Harbour Island located in the Bahamas is not for everyone, but it might be for you if you enjoy the small town kind of atmosphere. Don't expect beaches full of people either, seeing 300 people on the sandy beaches of Harbour Island is just about as crowded as it can get. The island is not all about luxury hotels and fancy life, in fact most of the hotels are small and range from small to elegant. If you like local strangers greet you on the street, this is the place for you. Also if you are looking for a tour around the island, it is probably best done on foot, or a jet ski if walking is not your thing.
There are quite a few interesting things to do on the Harbour Island in a totally friendly and welcoming atmosphere of the 1500-3000 people who live there. A good variety of different types of restaurants can be found here from classy and expensive restaurants to less formal and more affordable ones.
Even though Harbour Island is a tiny island, there are still plenty of things to do. Some of the things that stand out: Romantic dining and restaurants, local store shopping, water sports (swimming, scuba diving, jet ski, boating, surfing) or simply going to a church and lighting a candle for the Padre.
Some of the more expensive hotel restaurant experiences include: Pink Sands, a Caribbean fusion” cuisine in a chic, terraced garden setting, Poseidon at the Coral Sands: serves cuisine in a friendly and comfortable setting. Runway Hill Club offers formal, fixed-price meals in a charming, whimsical setting but you need to make reservations ahead of time. If you are looking for a romantic spot to eat well-prepared food, Romantic colonial style of The Landing restaurant may be the right place to give a visit to, recommended for couples.
If that's not enough, or if you're simply planning to gram some quick snacks and get back on your way to exploring the island's locations, plenty of quick casual lunch houses are available to assist you on your adventures: Sea-view Takeaway, located at the foot of Government dock, sells best sloppy conch burgers. Then there is the Sibyl's bakery, offering sandwiches and baked goods, located at just the North end of Dunmore street. Lobster sandwich and grilled Cuban sandwiches are generously provided by the Arthur's Bakery, and more recently they started making jerk chicken ceasar, located in the heart of town.
As the sun goes down, it is a great idea to go to the beach to witness such an incredible event of the bright ball of light seemingly submerging into the water at the horizon line. Watching the sunset on the bay is one of the memorable experiences of the evening on the island. As the evening disappears, it is the time to check out the bars and nightclubs on Harbour Island.
Don't expect crazy psychedelic discos. Harbour Island has none of such madness, it's a quiet, extremely friendly and welcoming place for someone who is not a be-crazed party animal who cannot survive for a long period of time without bright flashing lights and loud music pounding the eardrums, which can't be healthy anyway. The bars and clubs on Harbour Island are welcoming and friendly places where you can mix in with the locals for a few alcoholic drinks and have a great evening.
Out of the few places to visit are the Seagrapes (a nondescript cement structure over by the library) and the Vic-Hum Club (Owner by none other but Humphrey “Hitler” Percentie). Charlie's and JJ's are also among the places worth checking out. Charlie's is located next door from Arthur's Bakery, and is a usually empty place, it has a very cozy bar inside. They specialize in frozen daiquiris and sometimes offer free conch fritters and are very friendly. JJ's is a mostly locals hangout, where dinner and breakfast are available.
Most of the activities to do with water are here on Harbour Island. Enjoy the over water bungalows, go swimming or diving. The miles-long (only three actually) pink sand beach is on the Atlantic's side and it is has a nice reef where swimming is in particular desirable. There are also several islands in the vicinity of a few miles, or just an hour away, that offer excellent locations for fantasy picnics.
At the south end of the island, you will find Ocean Fox Dive shop that offers scuba diving, snorkeling and deep sea fishing equipment renting. At the Valentines Dive Center you can get yourself involved in snorkeling, reef running on underwater scooters, pool diving classes and a special program called “Bubblemaker” where you can have lots of fun in the water with scuba equipment.
For those who love fishing, the island offers Bonefish fishing locations and boat renting. Sail out into the ocean, or explore the shallow waters of the Harbour Island to fish. Some of the fishing guides can be booked for up to a year in advance.
Take a ferry to Eleuthera where you can go hiking, beach coming, surfing, and kayaking on hidden lagoons. Locate Bahamas Adventures for scheduling an adventure package that includes camping on the beach. The community of Harbour Island is sometimes in need of donations for local school and education system. If you could donate a few dollars, it would be highly appreciated by the island's community. You can donate to the reading program at the library or the Literacy program for special needs kids.
There are at least 8 churches on Harbour Island. It is not necessary to dress up before walking into a church on the island, however many locals do. The churches are God's Living Word (that looks like a small green building), Gaitian Church of God, Wesleyan Methodist Church, Church of God of Prophecy, Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Lighthouse Church of God, and St. John's Anglican Church.
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