April 6 - Last Day in Paradise

“Family and friends are hidden treasures, seek them and enjoy their riches.” – Wanda Hope Carter

We spent our last morning on Eleuthera at our favorite beach soaking in this incredible view. Looking at this water never gets tiring to me.

Then we enjoyed lunch overlooking the Exuma Sound at Leo Rose...great local food at a great price. 

This is what you get when you ask these little monkeys to smile...😂

One last look at our Atlantic Beach 

Getting packed and ready to go home

Good-bye paradise

April 5 - Harbour Island, Eleuthera

“When all the dust is settled and all the crowds are gone, the things that matter are faith, family, and friends.” – Barbara Bush 

By Friday we all decided to go our own way for part of the day...Eric and his family spent the day at Sky Beach Resort, Kyle and his family went back to our favorite little beach on the Exuma Sound and Stan and I drove north to explore Harbour Island. The island is located at the northern end of Eleuthera and is called “Briland” by the locals. A sign welcomes you that reads, “Welcome to Harbour Island, Home of Friendly People”. 

It's a small island famous for it's pink sand beach that stretches for 2.5 miles. Dunmore Town is one of the oldest and most charming of settlements in the Bahamas, complete with white picket fences. Harbour Island has been Eleuthera's tourism center since the advent of tourism on Eleuthera. 

The ferry dock in Dunmore Town

The waterfront

Part of the small straw market at Harbour Island

We enjoyed looking around and had a nice lunch at Sip Sip overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. This area has a more touristy feel to it...more of a Cape Cod, Nantucket feel almost. Lots of people who spend time here seem to be the kind who feel they're entitled to something...a little more uppity than the area we're in. We're glad we came for a visit, but we're also glad we rented a house where we did.

Rockhouse Resort and Sip Sip

Sip Sip (means talk talk..chit chat)

Pink Sand Beach on Harbour Island is considered one of the very best pink sand beaches in the world. The pale pink color of the sand comes from microscopic coral insects, known as Foraminifera, which have a bright pink or red shells. These animals live on the underside of reefs, like the nearby Devil's Backbone, on the sea floors, beneath rocks and in caves. After the insect dies, the wave action crushes the shell and washes the remains ashore and mixes it in with the sand and bits of coral. The pink stands out more in the wet sand at the water's edge. Unlike other parts of the world, the sand here is always cool, so it doesn't burn your feet, even on the hottest days.

Some of the buildings in town

Family Time

“These hands have held many things, but nothing as sweet as the hand of a grandchild.” – Unknown

The best part of this vacation was watching our grands play...we all had a wonderful time together. Most of our week was spent relaxing on the beach, swimming in the pools and enjoying our beautiful house. Here are a few pictures from our fantastic week in Eleuthera.

This was my favorite place in the whole house...you could see and hear the Atlantic Ocean and there was always a wonderful breeze. 

Cousin breakfast

The kitchen was large enough for everyone to help make the meals

This is the Atlantic beach just down from our house 

Our favorite beach was on the Exuma Sound...Cocodimama Beach.

The smallest sand dollar I've ever seen.

We had two pools we could use and getting to them was fun in the golf cart...the kids loved both of them.

The kids called this one the black pool (Sky Beach Club) because the bottom looked like sand and the water was darker.

One morning we drove over to Eleuthera Island Farm to buy fresh veggies. It's located just south of Governor's Harbour.

Our next stop that day was Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve...a fun change of pass for the morning.

Then lunch at the Buccaneer Club 

Another favorite activity in the evening was making s'mores.

April 3 - Dinner at the Beach

“You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.” – Desmond Tutu

One of the most enjoyable evenings while we were in Eleuthera was spent at Tippy's. The restaurant sits on the Atlantic beach just south of Governor's Harbour. We had a large table on the deck overlooking the water...the view was wonderful, the food was very good and the kids had fun playing in the sand before and after dinner. 

A few of the dishes we enjoyed.