Things to Do on Eleuthera, Bahamas: Your Guide to the Island of Pink Sand Beaches and Pineapples in the Atlantic Ocean
The island of Eleuthera, Bahamas is full of exciting things to do. From its famous pink sand beaches and blue swimming holes to stunning accommodations and delicious cuisine, it’s a destination filled with plenty of ways to get that island fix you’ve been craving.
If you’re on your way to Eleuthera, Bahamas in the near future, then there is a lot to get excited about. Eleuthera is a beautiful island brimming with crystal clear waters, pink sand beaches, diverse natural landscapes and a rich history.
It’s an exciting island to visit in the Bahamas because in many ways it feels like a quiet, peaceful island that you have all to yourself. Yet it has so many places to explore from its north to south, that you won’t be disappointed by spending a week or more here.
Contrary to popular belief, Bahamas isn’t technically part of the Caribbean, since its islands are in the Atlantic Ocean. This makes a trip to Bahamas and an island like Eleuthera such a welcome addition to a trip to places like Miami, since it’s such a short trip between these two places. If you are planning on taking a trip to any Caribbean islands once you leave Bahamas, though, then you’ll want to get a sense for the most beautiful places in the Caribbean before you plan this part of your trip.
Chris and I recently visited Eleuthera on a larger trip to the Bahamas. We started our trip spending some time walking around Nassau and getting to know a little bit about its history and culture before heading to Eleuthera.
Eleuthera is definitely one of the more beautiful tropical destinations we’ve visited, so I want to make sure that I highlight all of the best ideas for things to do on Eleuthera in this post. Keep reading to discover all of the exciting things to do when you visit this island for yourself!
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How to Get to Eleuthera: Airports in Eleuthera and Travel by Sea
Eleuthera is located approximately 120 kilometres or 75 miles east of Nassau. It’s very easy to get to Eleuthera from Nassau, either by plane or by ship.
My recommendation would be to fly to Eleuthera from Nassau, since flights only take about 20 to 30 minutes, and run fairly frequently. Before booking your trip, it’s important to be aware that there are three airports in Eleuthera, which is something I wasn’t expecting.
When you look at Eleuthera on a map, you can see that like many of its Bahamian neighbours, it’s a relatively long island. For getting around on Eleuthera, this means that while it may be considered a smaller island, its length means that you’ll either need to hire a driver, rent a car, or depend on taxis to get around once you’re on the island.
You will most likely need to fly to Nassau first before heading to Eleuthera. There are also a few airlines that fly directly to Eleuthera from the United States. American Airlines has daily flights from Miami, and Delta offers flights from Atlanta. However, most carriers fly from Nassau to Eleuthera. Bahamas Air, Southern Air Charter, and Pineapple Air are excellent local airlines to fly for this service.
Once you’ve picked your accommodation in Eleuthera, you can decide which of the airports in Eleuthera is best for you on this trip. The three airports in Eleuthera are:
North Eleuthera Airport (ELH): This airport is the busiest and northernmost airport in Eleuthera, and if you plan on spending your time in North Eleuthera or Harbour Island, then you definitely want to fly in and out of this airport. Not only is the airport convenient to access these parts of the island, but in the event that inclement weather closes the Glass Window Bridge, then you won’t be able to reach your final destination if you land at another airport. The Glass Window Bridge connects North Eleuthera with the rest of the island, and closes when ocean swells are bad. This happens on a somewhat regular basis depending on the time of year, so you don’t want a potential bridge closure to interfere with your trip.
Governors Harbour Airport (GHB): This airport is named after the nearby town and services the central parts of Eleuthera. It’s the second busiest airport on the island, and is relatively close to Governor’s Harbour and the resorts and hotels that are in the central part of the island.
Rock Sound International Airport (RSD): Rock sound is the least busy of the three airports in Eleuthera, and accesses the southern parts of the island. In its heyday, this airport was an intermediary stop for Pan Am airlines in the 1960’s, making stops from international destinations like Rome on the way to the United States. Although it’s far less busy today, it offers access to southern points of interest on the island, like pristine sand beaches and The Island School.
If you aren’t keen on flying, then there are ferries that operate to Eleuthera from Nassau, too. Bahamas Ferries offers several crossings per week for a similar price to plane tickets. Whereas the flight will take 20-30 minutes, the ferry crossing will take up to 3 hours. This is why I’d recommend flying to Eleuthera instead of taking a boat.
The Best Resorts in Eleuthera, and Other Places to Stay
Since Eleuthera is such an expansive island, choosing the accommodation that’s best for you during your trip is essential. While North Eleuthera and Harbour Island are likely the most popular areas to stay, there are some excellent places in central and south Eleuthera, too.
I know some people like the feeling of going to an all-inclusive resort when they’re on vacation, but Eleuthera isn’t the place to come for an all-inclusive experience. Its hotels and regions are worth exploring, so wherever you end up staying, do make sure you do yourself the honour of taking some time to properly acquaint yourself with the island, too.
In no particular order, here are the resorts in Eleuthera that I’d recommend staying at, and some other excellent accommodations, too:
Pineapple Fields Resort
The pool area is steps from the beach at Pineapple Fields Resort near Governor’s Harbour.
Pineapple Fields is such a great place to base yourself if you’re looking for a home-away-from-home feel on your trip to Eleuthera. It’s a comfortable, apartment-style resort on Eleuthera’s eastern coast, across the island from Governor’s Harbour.
The apartments are clean, well-appointed, bright and spacious. All apartments are equipped with beach chairs, plenty of towels, in-suite laundry facilities and several kitchen gadgets, like a blender and all the pots and pans you’d need.
There are countless suites to choose from, and some of them have a partial water view, but all units are walking distance to the beach. The resort has a well maintained pool and deck area in the centre of the complex, and although there’s no restaurant on site, Tippy’s Restaurant and Beachside Bar is conveniently located directly beside it. They offer live music a couple days a week, and are open for lunch and dinner every day but Mondays.
You’ll want to stock up on groceries in Governor’s Harbour before you arrive. Coffee is provided, but you’ll need a few other things, including drinking water for your stay.
If you’re keen to book this home-away-from-home resort for your next trip to Eleuthera, click here.
French Leave Resort
The view from one of the partial ocean view villas at French Leave Resort in Governor’s Harbour.
French Leave Resort is an Autograph Collection boutique luxury resort just down the road from Governor’s Harbour. It’s home to 22 luxury villas along the western coast of Eleuthera, with incredible sunset views. The resort has a picture-perfect infinity pool, fitness centre, access to water sports on site, and an exceptional restaurant, 1648.
Each villa comes with either a kitchenette or a larger configuration, and its own golf cart. Golf carts can be used to take you directly across the island to access the eastern coast and the resort’s own private pink sand beach, French Leave Beach.
French Leave is truly a stunning resort, and you will definitely feel like you’ve found your own slice of paradise on a stay here.
You can click here to learn more about booking a stay at French Leave Resort.
Pink Sands Resort
Ocean views abound from Blue Bar & Kitchen at Pink Sands Resort.
Pink Sands is likely the most famous resort on Harbour Island. It’s perched atop of Harbour Island’s most well known pink sand beach, and has gorgeous ocean views. The resort itself offers cottages, villas and homes on site, ranging in options from tropical garden views to ocean views.
The pink sand beach the hotel accesses is such a beautiful area for swimming and lounging during the day. The resort also has two delicious restaurants on site. Blue Bar & Kitchen is a laidback place to come for breakfast and lunch, with stunning 180 degree ocean views, and Macolm 51 is their fine dining restaurant.
Pink Sands is most definitely a special place on Harbour Island. If you’re interested in booking a stay during your time in Eleuthera, click here to learn more.
The Retreat
The Retreat is home to the largest pool on Eleuthera, and some seriously nostalgic 1950s vibes here on the island.
The Retreat is a unique resort hotel in South Eleuthera. It lived its former life as the Rock Sound Club, which was built in the 1950s at the height of the Pan Am buzz, bringing illustrious celebrities from Europe and North America here—think Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and the “Rat Pack”.
Its olympic-sized salt water swimming pool is the largest on the island, and today the resort is home to 16 spacious, vintage garden bungalows that have been tastfully updated. The whole resort feels like it’s straight out of an episode of Mad Men.
What makes The Retreat even more unique is it’s operated by the Centre for Training and Innovation, and is the only training hotel in The Bahamas. It is completely sustainable, and offers valuable skill and trade-building training for local communities on Eleuthera who are interested in building their own businesses in the hospitality industry.
Their on-site kitchen, Farmer’s Table, serves a variety of dishes, many of which are grown from the large organic farm located behind the hotel.
Other Hotels and Resorts Worth Staying At
These are the other places I’d recommend checking out as you’re narrowing down your list of options for accommodations on Eleuthera. They’re wonderful places to stay too, and come highly rated, each with their own unique story:
Villa Allamanda is a Bahamian-owned hotel set in the tropical landscape between the eastern and western shores near Governor’s Harbour. Rooms have views of the ocean in either direction, and are beautifully designed with a lot of local flavour and style.
La Bougainvillea is in central Eleuthera on the east coast, with a mix of garden- and ocean-view rooms and villas. It has a restaurant and pool area with breathtaking views of the ocean.
The Cove Eleuthera is near Gregory Town, and is a beautiful luxury property on its west coast. Accommodation options include regular rooms, bungalows, villas and suites, and it has breathtaking views of the ocean.
The Top Things to Do on Eleuthera Island
Once you’ve made your way to Eleuthera and found the best place to stay for your trip, the opportunities are truly endless for places to go and things you can do.
Inevitably you’re going to want to spend one or two solid days relaxing on a pink or white sand beach, but if you’re anything like me then you won’t be able to sit tight without seeing more of the island during your time here. And that’s for the best, since there’s so much to see on Eleuthera.
This list is in no particular order, but includes some of the things I’d recommend the most to take advantage of while you’re on the island.
Visit the Island’s Beaches
Pink sand beaches on Harbour Island
Eleuthera is lined with countless beaches and hundreds of miles of both sandy and rugged coastlines. Chances are that regardless of which part of Eleuthera you’re staying in, there’s a sandy beach within walking distance of your location.
Many accommodations and resorts in Eleuthera have their own private beaches, but there are standout beaches in all parts of the island. When we stayed at Pineapple Fields Resort, each suite came with beach chairs, and we were steps away from the beautiful nearby beach.
While not all beaches on Eleuthera are considered “pink sand beaches”, you’ll notice that many of them have a pinkish hue when you visit. This is because of a phenomenon with pink coral that erodes onto the beaches in and around the island. It’s very hard to capture the pink colour of some beaches in Eleuthera in a picture, but you’ll know them when you see them in person.
Some of the most well-known beaches on Eleuthera are Cape Eleuthera Resort Beach, Lighthouse Beach, Ten Bay Beach and French Leave Beach. Other great beaches on the island include James Cistern Beach, Paradise Beach and Authur's Beach. Note that some of these beaches are private beaches, but it might be possible to purchase a day pass if you speak to the hotel directly.
Embrace the Pineapples
Chris’s (many) pineapple shirts have never felt more at home than on Eleuthera!
This can take all sorts of forms, but the official symbol of Eleuthera is the pineapple. Chris came ready on our recent trip to Eleuthera, as he happens to have a lot of vacation-ready shirts adorned with the fruit of hospitality.
The main reason Eleuthera is symbolized by the pineapple is because it’s thought to be the first place to grow pineapples commercially. Pineapples have grown in and around the area of Gregory Town since the 1700s, but by the mid-1800s tens of thousands of pineapples were being shipped to England, where they were seen as a symbol of wealth at the time.
Today, Eleuthera still grows pineapples in fierce quantities. Many homes and businesses on the island are decorated or adorned by pineapple details in some way, so keep your eyes out for that during your trip.
If you’re visiting during pineapple season, be prepared for in-season pineapple to be in abundance throughout the island. It will also be well worth your time to either visit a pineapple field, or head to the annual Pineapple Festival, which is held in early June in Gregory Town, North Eleuthera.
Head to Harbour Island
Pinks and pastels are the signature colours on the many colonial homes in Dunmore Town, Harbour Island.
Known for its laidback atmosphere, historic town centre and pristine pink sand beaches, Harbour Island is an incredible destination in itself on Eleuthera. Although it’s technically its own separate island, it along with the other small breakaway islands off the coast of Eleuthera are all considered part of Eleuthera.
If you aren’t staying on Harbour Island, definitely take a day trip to explore it during your trip to Eleuthera. Water taxis to Harbour Island depart from Three Island Dock frequently—you’ll need cash to purchase your ticket—and once you’re on Harbour Island, I’d recommend renting a golf cart from someone at the pier when you arrive.
Golf carts are the primary means of transport around Harbour Island, and are an excellent way to see the island in a day. Start your trip by spending some time walking around the brightly coloured colonial homes in Dunmore Town. Keep an eye out for historic plaques and details on the homes, as Dunmore Town was settled in the 1700’s, and many colonial homes from this time still remain here today.
From Dunmore Town, check out the Lone Tree and Gusty’s Bar—two well-known spots to visit on the island—before heading to one of the island’s pink sand beaches for the rest of the day. We ended up heading to Pink Sands Resort for lunch at their beach bar, with stunning views of the ocean.
You can also take boat tours from the Harbour Island docks that go around the perimeter of the island to see the island from water. Boat tours offer views of the many beautiful homes around the island, and opportunities to see sea turtles or the famous wild pigs, too.
Visit the Sapphire Blue Hole
The Sapphire Blue Hole is true to its name.
The Sapphire Blue Hole is located in North Eleuthera, very close to Spanish Wells. It’s a beautiful natural swimming area, which feels a lot like an open-air cenote in Mexico.
It’s in a relatively remote area, but is a beautiful place to visit on Eleuthera for a quick stop. The main attraction here is to take in its beauty and enjoy this refreshing swimming area. The cliff jumping opportunity here is not for the faint of heart, but is a neat experience during your time on the island.
We visited later in the day during the shorter days of the year, so we missed the peak sun hours when you can see all the beautiful hues of blue in the hole from the high sun. Regardless of what the light is doing when you visit, it’s still an exciting place to stop and check out on a trip around North Eleuthera.
Be forewarned that you have to jump from the tall edge of the hole to access the swimming area. The only equipment you have to get out of the hole is a rope to use to scale back up the rockface. If you lack upper body strength, then this is something to consider.
As with swimming anywhere, make sure you always swim with a buddy, and ensure you’re wearing reef-safe sunscreen, or better yet just save the sunscreen for after your swim!
Drive the Glass Window Bridge
The Glass Window Bridge separates the Atlantic Ocean and the Bight of Eleuthera.
The Glass Window Bridge connects North Eleuthera with Central and South Eleuthera. Despite its name, there isn’t actually any glass, or even much of a bridge here. The name refers to the unique, naturally occurring phenomenon the “bridge” creates.
It’s unique in that the rock face creating this natural “bridge” separates the rough, choppy, deep blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean from the calm, turquoise and shallow Bight of Eleuthera. These waters are often incorrectly referred to as the Caribbean Sea, but the turquoise colour does look like the pictures you see of the Caribbean.
The rock face is only about 30 feet wide, so it’s definitely worth getting out of your vehicle to take a look. Images of this phenomenon of above really do an excellent job of showcasing this divide.
When you visit, it’s easy to see why this stretch of road is closed during inclement weather.
Check Out The Island’s Famous Caves
Preacher’s Cave in North Eleuthera
There are a few caves of note that are definitely worth checking out when you visit Eleuthera.
Preacher’s Cave is in North Eleuthera, not very far from the Sapphire Blue Hole. It gets its name from a group of Christians who were looking for religious freedom when they left Bermuda in the mid-1600s. They found refuge here after they were shipwrecked on the coast nearby.
They created an altar out of a large rock at one end of the cave, which still stands today. This was where the first religious services took place on the island. Today, it’s a nice place to visit to see its natural formation and learn about its history.
Another well known cave area is the Cathedral Caves and Boiling Hole in South Eleuthera. This large cave gets its name since it opens up like a cathedral ceiling, and it has many trees growing in and around the caves. Boiling Hole is another natural hole, similar to the Sapphire Blue Hole, however it isn’t one to swim in since there are natural gases that rise to the surface from the bottom of the hole, hence the name “boiling hole”.
Cathedral Caves in South Eleuthera
Sample Bahamian Cuisine
Being in Eleuthera presents the perfect opportunity to sample the most famous of Bahamian specialties—conch!
Pronounced “conK” in Bahamas, this is a famous food throughout all of its islands, but there are so many exciting opportunities to sample the many conch dishes, along with other specialties, in Eleuthera.
The most famous conch dishes are likely conch salad and conch fritters, which you will find all over the island prepared in all sorts of ways. Conch salad is prepared in a very similar way to ceviche, taking raw conch and preparing it along with onions, tomatoes, peppers, mango, or whatever is on hand. Conch fritters are exactly as they sound—they’re prepared in all different types of consistencies in a batter. It’s best to find a local place to sample these dishes at, where you’ll get a generous portion and a lot of flavour.
Bear in mind that conch is actually surprisingly filling, and it won’t take much conch salad, for example, for you to feel full. All the more reason to sample a little bit of conch everywhere you go as you make your way throughout the island.
Other exciting local dishes to try primarily revolve around fish and plantains. We enjoyed all sorts of delicious variations of spiney lobster, grouper, snapper and plantains during our time on the island.
Some of our favourite local restaurants that we visited while we were on Eleuthera were Daddy Joe’s in Gregory Town and Farmer’s Table in South Eleuthera. We heard great things about New Sunset Inn and Tippy’s Bar, but unfortunately they were both closed at the time we visited.
Other Things to Do in Eleuthera
Visit the Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve near Governor’s Harbour. It’s an impressive tropical oasis, filled with natural plants and ways to use these plants to cure ailments. If you have an interest in botany, plants or natural medicines, then a guided tour here comes highly recommended. The viewing tower is also a great way to understand the tropical elements of the centre of the island, and offers stunning panoramic views.
Take a tour of the Oasis Grow House. This sustainable initiative is connected to the One Eleuthera Foundation and The Retreat hotel. It’s a farm that’s the first of its kind of initiative on Eleuthera, and aims to provide healthy, local and sustainable vegetables to the island to fight the growing concern for food scarcity and healthy foods being too expensive for local communities.
Take a campus tour of The Island School in South Eleuthera. This is an exciting school for children of all ages, with boarding options available. Most importantly it’s a school focused on sustainable practices, learning in a natural environment and setting up places like Eleuthera and other parts of the Bahamas for environmental success in the future.
Take a boat or driving tour of the island to visit several of the sites mentioned on this list in one day.
Enjoy Your Vacation on Beautiful Eleuthera
It’s no question that Eleuthera is an incredible destination to visit in Bahamas, and in this part of the Atlantic, and the Carribbean in general. Regardless of what you decide to do on your trip to Eleuthera—even if it’s just relaxing on a beach and enjoying the bright coral sands beneath your toes—then it’s safe to say that you won’t feel any regrets about visiting here.
I will say that as Chris and I took off away from our time on Eleuthera and headed back to Nassau, watching the turquoise blue waters surrounding the outline of this beautiful place was a bit difficult to watch. Eleuthera is truly a paradise of an island to visit, and you’ll find that you’ll leave a little bit of yourself there.
I can’t wait until I can get back to Bahamas and Eleuthera, but in the meantime, I’m so glad I went.
This article was written in collaboration with Visit the Bahamas. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.