Spanish Wells, have you ever heard of it? If not, here’s a quick lesson. Spanish Wells is a little fishing village off the larger Bahamian Island of Eleuthera. There are actually two islands right off Eleuthera – Spanish Wells and Harbour Island – with ferries from Eleuthera to each. Many people have heard of Harbour Island… it’s like the island of the rich and famous, known for its pink sand beaches and fancy resorts. Spanish Wells, on the other hand, is quiet, laid-back, and very non-commercial. The locals are friendly, the beaches are gorgeous, and the water is the perfect shade of turquoise. For us, Spanish Wells was the perfect getaway for a long weekend.
Since our home is in Florida, Spanish Wells was an easy choice for a mellow tropical getaway. We drove from our house in Melbourne Beach down to the Fort Lauderdale Airport, where we hopped on Silver Airways for a direct flight to North Eleuthera Airport. The flight was an hour long and very picturesque. Flying over the islands of the Bahamas is always beautiful. Once we landed in Eleuthera, our Airbnb host (more on that in a minute) had a taxi waiting for us to take us about 20 minutes to the ferry dock. We arrived at the ferry dock, hopped on a boat, and were in Spanish Wells in about 15 minutes. So easy! Once we stepped onto Spanish Wells, our lovely Airbnb hosts were there to greet us and take us by golf cart to the home we had rented. Again, so easy!
We traveled at the beginning of November, which is still the off-season for the Bahamas. We found the perfect home to rent through Airbnb, Fish Fever. Fish Fever is actually on Russell Island, which is connected to Spanish Wells by a small bridge. Fish Fever was absolutely adorable and perfect for our stay – two bedrooms, one bath, full kitchen, and views of the ocean. Oh, it also came with a golf cart which saved us from having to rent one on our own. Not a big deal, but it was just so easy, convenient, and saved us a few bucks. Spanish Wells and Russell Island are very golf cart friendly Islands, no other mode of transportation is necessary! Fish Fever is waterfront, but if you are looking for “beachfront”, this property might not be for you. There is a seawall with steps that lead right down into the ocean and there is a manmade beach on the property, but you won’t be walking from the sand into the water (if that makes sense!). We were aware of the setup of the property when we booked and it worked out absolutely fine for us. My boys love to swim and snorkel, so they were very happy to just walk down the steps into the water. The house is equipped with kayaks and paddle boards as well which we took full advantage of. Basically, Fish Fever had everything we needed for a great vacation!
We had spent a day on Spanish Wells a couple of years ago during our trip to Eleuthera, but this was the first time we had spent several days there. I will share what we did while we were there, as well as where we ate. It was a simple, relaxing trip!
We spent a lot of time on the rocks and “beach” in front of the house, searching for shells, hermit crabs, creatures, etc. A highlight was hermit crab races… always entertaining! (And of course, no hermit crabs are injured during this activity).
We swam and snorkeled right in front of the house; we also kayaked and paddle boarded. We spent time on the back porch, reading and relaxing.
One of my sons saw an island in the distance and made a goal to kayak to it; we all wanted to support him, so we spent a few hours kayaking to the island, exploring, and kayaking back (in VERY windy, rainy weather!).
We also explored Spanish Wells by golf cart; we found hermit crabs, found cool spots to jump into the water, and we found different beaches to check out, and looked for wildlife (we saw lots of rays and one sea turtle). We found the amazing in-water swings and played for a while… it’s also the perfect photo spot! We stopped at the beach under the bridge and waded, played, and explored.
As far as food, we went grocery shopping at Food Fair, which is the biggest grocery store on Spanish Wells. We grabbed food for breakfast and lunches (we knew we wanted to go out for dinner each night), as well as snacks and drinks. In the past, grocery stores in the Bahamas have seemed VERY expensive, but compared to our current food prices at home, it really didn’t seem too bad! Haha. We enjoyed all of the restaurants on the island, our favorite probably being Sandbar Bar & Grill, which was just a few minutes from the house. The boys loved playing on the beach and in the water while we waited for our food. They also have waterfront hammocks, so fun! Wreckers is really nice with pretty views, and The Shipyard is right on the tip of the island. One day we noticed Sweet Sweetings, which is a house/bakery run by a local family. We stopped in to grab some things for breakfast, but they also offer homemade/premade dinners that smelled great. We highly recommend their cinnamon rolls; they are huge and truly amazing. We also stopped by Papa Scoops one night for soft serve ice cream. When we arrived, there was a line of golf carts also waiting to get ice cream from the little drive up stand. Such a fun and unique sight! We tried to go back to Papa Scoops another night, but it was closed. Luckily, Eagles Landing restaurant is just down the road and they have a drive up that serves a nice variety of hard ice cream, so phew, the night wasn’t a loss!
When it was time to leave Spanish Wells, we just loaded up the golf cart, drove it to the ferry dock, and left it there! So easy! Once we arrived back on Eleuthera, our Airbnb host had arranged for a taxi to meet us there, all ready to drive us to the airport. Honestly, the whole trip was so simple. Everything went smoothly and we all had a really nice time; it was the perfect getaway for a long weekend!
Just one more note… we had been to Eleuthera recently and had done many of the fun activities in the area. So, if you are planning a trip to Spanish Wells, you can hire a boat and/or guide to take you to many of the really cool places Eleuthera is known for… the blue holes, Glass Window Bridge, Queen’s Bath, swimming pigs, sea turtles, diving/snorkeling spots, finding starfish and conch, fishing, and so much more. You can check my Eleuthera post to read about many of these activities.
