Cruising — 2001
By Jeanine Detz

Grand Bahama Island, The Bahamas

More of this Feature • Part 1: Grand Bahama • Part 2: Grand Bahama

Related Resources • Cruising Column Index • Cruising/Charters Index • Cruising/Charters Resources

From Other Guides • Caribbean for Visitors

Elsewhere on the Web • Old Bahama Bay • Our Lucaya • Running Mon Marina & Resort

WHERE TO STAY
Freeport offers every accommodation option, from time-share condos to luxurious resort suites. The sprawling mecca Our Lucaya is the best choice for travelers seeking all the amenities of a large resort. Phone: (877) 687-5822. www.ourlucaya.com.

The Bahamia is another major resort complex that features 965 rooms and suites as well as a health club, pool, and two golf courses. Phone: (800) 545-1300.

With 118 rooms and a pool, Castaways Resort & Suites is a Freeport option for those who want the intimacy of a smaller hotel. Phone: (242) 352-6682.

Located on the West End, The Inn at Old Bahama Bay is a 47-suite hotel set in cottages. The resort opened in February and features an outdoor pool, snorkel and nature trails, boat and bicycle rentals, and children's programs. Phone: (242) 350-6500. www.oldbahamabay.com.

WHAT TO DO
Grand Bahama has the largest underwater cave system in the Bahamas, providing a large playground for snorkelers and divers. The Underwater Explorers Society Phone: (242) 373-1244 will put you in contact with a local dive master who can direct you to a resort course or dive boat.

Lobster season runs from August 1 to March 31, but the bonefish and marlin are always biting. You must obtain a permit to fish Bahamian waters, and any marina can put you in touch with the right people to get one.

Once you've got your land legs, hit the links. The Country Club at Bahamia has two courses. Fees are $72 for hotel guests, $82 for nonguests. Phone: (242) 352-6721. Dick Wilson created the Lucayan course at Our Lucaya in 1962. Its tall trees will provide plenty of shade as you test your precision on its doglegs and elevated greens. Greens fees are $86. Phone: (242) 373-2002. Also at the resort is the Trent Jones, Jr.-designed Reef Course. Fees are $86. Phone: (242) 373-2003.

Grand Bahama Island is home to six ecosystems, and Lucayan National Park is home to them all. There's an easy bike tour along the island's south shore that ends in the park. Or for about $60 you can go on an all-day kayak excursion through the park's protected waters. Call Nature Tours for information on either tour. Phone: (242) 373-2485.

EATERIES
Conch is the word here. If you're not eating it raw in a conch salad, you're dipping breaded and fried morsels of it, in the form of a fritter, into tasty sauces. You won't go wrong with any seafood here, but there's plenty for the landlubber in you as well. The dining options run the gamut in Freeport, from American fast-food joints to five-star bistros. Here are three spots to try.

At Pier One in Lucayan Harbour, the seafood is tasty, but the real attraction is something else: shark feeding. Phone: (242) 352-6674. Continental cuisine with a French twist is on Luciano's menu. Phone: (242) 373-9100. The Mainsail Restaurant at Running Mon Marina and Resort offers American and Bahamian cuisine in a casually elegant setting. Phone: (242) 352-6834.

In the West End, options are limited, so the Dockside Grille was a welcome addition this year. Bahamian and international cuisine is served. The real reason to visit: the fresh breads baked and delivered daily by a local woman. Delicious!

If you've enjoyed your cruise to Grand Bahama Island or have visited someplace you'd like PMY to mention in this column, drop us a line at Cruising, Power & Motoryacht, 260 Madison Ave., 8th Fl., New York, NY 10016. Fax: (917) 256-2282. e-mail: kkreisler@primediasi.com.

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