Hidden Gems and Underrated Islands
The Bahamas has about 700 islands and cays, but most visitors see two: Nassau and the Exuma cays within a day-boat radius. The islands below reward the effort to reach them. Some require a short flight, some a water taxi, some just a 20-minute drive from a resort you're already staying at.
Eleuthera
Eleuthera is the best underrated island in the Bahamas for travelers who want genuine quiet. Population about 11,000, no traffic lights, and a geography so narrow in places you can see both the Atlantic and the Caribbean Sea from the road. It sits about 50 miles east of Nassau, close enough for a quick flight but far enough to feel like a different country.
The Cove Eleuthera
A 40-acre boutique property that opened in 2013 and completed a multi-tiered renovation in late 2024. The renovation revamped 29 rooms and added four cottages and a two-bedroom suite. The property has two beaches, a spa with standalone cottages, bike cruisers, a full dock, and Freedom Restaurant with a dedicated sushi bar run by South African chef Aadam Coetzee. The two-bedroom ocean-view suite runs 1,100 square feet with en-suite baths and a powder room. A three-bedroom cove villa sleeps up to six and comes with a lap pool and butler service.
The Farm
Opened November 2024 by Ben Simmons, who also runs The Other Side on Eleuthera and Ocean View on Harbour Island. Twelve solar-powered cottages on a working farm: eight larger units at 1,024 sq ft and four smaller at 540 sq ft. Breakfast is complimentary and comes from the property's 200 garden beds and flock of about 70 chickens. Lunch and dinner are reservation-only with priority to guests; the kitchen uses garden vegetables, daily-caught fish, and no meat. A spa with a cold-plunge pool is planned for 2026. The location is practical: 10-minute shuttle to North Eleuthera Airport, five-minute walk to the beach, and a 10-minute ferry to Harbour Island. Prices as of late 2024: $600/night for the larger cottages, $400/night for the smaller ones. Verify before booking, as rates change.
Sapphire Blue Hole
A natural inland blue hole with a 40-foot jump platform into a pool of vivid cerulean water. One of those places that looks implausible until you're standing above it.
Harbour Island
Harbour Island (locally called "Briland") is no secret among experienced Bahamas travelers, and Travel + Leisure readers have voted it among the best islands in the archipelago. What most visitors miss is that the island rewards more than a single-day trip.
Pink Sand Beach
The pink hue comes from fragments of foraminifera shells mixed into the sand. The color is most vivid when the sand is wet, right after the tide pulls back. The beach runs about three miles and is 50 to 100 feet wide depending on the tide. Come at low tide for the best color.
Briland Club
A 27-acre property on the southern end of Harbour Island with the only marina on the island that carries 480-volt power at every pedestal. The marina bar is called Bar 480. Activities include stand-up paddleboards, 18-foot Boston Whalers, and four pickleball courts. The property is permitted for up to 93 residences and was accepting reservations as of early 2023. Verify current availability directly.
Getting to Harbour Island: fly into North Eleuthera Airport (ELH), about 30 minutes from Miami and just over two hours from New York. A 10-minute ferry connects North Eleuthera to the island.
The Exumas
Travel + Leisure has named the Exumas among the top four Caribbean islands, and the archipelago's 365 cays justify the reputation. Most visitors hit the swimming pigs at Big Major Cay and Thunderball Grotto. Below are the spots worth adding.
Pipe Creek Sandbar
Shifting tides in the Exuma Cays expose temporary sand islands that disappear when the water rises. There is no permanent landmass here, which is exactly the point. Time your visit around low tide.
Shroud Cay
Uninhabited and accessible only by boat at the northern end of Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park. A tidal river locals call the "washing machine" generates a natural whirlpool current strong enough to float you without swimming. No development, no services, no crowds on most days.
Tropic of Cancer Beach, Little Exuma
Little Exuma connects to Great Exuma by a one-lane bridge. The Tropic of Cancer Beach sits at the island's south end, reached via Queen's Highway, a left turn, then a dirt road marked with a sign at the entrance. The beach extends northward; a rock outcropping marks a private property boundary. Snorkeling is good at the rocks on the right side. Santanna's Bar & Grill is a short drive south along the road if you want food nearby.
Compass Cay
A quiet cay with natural tide pools where nurse sharks congregate. You can snorkel among them without a dive certification. The sharks are habituated to people and genuinely harmless at this size, but they are real sharks.
Fowl Cay Resort
Private island, all-inclusive, and each villa comes with its own powerboat. This is one of the most thoughtful setups in the out-islands: no ferry schedule, no waiting, just drive yourself wherever you want to go.
The Underwater Sculpture Garden, Nassau
Off the coast of Clifton Heritage National Park on New Providence's southwest tip, the Sir Nicholas Nuttall Coral Reef Sculpture Garden is operated by the Bahamas Reef Environment Educational Foundation (BREEF). The garden sits within the Southwest Marine Managed Area and has spent about a decade transforming from an art installation into a functioning reef, now home to fish, spotted eagle rays, and coral growth. British artist Jason deCaires Taylor installed a piece called Lady of Coral here, seeded with coral fragments from a BREEF nursery adjacent to the site. Bahamian artists Andret John and Willicey Tynes also have works in the garden. The largest underwater sculpture on the planet, Ocean Atlas, is in this same garden. Thousands of Bahamian schoolchildren visit annually on field trips. This is one of the few places in the Bahamas where snorkeling doubles as a conservation experience, and most Nassau visitors have no idea it exists.
Ocean Cay and Sandy Cay, Bimini Area
Ocean Cay is an MSC Cruises private island with more than two miles of beachfront across eight beaches, operating since 2019 under a 100-year lease. The island added a Marine Conservation Center in April 2025 and four new dining options and an adults-only beach in late 2025. A 165-step lighthouse is the visual centerpiece. A new adjacent private island called Sandy Cay, built on a natural sandbank, is planned to open in 2028 for MSC Cruises and Explora Journeys guests. Sandy Cay features aragonite sand. All opening dates and features should be verified before planning, as development timelines shift.
Athol Island
Athol Island, a short trip from Nassau, has a culturally focused day-trip destination called The Village, run by Captain Jermaine Johnson. It offers an immersive look at Bahamian life that goes beyond the standard beach excursion.
Andros
Andros is the largest island in the Bahamas and one of the most overlooked. The tourism infrastructure is thin compared to Nassau or the Exumas, which is precisely why it belongs on this list.
Less-Visited Beaches Worth Knowing
Gold Rock Beach, Grand Bahama
Part of Lucayan National Park, a 40-acre protected area. Grand Bahama gets far less attention than Nassau or the Exumas, which means this beach is rarely crowded.
Love Beach, New Providence
Twenty minutes from Nassau by car and close to the airport. Most visitors never make it here because the resort strips at Cable Beach and Paradise Island absorb nearly all the tourism traffic. If you have a half-day before a flight, this is a better option than sitting in a hotel lobby.
Cape Santa Maria, Long Island
A crescent-shaped beach at the northern tip of Long Island with powder-soft sand. Long Island is genuinely off the beaten path for most Bahamas tourists. Getting there requires a flight to Deadman's Cay Airport or a ferry, which keeps the crowds away.
Jumentos Cays and Ragged Islands
A 110-mile-long archipelago that is about as close to off-grid as the Bahamas gets. Almost no infrastructure, no resorts, and no day-trip boats. This is for sailors and serious out-island travelers only. If you need to ask how to get there, you probably aren't ready for it yet.