by Darwin Porter and Danforth Prince Bahamas FOR DUMmIES ‰ 4TH EDITION s 01_962503 ffirs.qxp 10/26/06 11:41 AM Page iii Plan your trip with For Dummies Covering the most popular destinations in North America and Europe, For Dummies travel guides are the ultimate user-friendly trip planners. Available wherever books are sold or go to www.dummies.com And book it with our online partner, Frommers.com � Book airfare,hotels and packages � Find the hottest deals � Get breaking travel news � Enter to win vacations � Share trip photos and stories � And much more Frommers.com,rated the #1 Travel Web Site by PC Magazine 01_962503 ffirs.qxp 10/26/06 11:40 AM Page i Available wherever books are sold. Go to www.dummies.com or call 1-877-762-2974 to order direct. The fun and easy way™ to travel! U.S.A. 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For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport. Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books. Library of Congress Control Number: 2006934822 ISBN-13: 978-0-471-96250-2 ISBN-10: 0-471-96250-3 Manufactured in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 4B/RQ/RR/QW/IN 01_962503 ffirs.qxp 10/26/06 11:41 AM Page iv About the Authors Darwin Porter, while still a teenager, began writing about The Bahamas for the Miami Herald and has been a frequent visitor ever since. His writing partner is Danforth Prince, formerly of the Paris bureau of the New York Times, who has co-authored numerous Frommer’s best-sellers with Darwin, including those to the Caribbean, Bermuda, and the Virgin Islands. 01_962503 ffirs.qxp 10/26/06 11:41 AM Page v Editorial Editors: Suzanna R. Thompson, Production Editor; Christine Ryan, Development Editor Copy Editor: Elizabeth Kim Cartographer: Andrew Murphy Senior Photo Editor: Richard Fox Cover Photos Front: © David Stoecklein/Corbis Back: © Davis Sacks/Getty Images Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Composition Services Project Coordinator: Ryan Steffen Layout and Graphics: Carl Byers, Stephanie D. Jumper, Barbara Moore, Heather Ryan, Julie Trippetti Special Art: Anniversary Logo Design: Richard Pacifico Proofreaders: David Faust, Christine Pingleton, Techbooks Indexer: Techbooks Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User Composition Services Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services Publisher’s Acknowledgments We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at www.dummies.com/register/. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: 01_962503 ffirs.qxp 10/26/06 11:41 AM Page vi Contents at a Glance Introduction.......................................................1 Part I: Introducing The Bahamas .........................7 Chapter 1: Discovering the Best of The Bahamas ........................9 Chapter 2: Digging Deeper into The Bahamas ............................21 Chapter 3: Choosing Where to Go ................................................33 Chapter 4: Deciding When to Go ..................................................61 Part II: Planning Your Trip to The Bahamas........69 Chapter 5: Managing Your Money ................................................71 Chapter 6: Getting to The Bahamas..............................................81 Chapter 7: Booking Your Accommodations ................................92 Chapter 8: Catering to Special Travel Needs and Interests ....103 Chapter 9: Taking Care of the Remaining Details ......................112 Part III: New Providence: Nassau, Cable Beach, and Paradise Island....................................123 Chapter 10: Settling into New Providence..................................125 Chapter 11: Staying in Style in New Providence........................132 Chapter 12: Dining Out in New Providence................................145 Chapter 13: Having Fun On and Off the Beach in New Providence..................................................................159 Part IV: Grand Bahama ..................................183 Chapter 14: Settling into Grand Bahama ....................................185 Chapter 15: Staying in Style in Grand Bahama ..........................191 Chapter 16: Dining Out in Grand Bahama ..................................199 Chapter 17: Having Fun On and Off the Beach in Grand Bahama ....................................................................211 Part V: The Abacos: Prime Out Islands .............231 Chapter 18: Marsh Harbour and Great Abaco Island................233 Chapter 19: Elbow Cay..................................................................248 Chapter 20: Green Turtle Cay ......................................................260 Chapter 21: Treasure Cay ............................................................271 Part VI: The Out Islands..................................281 Chapter 22: Harbour Island..........................................................283 Chapter 23: Eleuthera ..................................................................297 Chapter 24: Exuma ........................................................................314 Chapter 25: San Salvador ............................................................330 02_962503 ftoc.qxp 10/26/06 11:41 AM Page vii Part VII: The Part of Tens................................339 Chapter 26: Top Ten Myths about The Bahamas ......................341 Chapter 27: Top Ten Bahamas Moments....................................344 Appendix: Quick Concierge..............................347 Index.............................................................351 Maps at a Glance New Providence and Paradise Islands....................................................37 Grand Bahama Island................................................................................39 The Abaco Islands ....................................................................................41 Harbour Island ..........................................................................................45 Eleuthera ....................................................................................................46 Exuma..........................................................................................................49 San Salvador ..............................................................................................51 Nassau and Paradise Island Accommodations....................................134 Cable Beach Accommodations..............................................................137 Nassau and Paradise Island Dining ......................................................148 Cable Beach Dining..................................................................................157 Fun in New Providence ..........................................................................160 Grand Bahama Accommodations..........................................................194 Grand Bahama Dining ............................................................................202 Fun in Grand Bahama..............................................................................212 Marsh Harbour ........................................................................................235 Elbow Cay ................................................................................................249 Green Turtle Cay......................................................................................261 Treasure Cay ............................................................................................273 Harbour Island ........................................................................................284 Eleuthera ..................................................................................................298 Great Exuma/Little Exuma......................................................................315 San Salvador ............................................................................................331 02_962503 ftoc.qxp 10/26/06 11:41 AM Page viii