Travel Diaries: Harbour Island, Bahamas
shopping on the island . . .
We found some really cute shops while on the island and loved the vibe of souvenir shopping the most. Here were our favorites . . .
A and A Hidden Treasures: If you don’t go anywhere else to shop, please go to A and A Hidden Treasures. We loved learning about the history of basket weaving from the sweet ladies and Caroline, Sarah, and I were beyond excited with our beautiful bags we picked out. Alice has the most beautiful straw bags and takes such pride in her work.
The Blue Rooster: Great jewelry, coverups, sarongs all located in an adorable house with blue doors. Fun Fact: The owner of Quadrille Fabrics owns this cute shop, so of course the fitting rooms and windows are decked out with gorgeous Quadrille decor.
The Sugar Mill: This beauty of a shop is owned by the one and only, India Hicks. So, as you can imagine, the shop itself is beautiful and the items for sale are even more beautiful.
Tip Top is a cute general store where Sarah loved going in for a piece of candy, but always stopped by the toy isle to see what she could look at while there.
Shell and Tings: The girls bought a few fun souvenirs at this fun spot and the owner is a bright, happy person on the island.
Richard Wrona Art: He has a tiny gallery down by the water, and we fell in love with his bright works of art. We especially loved the roosters he paints.
Piggly Wiggly: We can’t forget this island style grocery store. It’s so tiny, you almost miss it when stopping by, but it is perfect for a box of cereal or extra bottles of sparkling water. We loved this island stop.
exploring the dunmore . . .
We loved seeing The Dunmore and loved having lunch there a few days. The property is gorgeous and the fabrics and design are fabulous! This hotel seems to always stay booked up and since our trip was a completely last minute trip, The Dunmore was not an option, but we loved seeing this lovely hotel and want to stay here next time!
eat & sip . . .
Enjoying time around the Harbour before dinner at Romora Bay
Morning coffee run to Cocoa Coffee House
Serious game of UNO at Acquapazzo
If you’re a foodie, this is the island for you. Harbour Island has some of the best food we have had on an island. The restaurant scene is low key and welcoming, but the food is fabulous. Some of our favorites places to eat are listed here:
The Landing: This one came highly recommended by a good friend and it did not disappoint. The only mistake we made was making a reservation outside in the garden. I love to eat outside, but I would recommend a reservation inside because the flies were really bad. Go for the A.B.C. salad…it was one of the best salads and local fish with lemon butter is incredible!
The Dunmore: This was our favorite lunch on the island. With so many great things on the menu, you can’t go wrong. Matthew loved the fish tacos and Sarah thought it was the best Shirley temple, but that may have had more to do with the fabulous lunch view. I went more for the interior design, but the food was great too!
Pink Sands / Malcolm 51: Since this is where we stayed, we planned to eat here the first night. We were tired from traveling, so it was a nice quiet spot for our first night. The food was amazing. We had a crab cake special, but honestly most everything on their menu looked delicious.
Blue Bar & Restaurant: This fun lunch place is located at The Pink Sands hotel, where we were staying, and the lunch was one of our favorites. We loved just getting the chips and salsa while the kids ate lunch and overlooking the most beautiful beach.
Coral Sands / Latitude 25: We ate dinner here one night and the view is to die for, but to be honest - it was not our favorite meal. I’ve heard lunch is much better, so maybe go for the lunch, or maybe we just went on an off night. Definitely check it out a have a rose’ there…it is a gorgeous bar and restaurant, so worth checking out!
Romora Bay: This was by far one of our favorite spots. The sunset is breathtaking and the vibe is super fun. You have people coming in off boats, hotel, house and resort guests from all over the island, as well as locals. We sat next to a cute couple on a date, both locals. The food was delicious. Definitely get the fried conch!
Acquapazzo: This little Italian gem was delicious. I had a shrimp and avocado salad I wish I could eat every night and the atmosphere is vibrant.
Cocoa Coffee House: We payed a visit here most mornings. It’s quite the hot spot on the island for coffee and pastries. The girls loved the mango smoothies and fresh croissants. I personally loved the iced coffee and it was the best way to start the day!
Bahamas Coffee and Roasters: This was a yummy stop on our last morning. Caroline had the pancakes and loved them!
DaVine Wine Merchants: This was Sarah’s favorite night, as she claims sushi is by far her favorite food. The fresh sushi here was some of the best we have ever had! Everything we had this night, we devoured.
Ms. V’s: Ms. V is on the beach in the cutest yellow beach hut, a short walk from Pink Sands and The Dunmore. She makes margaritas, a fabulous goombay smash (a Harbour Island favorite), lots of snacks, and our personal favorite was the virgin strawberry daiquiri or mango daiquiri. She gives children who come by a ring pop, so you can imagine who that won over in our family!!
golf cart life . . .
Love the spelling of “Matthew”… there were so many golf carts, we kept the sign on so we could tell which one was ours!
Pretty much everyone travels around on golf carts only on Harbour Island. You hardly see any cars on the island. We LOVE a vacation where we don’t have to get in a car and this is one of those places! The island is 3.5 miles long and 1.5 miles wide, so we were able to get out and explore in the mornings and afternoons all over the island. Island golf cart life made for fun outings when we needed a break from the sun. We rented our cart through Major’s Rentals and they were wonderful. They left the golf cart at the dock for us upon arrival and met us back at the dock on our departure day for us to sign and give the keys back.
where we stayed . . .
We stayed in an adorable cottage at The Pink Sands Resort. We woke up to a gorgeous view everyday and the hotel staff was wonderful. We loved everything about Pink Sands. However, the pool was in a location where we did not go to it at all. That was really our only complaint about the resort, which really did not matter considering how much we love the beach and the Bahamas ocean is the best! I’m not sure about you, but salt water is so refreshing, and when I’m at the beach I want to have fun like I am a kid again, so I jump waves and swim as much as Matthew and the girls. We played in the ocean and jumped waves so much, Caroline said she felt like she was floating in the ocean when she went to sleep one night. We spent hours and hours jumping waves each day, so I’m not sure we would have spent much time in the pool much anyway, it’s just something to consider if a pool is super important to you.
vacation style . . . the girls
vacation style
out exploring . . .
tyman charters . . .
Tyman Charters was by far the highlight of our week long trip to Harbour Island. We were able to see the swimming pigs, feed the sea turtles, snorkel with gorgeous fish, and even enjoying seeing a ton of dolphins and a manatee. Oh, and we found the most gorgeous starfish the girls held for pictures. This was such an experience! Reuben was our captain and he was the BEST! I’ve heard great things about Tyson (the owner) and his daughter Brianna, but I cannot say enough great things about Reuben. Oh, and e-mailing with April, Tyson’s wife was great. She is super responsive and makes sure you are completely taken care of and ready for a day on the water.
This was the perfect trip to take right after Caroline finished her first year of middle school and Sarah finished the most amazing kindergarten year. It was a slow pace vacation where we had lots of beach walks and time to talk and reflect on the past school year on our patio at our little cottage. I’ll always think of this trip as the best getaway for the four of us right after these important school milestones and love the time it gave us to really talk and enjoy both girls before the excitement of summer with friends begins. Harbour Island ….. we’ll be back! XOXO, Tracy