The original English settlers named this island Eleuthera from the greek word for freedom.
They meant religious freedom. For the modern world Eleuthera has come to mean more than that.
It means freedom from noise, freedom from crowds and city congestion, freedom from overbooked
schedules. And, for those of us from northern climates, freedom from winter.
Eleuthera's a long, thin island - nearly 110 miles long but,
at its widest, only 2 miles across. It's blessed with an abundance of beaches and
perpetuatal summer - winter highs are in the mid 70's, summer highs in the mid to upper 80's.
With a population of about 10,000, Eleuthera, unlike Nassau, is not a "big city" kind of place.
The largest town, Governor's Harbor located at the mid-point of the island, has a
small town victorian charm.
The Queen's Highway, running the entire length of island
(driving is on the left), connects Eleuthera's many small settlements and makes exploring
by car relatively easy. Much of the island is very rural in character.
Harbor Island and Spanish Wells,
islands off the north end of Eleuthera, are accessed by water taxi. Dunmore town on
Harbor Island was the original capitol of the Bahamas. It's brightly painted
clapboard houses are reminiscent of New England in style if not in color. An enchanting
place to roam around.
Eleuthera's beaches are scattered up and down both coasts. Many of them have soft, pale pink
sand and stunning turquoise water. The Atlantic beaches tend to be rougher - surfers love it!
The Caribbean side is calmer - great for snorkeling. Most of them are easily accessible although
some may take a bit of exploring to find. But, no matter which beach you're on, you're likely to
have it to yourself.
Water in shades from the lightest turquoise to dark cobalt blue, soft pink sand beaches, warm weather
and a "take it easy" atmosphere define a vacation on Eleuthera.
For more information on the island, good places to eat, where to rent dive equipment or a boat
and so forth use the following links. Eleu.net and myharbourisland.com are especially good sites.
eleu.net
myharbourisland.com
bahamasvg.com