Spanish Wells, located on St. George’s Cay, is a district of the Bahamas located about a third of a mile off the northern tip of Eleuthera Island. This beautiful cay is two miles long and half a mile wide with a population of about 1,600. The main industry of this cay is lobstering and there is not much here for tourists. Spanish Wells’ remote location makes it relatively difficult to reach.
There is no airport, cruise ship dock, or infrastructure suitable for tourism. However, they have a marina that was fabulous! Spanish Wells Yacht Haven Marina and Resort had wonderful showers, a pool, hammocks and a great restaurant. After 46 days on the hook, we both enjoyed a long, hot shower that had space to move.
Despite the lack of tourists, Spanish Wells is very different from all of the other Bahamas Islands we have visited. Despite it’s simplicity, it certainly benefits from a more wealthy economy. Houses are all very well kept with Caribbean colors and manicured landscaping. Golf carts are the primary mode of transportation on the island and the roads are well maintained. The small fishing village at the northeast tip of the island appears to be bustling with many marine shops and services – thankfully we didn’t require any during this visit.
The beach runs the entire length of St George’s Cay and is easily accessible from all parts of the island. A smattering of small homes line its shore, the structures are mostly concealed behind a thicket of greenery. Spanish Wells Beach is a dreamy stretch of sand that belongs on the front page of travel brochures. The beach has pristine white sand and crystal clear water. Low tide exposes an enormous sand bar. After talking to a local, she explained this sand bar emerged about 10 years ago. She reminisced that when she was younger it was a place kids would take small boats and water ski. Papa Scoops is the most unique ice cream place. They do 2 flavors per night, it changes every day, It is drive up and folks in golf carts lined up along the road.Needing to move more, we walked across the island and over a very small bridge to the neighboring island, Russell Island, to have lunch at Sand Bar. The restaurant has a super chill vibe and amazing view. After nachos and a few beers, we started the 2.5 mile walk back. About 100 steps into the walk, a local stopped and asked if we wanted a ride. As my head was saying “no thanks, I need the exercise,” my body was getting into the back seat. It is always a great experience to witness the kindness of locals. We spent a day taking advantage of the facilities at the yacht club and enjoyed some pool time and then dinner at Budda’s with Second Best!A favorite of ours is walking to dinner! The walk was full of laughs with this crew. Each day, we made it a point to walk the sand bar, just beautiful!
