Eleuthera, Bahamas
Several astronauts have commented that the Bahamas is the prettiest place on Earth as viewed from space. This is thanks to its vivid turquoise water and captivating reefs. My family most certainly agrees, and my son says that this was his favorite vacation that we have ever taken. And he wants to know when we are going back. We stayed in a gorgeous home called Cornerwall House that was located on the bay of Governor’s Harbor. This historic house was built in 1905 as a ship captain’s home. The inside of the home had been renovated in a beautiful beachy style that stayed true to the feel of the Bahamas.
We had chosen to visit the island of Eleuthera because a photographer friend of ours had traveled there in the past, and the color of the water in his photographs was the most beautiful that I had ever seen (the astronauts are right!). I knew that I wanted to visit there someday, so I added it to my bucket list. It was on the list for a few years before we could make it, but a 40th birthday seemed like the perfect opportunity to fulfill a dream. Eleuthera is also the kind of location that we like to visit-one that is off of the beaten path without a lot of tourism.
The first item on our agenda was to visit the Glass Window Bridge. This is a spot not to be missed when you visit Eleuthera! Eleuthera is such a small sliver of an island. The Glass Window Bridge is a stretch of land so narrow that you can see the dark blue of the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the turquoise blue of the Caribbean sea on the other side. You have to drive over the bridge to get the southern part of the island, and some of the guidebooks explicitly advise not to drive over the bridge if the weather was stormy because cars have been washed away when there are large waves.
Next up, we visited a hidden little area called Queen’s Bath. This was our kid’s favorite spot to explore on the island. It is a gorgeous area built into a cliff filled with colorful tidepools. My family loved climbing around on the rocks and exploring the natural caves. We found lots of fun shells and sea urchins! Be sure to wear shoes in the tide pools so that you don’t get hurt if you accidently step on an urchin. The area is so isolated that we were only ones here, and it felt almost like we were on a different planet. But we did hurry out as soon as storm rolled in.
Next up, we stopped at Sammy’s Pool Bar. We had a delicious poolside lunch and the loungers are open to everyone. The kids had fun swimming in the pool overlooking the ocean, and the swim up bar had some great cocktail options for the adults. If you get bored with the pool and crave some waves, the beach is just a few steps away.
