I am constantly on the hunt for long-weekend destinations. And, with Memorial Day just around the corner, I thought I’d share with you the perfect little hideaway. It’s called Harbour Island, known locally as Briland, and it has pink sand. Need I say more?
Harbour Island lies just northwest of Eleuthera Island in the Bahamas. It’s famous for its pink sand beaches and cute little pastel cottages.
To get to Harbour Island, you must first get to Eleuthera. Luckily, there is non-stop service from Fort Lauderdale to Eleuthera on both commercial and chartered airlines. You can also fly to Eleuthera from Nassau.
Once you make it to Eleuthera, you have to hop a cab ($5 per person) from the small airport to the dock and take the ferry over to Harbour Island (another $5 per person).
As soon as you get onto Harbour Island, you need to rent a golf cart (around $50 per day), as this will be your mode of transportation for the weekend. And, you need to get comfortable with driving on the other side of the street! Dunmore Town, the only town on Harbour Island, is full of golf carts zipping all around town.
When it comes to choosing lodging, you have two options: either rent one of the cute little cottage homes or take up residence in one of the many hotels on the island. If you are a family or a large group, the cottage homes are the way to go. While many of them are not beachfront, they have views of the bay. If being on the beach is your goal, then there are really only three options: The Dunmore, Coral Sands, or Pink Sands.
The Dunmore is hands down the most luxurious of the three, but it is also the most popular, and the property stays pretty full. While they are oceanfront, it is located on a busier part of the beach, so there are a lot of people around.
We stayed at Pinks Sands, and honestly, I am glad we did. Pink Sand’s is an historic property. But, it’s location is what makes this property a gem. It is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Dunmore Town and right on the ocean. The property is large, with 20 acres of gardens. There are 25 British Colonial cottages, so there are only a limited number of guests sharing this paradise with you and there are not many, if any, non-guests on the property. The best part is the private stretch of beach reserved for guests, with powdery pink sand and crystal clear turquoise water.
There are other hotels, like The Landing (owned by Prince Charles’s goddaughter, India Hicks), Bahamas House, and Valentine’s Resort and Marina, but these are located in town.
Harbour Island definitely runs on island time. The pace is just a little slower. The atmosphere is relaxed, but there is a hint of casual elegance. In fact, it’s a bit bougie. It is the type of place that unassuming billionaires go to relax; where people are casually, but expensively, dressed. There are a lot of regulars who return to the island year after year, and the marina is full of yachts. This is not a budget getaway. Food, lodging, and activities are pretty pricey on the island. Fortunately, the American dollar and Visa and MasterCard are widely accepted.
We spent our mornings on the beach, but by afternoon, we were out and about in the town. Our first mission was to grab lunch. Our go to spot was Sip Sip (the local slang for gossip). It is only open from 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It overlooks the Atlantic Ocean, and it is packed every single day.
There is one thing that you absolutely MUST order at Sip Sip: the lobster quesadilla. I dream about this quesadilla. It is one of the most delicious things I have eaten in my life. At $45, it is also the most expensive quesadilla you will ever eat. IT is worth every penny. It is generously filled with juicy chunks of fresh caught lobster. I am a food snob (just ask Chad). I am underwhelmed and unimpressed with most restaurants/meals. So, I don’t just throw around this kind of praise for dishes.
Another “must visit” eatery is Queen Conch. This place also gets super busy and is cash only. Their conch fritters are amazing (and, I am really not a huge fan of the conch fritter because they tend to be more fritter than conch), but the real star is the exotic conch salad.
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We would take ours to go and have a picnic on the sandbar.
After lunch, we explored the town, stopping in at all the fab (but pricey) retail shops.
We headed over to Arthur’s Bakery for cookies and key lime tarts and to the Sweet Spot Cafe for smoothies.
On some days, we would just ride around the town exploring all the local streets and the cute cottages.
We visited the straw market.
And, on one of the days, we chartered a boat to go snorkeling.
You can even ride horses on the beach!
In the afternoons, we would post up on our pre-reserved beach chairs and wait for the sun to set or take a ride out to the sandbar.
On one such afternoon, I had the great fortune of discovering this amazing young Asian couple who brought a giant sherbet colored unicorn raft onto the beach. This had Instagram written all over it. The little Asian girl posed for what seemed like an hour on the raft while yelling at her husband as he snapped away. Once she tired of the raft, she simply left it behind on the beach.
Not being one to pass up a gram-able moment (or a unicorn), I jumped on that bad boy and made like the Asian girl, while Chad died of embarrassment and took these photos! #BlogLife #BlogHusband
For dinner, there are two must try places, and neither of them are cheap. The first is the restaurant at The Landing, which requires a reservation.
The second is the Rock House, where a table on the terrace at sunset guarantees a magnificent view.
Before you know it, your long weekend will come to an end, and you will have to leave behind this little island paradise and return to real life. Hopefully, you will return a little tanned and well-rested, which is almost guaranteed after a few days on this little jewel of the Caribbean.
