Accommodation on Andros skews heavily toward specialized lodges. The island has no large resort hotels, no Sandals, no all-inclusive beach complexes of the Nassau or Exumas type. What it has instead is a small number of purpose-built dive lodges, bonefishing camps, and eco-resorts, most of them all-inclusive and most of them expensive. Budget options are limited and concentrated in the main settlements.
The section of Andros matters as much as the property itself. North Andros hosts the island's two most established upscale properties. South Andros has one luxury eco-resort but almost nothing else. Central Andros (Fresh Creek area) has the most basic accommodation options.
North Andros
Small Hope Bay Lodge
The defining Andros lodge and one of the most distinctive properties in the Bahamas. Small Hope Bay has operated since the 1960s as a diver's resort and has retained its laid-back, communal character through multiple generations of the Birch family ownership. The style is deliberately unpretentious: meals at communal tables, no TVs in rooms, a bar built around conversation rather than a pool-bar concept.
Rooms are wooden cottages on the beach. The property is all-inclusive: accommodation, meals, bar, and most water activities (diving, snorkeling, kayaking) are covered in the rate.
This is primarily a dive resort. The house reef is accessible from the beach, dive boats run twice daily, and the staff knows the Andros barrier reef and blue holes in detail. Non-divers can enjoy the beach and other water activities, but the operation is oriented toward divers.
Rates approximately $400–650/night per person all-inclusive.
Kamalame Cay
A private cay accessible by boat from the mainland at Staniard Creek, about 10 minutes north of Fresh Creek. Kamalame is the high-end luxury option on Andros: well-designed bungalows and villas set in a tropical garden, a marina, and a more refined atmosphere than Small Hope Bay.
The property attracts a different visitor than Small Hope Bay, less dive-focused, more oriented toward couples wanting seclusion, and generally higher-spend. Sailing and watersports are available but the reef is not at the doorstep in the same way.
Rates approximately $500–900/night for villas; higher for larger villa configurations.
South Andros
Tiamo Resort
Tiamo is an adults-only, eco-luxury property on South Andros that may be the most remote resort in the Bahamas. The property has no TVs, no phone service, no direct road access, guests arrive by boat from Congo Town Airport. The design is understated wooden bungalows on a beach facing a protected lagoon, with good snorkeling and diving access, fishing, and kayaking.
All-inclusive. One of the most consistently praised small resorts in the Bahamas for travelers who want genuine remoteness without roughing it.
Rates approximately $700–1,100/night per person all-inclusive.
Mangrove Cay and Fishing Lodges
Mangrove Cay, in the middle section of Andros, has several smaller fishing-oriented lodges catering to bonefishing visitors. Swain's Cay Lodge is among the better-known options, offering simple accommodation with guided bonefishing as the primary activity.
Similar fishing camps operate in North Andros and along the western flats. These are typically spartan, basic rooms, meals included, guides arranged through the lodge, and priced primarily around fishing package rates rather than nightly accommodation. A week-long guided bonefishing package typically includes accommodation, meals, and daily guided fishing for one or two anglers.
Budget and Guesthouses
A small number of basic guesthouses and local inns operate in Fresh Creek and Nicholls Town. These offer the most affordable accommodation on the island, roughly $60–120/night, but are not oriented toward tourists and may have limited amenities.
For travelers on a tight budget who want to experience Andros without paying lodge rates, the combination of a local guesthouse and independent day trips to the blue holes park is feasible, but logistically more demanding than staying at a lodge where transport and activities are organized for you.
Practical Notes
- The major Andros properties book up months in advance for prime bonefishing and dive season (November through May). Last-minute availability at peak times is rare.
- Most lodges require a minimum stay, typically 3–7 nights.
- All-inclusive rates are standard at the top properties. Understand what's included before comparing rates, room-only pricing at comparable Caribbean properties would look superficially cheaper but cover far less.
- The major lodges handle airport transfers from all three Andros airports as part of their service.