An unspoiled island in the Bahamas
Explore the natural beauty, windswept beaches and crystal-clear waters of Eleuthera

Tourism first took off in Eleuthera in the 1950s, but this rugged sliver of an island in the Bahamas is still delightfully "unspoiled", says Eric Lipton in The New York Times. It is serviced by regular flights from the archipelago's capital, Nassau, but has no major resorts and its roads are so quiet, there are no traffic lights.
This year, Disney is opening a "manufactured, self-contained town" for cruise ship customers at the island's southern tip, but that's unlikely to affect the rest of Eleuthera: it is less than a mile wide in most places, but a full 100 miles long. Most visitors stay in rental houses, and hire cars to visit its sleepy villages, its natural wonders and its dozens of beaches.
Taíno people once lived on the island, but it was unoccupied by 1640, when the first British settlers arrived. The capital they founded, Governor's Harbour, is the nicest place to stay today, with its "hillside colonial homes and white picket fences".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Among the best-known sights elsewhere are Cathedral Cave (a limestone cavern where banyan trees grow through holes in the roof), the Leon Levy Native Plant Preserve (a botanical garden with more than 400 native species), and Sweetings Pond (a protected lagoon known for its seahorses). There are also some pleasant restaurants (such as the Buccaneer Club), and the weekly Friday-night fish fry at Governor's Harbour is a good chance to mingle with locals over Kalik beer, conch fritters, rum babas and more.
Food and other commodities are expensive, and though there are some decent hotels (such as The Cove, and French Leave Resort), Eleuthera is not a place to look for "day-to-night pampering". Come instead to enjoy its slow pace of life and its natural beauty, from the wild, windswept sands of the ocean-facing east coast to the calm, "crystal clear" waters of the west (home to an "insane array" of tropical fish), and the extraordinary and "seemingly endless" stars visible in the pitch-dark night sky.
Sign up for The Week's Travel newsletter for destination inspiration and the latest news and trends.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
5 low approval cartoons about poll numbers
Cartoons Artists take on fake pollsters, shared disapproval, and more
-
Deepfakes and impostors: the brave new world of AI jobseeking
In The Spotlight More than 80% of large companies use AI in their hiring process, but increasingly job candidates are getting in on the act
-
Sudoku medium: May 4, 2025
The Week's daily medium sudoku puzzle
-
A journey into Egypt's western desert
The Week Recommends There is much more to be found in Egypt when straying from the usual tourist destinations
-
Splash! A Century of Swimming and Style: full of 'revelations and surprises'
The Week Recommends The Design Museum's sweeping collection of all things swimming contains hidden depths
-
The Ugly Stepsister: 'slyly funny' body-horror take on Cinderella
The Week Recommends Emilie Blichfeldt's cutting Norwegian revision of the classic fairy tale leaves no character unscathed
-
John Boyne shares his favourite books
The Week recommends The bestselling novelist picks works by Tobias Wolff, Christos Tsiolkas, and Agatha Christie
-
The Brightening Air: a 'gripping' family drama
The Week Recommends Connor McPherson's Chekhovian drama about a pair of siblings whose lives are upended by the arrival of their relations
-
6 isolated homes for hermits
Feature Featuring a secluded ranch on 560 acres in New Mexico and a home inspired by a 400-year-old Italian farmhouse in Colorado
-
Allies at War: a 'revelatory' account of the Second World War
The Week Recommends Tim Bouverie's 'old-fashioned diplomatic history' explores the often fraught relationship between world powers
-
The Friend: a 'graceful' but flawed dog movie
The Week Recommends Naomi Watts stars in 'intelligent' adaptation of Sigrid Nunez's book about a 'problematic pooch'