Both JB and I did A LOT of research about his 40th birthday trip, and finally settled on Harbour Island Bahamas. I had seen lots of people go, and it seemed like everyone loved it. I’m glad to say that it 100% lives up to the hype! We loved the natural beauty there, the people. the food, the incomparable views. I think I may even have a new favorite beach!
How to get to Harbour Island
We went from Tampa to Miami, then Miami to North Eleuthera airport.
From there you’ll grab a taxi to the Three Island Dock which will take about 5-10 minutes
From the Three Island Dock you’ll grab a ferry to Harbour Island Government Dock – which takes about five minutes.
Then you’ll need another taxi to your house most likely. But the island is small, so you’re almost there!
I’ll admit that this all seemed like A LOT. But once you’re there, I think you’ll agree that even though there are planes, trains, automobiles, and boats – it’s worth it.
Where we stayed on Harbour Island Bahamas
We stayed at The Bamboo House right off Dunmore Street. We loved it! It was a little oasis, and close to everything. It has a main house and two cottages, so perfect for traveling with extended family. We went with JB’s parents, and they stayed in the cottage. It worked out great! I would go back in a heartbeat! A rental is a good way to go there, as you can experience the hotels by dining there, but have more space to spread out in a rental. We loved our gardener Dante and housekeeper Olga. Communication with Pascale, the owner, was fantastic! Olga even did our laundry one day, which was so unexpected and basically the best present ever to go home with clean clothes (: The Decor of the Bamboo house is amazing. I was drooling the entire time! Every evening after dinner we sat outside on the gorgeous patio, drinking wine and then some hot tea, and it was just heavenly. Roosters are everywhere on the island, but the bamboo house does have plenty of sound proofing. I usually wake up with the roosters, so it didn’t cause me any less sleep!
How to get to Harbour Island, Bahamas
We flew from Tampa to Miami to North Eleuthera. From there you get a taxi cab that’s ten minutes away to the port, then take a 5 minute boat ferry to the government dock on Harbour Island. Then get another taxi cab to take you. to your hotel/rental! It sounds like a lot, and I’ll admit, I was like “is all this worth it?” … but it really is!
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Where we ate on Harbour Island
Queen Conch – Love their Queen Conch Salad. It was delicious. Go mild on the heat, unless you really love spicy food! The dolphin dip is incredible too. You can see everything from the conchs being cleaned to the conch salad being made. It’s a fun experience, and a great view.
The Dunmore – I couldn’t love this spot more. We went for dinner twice, and next time, we’re going for lunch too. The decor, food, and vibe is insane. The perfect spot for a celebratory 40th birthday dinner!
Angela’s – we stumbled upon this when we were super hungry on our first night, but it was pretty good!
Davine – the sushi was so good! Get the Brussel sprouts.
Valentine’s – We got take out from here, and thought it was good!
Briland Club – such a gorgeous marina, and worth grabbing a drink. Loved the tile here!
Coral Sands – the views are gorgeous, and love that you can walk up off the beach. I had a shrimp Po’Boy and loved it!
We want to go to The Landing, and Rock House next time.
What we did on Harbour Island
We hired Conch and Coconut for every tour,except for the fishing. For fishing JB had Nathaniel from Captain Kid tours.
If you are going, I think the best thing to do is a bit opposite what we did! Get the Dunmore Tour first, so you can get a good sense of where you are on the island. Ask for Richard!
We did a Briland by Sea tour with Conch and Coconut which was amazing – swim with the piggies, snorkel and feed the sea turtles, and have a nice picnic. Their boats are gorgeous, and it’s definitely “bougie” but it was JB’s birthday, so I had an easier time justifying it!
We did the Conch and Coconut tour of Eleuthera, also with Richard, and it was such a fun day. Preachers cave, jumping in the blue hole, swimming in Queens Bath, and seeing the Devil’s Backbone beach.
The Beach! In my opinion, this is one of the most gorgeous beaches in the world. Or at least of the ones I’ve seen. Pink sand, blue water, and just super expansive. Doesn’t feel crowded at all! We parked by Ms. V’s public access, and rented chairs there.
Testing to get to Harbour Island and to leave
This is always changing, so make sure you double check any information you read! You can hire Conch and Coconut to have a service come to your house and test. We did a service, because we weren’t sure how readily available tests were. It’s changing all of the time, so don’t take my word for it. We had to get The Bahamas travel pass, test before coming, test the second day there, and then the day we were leaving. But now I’ve heard they are dropping the second day testing. So just double check- because information was difficult to obtain. Getting a covid test was not hard to find though, so I don’t think you have to get the service to come to your house. But we just didn’t know what it would be like!
