleuthera Bahamas, ever heard of it? It’s definitely not one of the most popular vacation spots in the Bahamas… but for us, that made it the perfect reason to visit! This long, skinny, 112-mile island is known for its natural wonders, including Glass Window Bridge, its many Blue Holes, pink sand beaches, Queen’s Bath, jagged cliffs, and so much more. Eleuthera has incredible natural scenery, gorgeous beaches, and a quiet, laid-back charm. And lucky for us, it’s easy to get there! We flew out of Miami and a quick 45 minutes later, we were touching down in Eleuthera. We flew into North Eleuthera Airport, which is the airport most people use if they are visiting Harbour Island, at the north end of Eleuthera. There are two other airports on Eleuthera, but neither had direct flights from anywhere convenient at the time I was searching for flights.

We landed, gathered up six people’s worth of luggage, loaded into our rental car, and headed to our Airbnb in Tarpum Bay. Wait, six people? Yes! It was our family of four, plus Brian’s mom (Nana) and our amazing babysitter (whose job also includes “family manager” and “cool coach”) Fiona. We were traveling as one, big, happy (mostly) family and it was just so fun!

We rented our car through Sunshine Rentals, and as most rental car experiences go in the Bahamas, it was a complete debacle. Of course they didn’t deliver the car we ordered, and of course the car they brought us wasn’t allowed to go to the places we wanted to go. Luckily they delivered a more appropriate vehicle the next day and all was good. We rented our vacation house through Airbnb and it worked out so perfectly! It was called ‘Baha Mara‘ and it was directly on the Caribbean side of the island with 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, amazing views, and everything we needed for our week and a half stay on Eleuthera.

Not only did our house offer the ideal space for the six of us, it had paddle boards and kayaks, a slack line, a kids hut, toys, and so much more. It truly was perfect.

When we weren’t hanging out, enjoying and exploring the creature-filled sea behind the house, we were out and about discovering all the fun things to do on Eleuthera.

Some of our favorite activities were just a short drive from the house, but others were all-day trips. Although we didn’t have time to explore every single beach and natural attraction on the island, here’s a pretty exhaustive list of some of our adventures during our week and a half stay:

We loved Ten Bay Beach, just a short drive from the house, also on the Caribbean side. Ten Bay Beach was not only beautiful, but there were so many sand dollars to find in the water. It felt like a treasure hunt!

We had a blast jumping into Ocean Hole, one of the biggest Blue Holes on Eleuthera. Ocean Hole was close by in Rock Sound and is said to be 600 feet deep (but others say the bottom has never been found… yikes!). It’s basically a large, inland, salt water lake that is fed by the Atlantic Ocean. It contains tons of tropical fish and I can’t even begin to think about what else might be down there! We had the best time jumping, diving, and floating.

Another Blue Hole on Eleuthera is Sapphire Hole, located at the north end of the island. Sapphire Hole looks completely different than Ocean Hole, the water is more crystal-clear blue and the jump to get in is a LOT bigger! Sapphire Hole is much smaller in diameter than Ocean Hole, and the climb to get out is a bit more intense. Don’t jump in if you’re not prepared to climb back up the rope ladder to get out! Just like Ocean Hole, Sapphire Hole is fed by the Atlantic Ocean through deep underground tunnels.

Just down the road from Sapphire Hole is Preacher’s Cave, which was originally found by western sailors in the 1600s and then served as a makeshift church for more than a century. Pretty interesting, but to be honest, we didn’t spend much time there because the mosquitos were quickly eating us alive.

Also up in the north end of Eleuthera is Glass Window Bridge and Queen’s Bath. Both are must see/must do attractions in Eleuthera. Glass Window Bridge is a super narrow part of the island, with the Atlantic on one side and the Caribbean on the other. The contrast of the two seas is incredible – one is dark and angry, the other is calm and clear blue.

Queen’s Bath is just south of Glass Window Bridge. Wear your bathing suit so you can lower yourself into the magnificent pools overlooking the Atlantic. The baths are like giant natural hot tubs and just so much fun to explore.

Another must see on Eleuthera is Lighthouse Beach, all the way on the south end of the island. Lighthouse Beach is absolutely stunning with its massive rocky limestone cliffs and incredible pink sand. We had so much fun exploring the whole area, from the highest cliffs to the lowest tide pools. We even had a crazy experience with a Mantis Shrimp… that thing was wild! (And Dax will probably never stop talking about it, he got quite the surprise!). Unfortunately, we learned that Disney has received the initial green light to purchase Lighthouse Beach and has plans to create a massive cruise ship port which would cause irreparable damage to the ecosystem. This is truly heartbreaking. So, definitely visit Lighthouse Beach soon if you have the chance, because once Disney gets their hands on it, it will never be the same.

We spent one day on Harbour Island, which involves taking a ferry from the north end of Eleuthera over to the much smaller island. You might have heard of Harbour Island, maybe as the getaway of the “rich and famous”. It’s known for its pink sand beaches, pastel-colored cottages and historic boutique hotels. Nana was especially excited to visit because she had honeymooned on Harbour Island over 50 years ago! Harbour Island is tiny, but pretty packed with tourists and vacationers and most people travel around in golf carts. Golf carts are easy to find (rent) as soon as you step off the ferry. But don’t be bullied into taking a 4 person golf cart if you have 6 people… keep trying and you’ll find what you need! (Speaking from experience, of course, lol.) We explored Harbour Island by golf cart and unfortunately it rained for a portion of the day, but that didn’t stop us from checking out the pink sand beaches, browsing through some of the shops, filling our bellies with conch salad at the adorable waterfront restaurant Queen Conch, and grabbing some delicious cocktails on the deck of Pink Sands Resort (where Nana and Pops stayed during their honeymoon!). Funny story, many places in Eleuthera are cash only, but cash is hard to come by on an island. On our way to Harbour Island, we had stopped at two ATM’s to get more cash, but both were out of money (yes, that really happens, especially on holiday weekends). So we payed for the ferry with cash ($5/person), then paid for the golf cart with cash ($75 for the 6-person cart I think, $50 for the 4-person), and paid for lunch with cash. We tried the ATM (yes, the ONE ATM) on Harbour Island as well, but, same result, out of cash. At the end of the day, we were having drinks at Pink Sands, and we realized we didn’t have enough cash to take the ferry back to mainland Eleuthera!!! So Nana (a native Bahamian) explained to the Pink Sands manager that she had stayed there for her honeymoon 50-plus years ago, and she kindly asked if they could add extra money to her credit card and give her back some cash. The manager politely told her “no, we don’t do that”, BUT, get this, about 10 minutes later, the manager came back with a handful of cash and gifted it to us, saying, “that’s what we do on this island, we take care of each other”. All of us had tears in our eyes when we thanked her for her amazing hospitality and generosity. Isn’t that incredible?!? Truth be told, Fiona had $40 in cash with her but Nana had no idea, so we really wouldn’t have been stranded after all, lol. However, that moment just left the sweetest taste in our mouths as we left Harbour Island… Bahamians are truly remarkable people.

Brian and I had booked a bone fishing trip for one of the days of our vacation, but unfortunately, the weather wasn’t going to cooperate for bone fishing – too windy – so the six of us we went out for an adventure day with the guide instead. Chubby, of Fishbone Tours, was the best and we could’t have asked for a better day! We snorkeled on a plane wreck, visited a baby shark nursery, Trent shot his first fish, we snorkeled on a couple of reefs, we played with sea turtles, we caught conch, we searched for starfish, and so much more I can’t even remember. And Chubby himself was super cool, brought us to all the fun spots, and let us do our thing! We highly recommend Fishbone Tours! However, Brian will tell you that he is still dying to go bone fishing in the Bahamas, so I guess we’ll have to figure that out sometime soon.

Another really fun day trip is Spanish Wells. Spanish Wells is an island off the north end of Eleuthera near Harbour Island, but it has a completely different vibe than “Briland” (as the locals refer to Harbour Island). Spanish Wells feels like a quaint fishing village, and unlike Harbour Island, Spanish Wells does not have a plethora of high-end boutique hotels and resorts. When we got off the ferry ($5/person) on Spanish Wells, we rented a 6-seater golf cart and set off the explore the island. We loved the adorable colorful cottages, magnificent hilltop views of the sea, and the laid back atmosphere and friendly locals. Our first stop was Sandbar Beach Bar & Grill, on the Russell Island section of Spanish Wells. It’s right on the ocean, with hammocks overlooking the water, corn hole, and tons of outdoor seating. The drinks were amazing and reasonably priced, so we decided to stay for two! Next, we headed to a beautiful beach/sandbar, right at the Russell Island Bridge. We hadn’t eaten, so we grabbed sandwiches and conch salad from the man selling food on the beach. Once again, the conch salad did not disappoint, so fresh and delicious! We ate, swam around for a bit, took photos (this spot is gorgeous!), then hopped back on the golf cart to do some more exploring. We popped in and out of some shops, then finally made our way to the other end of the island and grabbed a few drinks from The Shipyard. This spot has unbelievable views of the harbor and surrounding turquiose water. Finally it was time to return the golf cart and hop back on the ferry. The ferry was super crowded at that time of day (end of the work day for the locals I guess), so we had to wait a bit, but eventually we were able to get on and get back to the mainland of Eleuthera. We all loved the charm of Spanish Wells and we would definitely look into renting a vacation home there in the future!

Now that we’ve covered some of the “What To Do” in Eleuthera, let’s talk about restaurants and shops we loved! First thing to remember, bring enough cash! So many stores/restaurants/shops accept only cash, and like I mentioned, getting extra cash isn’t exactly easy, so be sure to have enough cash on hand to get you through. Some of our favorite restaurants on Eleuthera included Frigates in Rock Sound (most amazing grilled fish dinner), Wild Orchids in Rock Sound (great fish tacos), Rainbow Inn at Rainbow Bay (conch pizza!), Tippy’s in Governors Harbour (directly on the beach and amazing live music!), Buccaneer Club in Governors Harbour (really good conch fritters with tons of actual conch), Da Perk Cafe and Coffee Shop in Governors Harbour (because vacationing with kids = adults need extra coffee), Fishbone Beach Bar and Grill in Savannah Sound (on the water and fun with good food, but honestly just feels overpriced), Sammy’s Place in Rock Sound is a little off the beaten path, but if you are looking for a home cooked Bahamian meal, you must check this place out. We kept trying to eat at Seaside Breeze in Tarpum Bay but the hours/days they are open are strange and we missed it each time. Instead there is a place on the corner called Bayside View which has amazingly fresh conch and fish (the dock where the fishing boats come in is just a few steps away), but some locals hang outside of the restaurant and are probably mostly innocent, but it feels like it could get a little rowdy pretty quickly. Right across the street are swings, hammocks and a volleyball net in the water which the boys LOVED! They loved hanging out with the local Tarpum Bay kids (and dogs!) as well.

For our final day on Eleuthera, we had to check out of our Airbnb at 10am (because they had guests checking in that day, otherwise the owner seemed like she would have been flexible) but our flight wasn’t until 6pm. We headed to Pascal’s at the Sky Beach Club, just north of Governors Harbour. It ended up being the perfect place to spend a few hours. We swam in the pool, checked out the beach, grabbed lunch and drinks, and lounged on the sun deck. There was even a shower to rinse off before our flight. I would’t necessarily recommend it if you weren’t in a situation like ours, but for us, it was the ideal way to spend an afternoon before our flight.

There isn’t much shopping on Eleuthera, but if you are looking for a souvenir to bring home, there are a few options. My first pick is the Bahamas Hand Prints store in Governors Harbor. Gah, so adorable! I *might* have ended up bringing two dresses home with me, and a tote bag for Nana! It is all so pretty!!! Across the street is a store called Norma’s Gift Shop, which offers cute clothing, t-shirts, kids stuff, jewelry and more. The only other shop worth talking about is Pam’s Island Made Gift Shop, which sells a lot of Bahamian hand made items as well as clothing, t-shirts, jewelry, bags, and more. It’s definitely worth stopping in for a look if you are in Gregory Town.

We really had an amazing vacation in Eleuthera and made so many memories! The timing of our trip was perfect – the Bahamas was fully open to tourists again, although there were definitely restrictions and rules we had to follow in order to enter the country and leave the country to head back to the U.S. Masks were still very mandatory while we were visiting, and of course we were happy to oblige.

Just a couple of tips we would recommend if you plan on visiting Eleuthera. If we were to visit again, instead of staying in one house the entire trip, we would instead rent a house in South Eleuthera for half of the trip, then another house in North Eleuthera for the other half of the trip. Like I said, Eleuthera is a very long island, and the fun things to do are spread all over the entire island. This makes for A LOT of driving and of course there is just one road, a single lane in each direction. Driving is not fast or easy, so renting a home on each end of the island would definitely be the ideal way to vacation. Another tip is to make sure you rent an SUV or Jeep so you can get to all of the beaches. Many of the road to the beaches (especially Lighthouse Beach) are unpaved and rough, with tons of potholes. You want to make sure the car you rent can handle it (and is allowed on those roads, some cars aren’t). One more tip is to call ahead to make sure restaurants are open before you visit. Many close very early, and some just randomly don’t open at all, so before you have your heart set on a meal, call to make sure they are open and will serve you.

That’s it! Eleuthera is so wonderful, not touristy, and has so many fun and exciting places to explore and play. The locals are friendly, the island feels safe, and the laid back vibe is perfect for a relaxing vacation. Go to Eleuthera, you won’t regret it!