Bahamas · Eleuthera
Three miles of pink sand and the prettiest village in the Bahamas
Harbour Island is a mile off the top of Eleuthera: pink sand on the Atlantic side, Dunmore Town’s pastel streets on the harbour side, and golf carts in between. It is the second week after the Exumas, or the three nights that turn the milk run into ten days.
Where
Off the north tip of Eleuthera, 50 nm east of Nassau
Fly to
Nassau (NAS), then the yacht; or North Eleuthera (ELH) and a water taxi
Best months
December to April
Give it
Two or three nights
Known for
Pink Sands Beach, Dunmore Town, Sip Sip, the Landing
Water
Shallow approach from the north; deeper boats anchor off and tender in
Ellie on Harbour Island
My Harbour Island, in pictures
Horses on the pink sand in the morning, the turtles on the way back to the boat. All my own photos, so what you see here is what you get.
Ellie Malouf · Ahoy Club
Why go
Harbour Island, honestly
Harbour Island is three miles long and you can drive it in a golf cart in ten minutes, which is what everyone does. The Atlantic side is Pink Sands Beach, the colour from crushed shell, with the breakers held off by a reef. The harbour side is Dunmore Town, the oldest settlement in the Bahamas, with clapboard houses in pastel colours and picket fences.
It is the dressed-up Bahamas, in a barefoot way. The Landing and the Rock House for dinner, Sip Sip for the lobster quesadilla at lunch, the Vic-Hum Club for a late night in a room with a basketball court. The sort of island where people you recognise are at the next table and nobody says anything.
We send people here as the second week after the Exumas, or as the three nights that make the milk run into ten days: across from Staniel Cay to Eleuthera, up to Harbour Island, and back to Nassau through Spanish Wells.
Where we anchor
The anchorages, in the order we use them
- Dunmore Town harbourAnchorage and berthOff the town on the harbour side, with the marinas for smaller boats. The tender dock is the town.
- Off Pink Sands BeachDay stop, settled weatherThe Atlantic side in calm weather, for the beach from the water.
- Spanish WellsAnchorageThe fishing town five miles west, lobster from the boats, and the route back to Nassau.
- Current CutDrift snorkelThe tidal cut between Eleuthera and Current Island. Drift it on the flood with the tender following.
Ashore
Harbour Island off the boat
Not a directory. If it is here, we have sat at the table or stood at the bar.
Eat
The best tables in the Bahamas outside Nassau.
The LandingDinner in a 1800s house on the harbour. The island’s classic.
Rock HouseCliffside over the harbour, the dressed-up night.
Sip SipLunch above Pink Sands: the lobster quesadilla and a glass of something cold.
- The DunmoreLunch on the beach, Ellie's pick, with a walk along the sand either side, then back for pre-dinner drinks on its beach chairs.
- Queen ConchConch salad chopped in front of you on the harbour front.
Drink and dance
Golf-cart nightlife. Late, for the Bahamas.
- The Landing barSunset on the veranda.
Vic-Hum ClubA room with a basketball court and a record collection, dancing until late.
- Gusty’sSand floor, a DJ on the right nights, the island’s late bar.
Do
The beach, the town, a horse.
Pink Sands BeachThree miles of it. Walk it at sunrise.
Dunmore Town on a golf cartPastel streets, the Loyalist cottages, Bay Street’s shops.
Horseback at sunsetAlong Pink Sands as the light goes.
- Drift Current CutThe tide carries you through the cut with the fish; the tender picks you up.
Where it sits
Harbour Island on the chart
Harbour Island sits off the north tip of Eleuthera, fifty miles east of Nassau and a day from the middle Exumas. The second week, or the ten-day addition.
Drag to move. Double-click or ctrl-scroll to zoom.Zoom with the buttons, then drag to move.
When
When to be in Harbour Island
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
- December to April: the season. Harbour Island is at its busiest and best between Christmas and Easter.
- Christmas and New Year: the island’s big fortnight; book dinners before you fly.
- March and April: warmest water, settled weather, the best weeks.
- June to November: hot and quiet; many restaurants close in September and October.
Itineraries
Itineraries that call at Harbour Island
Full plans, day by day, with the boat each one runs on. Send one to the people coming with you; we reshape it around your yacht and dates.
Yachts
Yachts in the Bahamas now
The approach is shallow; the bigger boats anchor off and tender in, which is how everyone arrives anyway.
CORAL OCEAN
Lürssen · 73m · 1994, refit 2026
12 guests | 6 cabins | 28 crew
€650k – 790k
LADY J
Palmer Johnson · 43m · 1997, refit 2021
12 guests | 5 cabins | 9 crew
€109k – 119k
PLAYTIME
Lagoon · 20m · 2018, refit 2021
6 guests | 3 cabins | 3 crew
$46k – 49k
SeaQuest
Christensen · 38m · 1999, refit 2025
10 guests | 5 cabins | 6 crew
$85k – 98k
NEVER ENOUGH
Feadship · 43m · 1992, refit 2019
10 guests | 5 cabins | 7 crew
$110k – 127k
NOMADA
Mochi Craft · 24m · 2010, refit 2025
8 guests | 4 cabins | 4 crew
$50k – 55k
OCEAN ROSE
Ocean Alexander · 26m · 2018
8 guests | 4 cabins | 3 crew
$43k
MARY KATHLENE
Westport · 42m · 1989, refit 2023
8 guests | 4 cabins | 7 crew
$85k – 95k
OCEAN VIEW
Gulf Craft · 32m · 2022
12 guests | 5 cabins | 5 crew
€110k
MEMENTO VIVERE
Westport · 40m · 2005, refit 2021
10 guests | 5 cabins | 7 crew
$120k – 150k
MIDORI
Sunreef Yachts · 21m · 2016, refit 2026
8 guests | 4 cabins | 4 crew
$44k – 48k
PIER PRESSURE
Azimut · 27m · 2020, refit 2024
10 guests | 5 cabins | 4 crew
$70k – 80k
BUNDALONG
Sunreef Yachts · 24m · 2019
10 guests | 5 cabins
$82k
CHANSON
Christensen · 37m · 1995, refit 2020
9 guests | 4 cabins | 6 crew
$75k – 85k
LADY ELAINE
Christensen · 50m · 2008, refit 2024
12 guests | 6 cabins | 9 crew
$200k – 225k
HAPPY HOUR
Horizon · 34m · 2018
11 guests | 5 cabins | 5 crew
$95k – 105k
TCB
Trinity Yachts · 50m · 2008, refit 2022
11 guests | 5 cabins | 9 crew
$175k – 200k
LADY GRACE
Westport · 28m · 1996, refit 2025
6 guests | 3 cabins | 4 crew
$35k – 40k
SWEET CAROLINE II
Trinity Yachts · 50m · 2009, refit 2021
12 guests | 7 cabins | 11 crew
$199k – 230k
BG
Feadship · 47m · 1990, refit 2022
12 guests | 6 cabins | 10 crew
$140k – 170k
Lady Joy
Christensen · 48m · 2007, refit 2025
12 guests | 6 cabins | 11 crew
$199k – 225k
CROSSED SABRE
Burger · 44m · 2006, refit 2021
12 guests | 7 cabins | 11 crew
$175k – 195k
LEXINGTON
Horizon · 26m · 2006, refit 2024
8 guests | 4 cabins | 4 crew
$40k – 46k
Princess Mila
Fountaine Pajot · 20m · 2022
6 guests | 4 cabins | 3 crew
$43k – 49k
CEDAR ISLAND
Lazzara · 34m · 2003, refit 2016
10 guests | 4 cabins | 4 crew
$60k
RELENTLESS
Trinity Yachts · 44m · 2001, refit 2019
10 guests | 5 cabins | 9 crew
$150k – 173k
Akasha
Lagoon · 19m · 2018
8 guests | 2 crew
$45k
KING OF FUN
Northern Marine · 40m · 2005, refit 2022
10 guests | 5 cabins | 8 crew
$120k – 138k
INSPIRATION
Benetti · 38m · 2017
10 guests | 5 cabins | 7 crew
$150k – 170k
29 yachts in rotation. The order changes with every visit so no boat is always last.
Questions we get asked
Harbour Island, answered
Common questions
How do we get to Harbour Island by yacht?
Three hours east from Nassau, or a day across from the middle Exumas. Guests can also fly to North Eleuthera and take the ten-minute water taxi to meet the boat.
Why is the sand pink?
Crushed shells of a tiny red organism, foraminifera, mixed into the white coral sand. It is pinkest at the waterline and at sunrise.
How many nights should we spend?
Two or three. One for the beach, one for the town and dinner, one for Spanish Wells and Current Cut on the way back to Nassau.
Harbour Island or the Exumas?
The Exumas first, always. Harbour Island is the second week or the three nights that make the Exumas week into ten days.
Want Harbour Island in your week?
Tell us the dates and who is coming. We will say which nights to give it, which berth to hold, and whether the week you want is still open.