My husband started it. That is, my obsession with tropical beaches with water so blue that you can’t take your eyes off of it. I had always dreamed about experiencing this amazing hue, but hadn’t gotten the chance to see it in person. Until our honeymoon in Hawaii….
Well, let’s just say I was hooked from that first Hawaiian beach we laid eyes on. The clear, azure water was absolutely mesmerizing and just as amazing as I had pictured in my mind. Since then, we have been lucky enough to enjoy many, many other beaches in Hawaii, Florida, the Caribbean, Mexico and the Bahamas. They’re all different and most are beautiful in their own way – but there’s still just something about that blue, blue water.
If you’re looking to find a tropical island to visit with incredibly blue water, here’s our list of 12 Tropical Islands with the Most Amazing Blue Water to start with. Are these the only ones? Heck no. As you can tell by the number of entries, it was very hard to narrow it down and there are so many more islands worthy of a mention. We could have actually named several entire island chains with incredibly blue water – such as the British Virgin Islands, Exuma Cays, Abacos, Turks & Caicos, US Virgin Islands, etc…, but space prohibited listing them all. These are some of our favorites to date for the amazing blue color of their water. Be sure to leave a comment with your favorites below!
We recently ran across an Instagram page called blue.salt.abaco. We’ve been big fans of the islands of Abacos, Bahamas since we first visited in 2013 so this name intrigued us enough to read the profile information which said, “Mia & Lisa. Selling bracelets to help rebuild Guana & the Abacos. All proceeds will go to Great Guana Cay Foundation.” The page showed several photos of charming handmade beaded bracelets and we reached out to them to find out more. Lisa got back to me immediately with more information about their bracelets, the cause they are donating the proceeds to, and the story of their personal connection to the Abacos.
Mia and Lisa
This is their story. Our family lived in the Abacos for 3 years on the tiny islet of Great Guana Cay. We loved the simple life even though it meant sending my young kids in a mostly open ferry boat across the sea of Abaco to school everyday. We eventually adapted and became comfortable with all the amazing and challenging ways of island living.
Mia and her brothers headed to school
Excited for the new school year, on August 30, 2019, we attended the kids’ school orientation in Marsh Harbour and then flew out 2 days before Hurricane Dorian made landfall in the Abacos. We booked round trip tickets to NYC as we had grown somewhat used to the hurricane threats of the late summer season. We only took backpacks and 2 carry-on suitcases with us because at that point it was predicted to be a category 1 hurricane. Our group of expat friends jokingly called these evacuation trips “hurrications” when the company would make us leave “just in case”. We never imagined a direct hit by a a category 5 hurricane.
As we watched the storm take a different path than predicted, we felt a physical heaviness bear down on us as it grew closer and closer to home. The anticipation of waiting to hear from our friends and neighbors seemed to last months – not a couple of days. They were riding out the worst storm in the history of the Bahamas that claimed the lives of hundreds, even though the official reported numbers are much lower than that.
After the storm, our house was one of the few houses still standing that wasn’t a complete loss, even though it suffered serious water damage from the roof breaching. The very first year we arrived in Guana, we bought a tiny little bungalow that we were fixing up and in the process of trying to add on to. (*we were asked to record an episode of Caribbean Life back in 2018. The day it ended filming we all decided that none of us were born to be in front of a camera. Haha.)
Mia’s dad went back with his work on a float plane, about a week later. He had never imagined seeing destruction on such an apocalyptic scale in real life.
I returned to Guana six weeks after the storm to salvage what I could from our house, help out a little in the community and say a proper goodbye to what had become our home. The kids had their world torn away and lost most of their material possessions. Unlike their friends who endured extreme trauma and fought for their lives, they were living safely with grandparents but were also feeling emotionally displaced and homeless.
Over the last 11 months our life has been one rollercoaster after the next, but it did not compare to what the Bahamians of the Abacos were going through. To this day they still do not have power, some homes are being repaired but some are completely gone – either washed out to sea or a tile floor sitting on top of a cistern next to a pile of rubble. Incredibly generous volunteers, NGO groups and aid came pouring in, but when COVID hit the groups were having to leave and the focus has shifted to the pandemic and other world issues.
Our family had moved on to a new job and state just a month before quarantine. We might be bored like the rest of the country, but Guana and the people are always on our minds. We always reminisce about the turquoise water, empty beaches, perfect boat days and the paradisaical beauty.
While we picture Guana the way it used to be, we hear from friends there every so often. They are trying to get by when the world is shut down. They are a tourism dependent community like most islands. Some are camping out in their roofless homes or sitting under a generator powered fan to at least keep the hot summer air moving around.
The kids talk about when the world will go back to normal now that they learned school will be virtual this fall. Everytime we feel sorry for ourselves we think of the people of Abaco and Grand Bahamas and how they might feel like we have forgotten them. My daughter and I decided to make the most out of our ridiculous amount of free time and started making bracelets. We wanted to see if we could raise a little money for our island, sending 100% of the proceeds to the Great Guana Cay Foundation. We know the people on the committee and many of the leading members are longtime, if not generational locals. We figured that even if we made a few hundred dollars it still would help someone, whether it was food or supplies. In less than 1 day we had orders for 50 bracelets and now it is 1 week and we have sold over $1200 in bracelets!
My daughter and I run the Instagram account and take turns responding to requests. Mia is making almost all of the bracelets and is the heart of the project. We absolutely love hearing everyone’s connection to the Abacos and especially Guana Cay, whether they have a house there and have been vacationing there since they were kids or a more recent visitor who fell in love with this little piece of paradise. We love everything that reminds us of the Bahamas, and we felt like everyone with a connection might love a little bracelet that reminds them of their time there too.
They can all be personalized to say another place or name if they don’t have a tie to the Abacos but we have been surprised by the ones who order Abacos or Guana Cay. People have been so generous and thrilled that their money is going to help the people recover. The world seems so chaotic right now we just needed something positive to focus our attention on and a goal to work towards.
That is our puppy “Goombay” who is always by her side whether he’s trying to eat beads or keep her company and nap while she works!
Goombay helping to model bracelets!
If you’d like to place an order to help the people of Guana Cay and the Abacos, you can contact Lisa and Mia through their Instagram, Facebook or their brand new Etsy Store. Lisa is also selling prints of some of the photos she has taken on Guana Cay with proceeds also going to the Great Guana Cay Foundation. These would make super holiday gifts for your island loving friends!
Thank you Lisa and Mia for sharing your story with us! We really appreciate your giving spirit!
All photos courtesy of Blue Salt Abacos
Many locally owned businesses in the islands are being hit hard right now due to restricted tourist traffic during the pandemic. Hoping to help in any way we can, we are highlighting some great local businesses that we hope you will enjoy learning about and may want to visit once we are able to travel to the beautiful islands once again. We also want to highlight individuals or businesses that are doing something to assist islanders impacted by hurricanes or the pandemic. Some of these businesses also offer merchandise that you can order, gift certificates and pre-booking options. Be sure to contact them for additional info and watch for more articles soon!
The most anticipated and attended event of the year in The Abacos, Bahamas will be taking place this year on July 1 on Fiddle Cay – Cheeseburger in Paradise 2016!
The creators of the Cheeseburger in Paradise event on Fiddle Cay, are taking a break from hosting this wonderful event so the community of Green Turtle Cay will be throwing the party this year on July 1, 2016. This fantastic family friendly event will feature FREE cheeseburgers, margaritas and so much more! All proceeds of this year’s merchandise sales will go to the Amy Roberts Primary School and the Green Turtle Cay Volunteer Fire Co.
Follow the event on Facebook for updates and additional information!
Sponsors for this years event: Cheney Brothers – Casamigos Tequila – John Watlings Distillery – Sands Beer – Bahama Boat Works – Green Turtle Club – Sunset Marine – Abaco Buzz – Cavu House – Island House. Contact [email protected]om or [email protected] for inquiries or sponsorship opportunities.
Are you one of the millions of people that find the color blue calming and relaxing? It’s actually one of the Health Benefits of Spending Time in or Near the Ocean. To us, the light blue colors of the sea are so visually relaxing that when we need to take a short mental break on a hectic day, we find ourselves imagining time spent on a beautifully blue hued beach. This alluring beach on Abaco Island seems to find its way into our heads quite frequently… Need a mental beach break too? Get yourself some more daydream material here: Treasure Cay, Abaco
Do you ever find your mind wandering to thoughts of a beautiful beach? Where?
From the outside it looks fairly unassuming, but on the inside it can be hopping. Snappas, a bar/restaurant that sits on the waters edge in Marsh Harbour was a fun place to hang out during our visit earlier this year to The Abacos, Bahamas.
Close to the dock where we left on our Abacos sail in March Harbour, we ventured over to Snappas on several occasions to enjoy a cold beverage, a warm meal and conversation with other boaters.
With live music on Friday & Saturday nights, cold drinks, warm food and friendly people, Snappas is a great place to chill while in Marsh Harbour. And don’t forget to look out back at sunset to see if you can catch a glimpse of one of their amazing sunset views…
We had just a short time on Green Turtle Cay during our Abaco sail trip and were determined to make the most of it. After thoroughly enjoying our Goombay Smashes and conversation with Smitty at Miss Emily’s Blue Bee Bar, Smitty mentioned that we really should go and visit the “beach”. That way, he said, pointing somewhere to the east.
Thanking Smitty and buying a jug of Goombay Smash to go, we hopped in our golf carts and headed in the suggested direction.
Coming to a fork in the road, a sign indicated beach in either direction, so we decided to veer left. Just a few yards away the brush opened up to reveal Gillam Bay.
It was obviously low tide and gasp! – the bay was filled with sandbars dotting the shallow, beautiful, clear water.
It was getting late in the afternoon and we knew our sunlight hours were limited, so we immediately went wading in the shallow water on our way out to explore some of the sandbars.
We began to see signs of sea life on the sandbars; much of it the usual suspects, such as mini starfish,
and live sand dollars making their way through the soft sand.
But then there was this…
The odd looking creature writhed its way out of the hole and laid down in the sand.
We later found out that the strange creature was most likely a sea cucumber. Sea cucumbers are echinoderms—like starfish and sea urchins, and have very interesting defense systems, such as excreting a sticky stream of goo to ensnare their enemies or expelling internal organs and then regenerating new ones!
Interesting. Anyway, we explored the sandbars until dusk, then made our way back to the boat. Smitty was so right. We certainly enjoyed beautiful Gillam Bay, it’s sandbars and it’s interesting creatures.
Have you spent time on Gillam Bay? Tell us about it!
Find the Gillam Bay, Green Turtle Cay on our Bahamas Map
We’d seen pics before. Many colorful, enticing pics that made us put Nippers on the “list” of beach bars we’d like to visit and were so excited to hear we were going to make a stop at Great Guana Cay during a recent sail through the Abacos. Believe us when we say, Nippers was as colorful and fun as the pics we’d seen and certainly didn’t disappoint. The weather, however, was a different story…
Great Guana Cay was one of the first stops on our itinerary. After all, with two great beach bars (Nippers & Grabbers) and some beautiful beaches, it had Rum Therapy written all over it. Unfortunately, we’d been hit by a bit of an unusual cold snap and although we were still excited to spend time on island, the temp was definitely less than the common tropical temps.
Regardless, as soon as we caught a mooring ball in Guana Harbour, we dinghied to shore and followed the sign down a dirt road to Nippers.
As colorful, if not more so, than the pictures we’d seen, the pool area was…well, pretty quiet due to the cool temps.
Unfazed by the lack of patrons, we made our way in to the main section of the bar.
There, huddled around the bar, was a lively group of die-hard Nippers fans, enjoying, among other things, the infamous frozen Nipper. We ordered a couple of drinks and checked out the large outdoor bar area.
Then climbed to the top deck for a 360 degree view of the beach 55 ft below.
Nippers has been serving great food and strong drinks with a great view and friendly service for more than 15 years.Apparently, not to be missed is their popular Pig Roast served from 12:30 – 4 every Sunday.
Although it was a little nippy at Nippers that day, we had a good time and can just imagine how much fun it would be to laze in the pool, listen to some live music and enjoy a frozen Nippers…on a much warmer day!
Standing tall over Hope Town Harbour, the Elbow Reef Lighthouse is an 89 ft tall candy cane colored lighthouse which was not originally welcomed by all…
You see, this Bahamian lighthouse, built in the 1860’s, was originally opposed by Elbow Cay residents as they felt it could put a damper on their shipwreck and salvage business opportunities. Of course, the desire for safe passage for vessels prevailed, and now the only opposition is to any talk of automating the lighthouse operations.
The Elbow Reef Lighthouse is a kerosene burning lighthouse and one of only two remaining beacons preserved from automation. The lighthouse keeper must manually wind up the apparatus every two hours so that the beacon can continue to be seen up to 17 miles away.
Visitors are welcome to visit Elbow Reef Lighthouse and climb the 101 steps to the top. Admission is free and the lighthouse is open 9-5, 7 days a week.
Those that make it all the way to the top are treated to a beautiful view of Hope Town and the beautiful pastel homes and shops that line the pretty harbour.
Have you climbed the 101 steps to the top of the Elbow Reef Lighthouse? Tell us about it!
Close to the center of Treasure Cay Beach, the gorgeous stretch of sugar soft white sand and turquoise water found on North Abaco Island in the Bahamas, you may spot a colorful, but unassuming little beach bar/restaurant called Coco Beach Bar and Grill.
Coco Beach Bar and Grill is right on beautiful Treasure Cay Beach and in addition to offering some very refreshing Bahamian libations, it also serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The interior is a casual nautical theme with plenty of comfortable seating, and in addition, there are picnic tables on the deck. We opted for deck seating because, well, look at the view…
We ordered a wrap for lunch, which came with a ton of crispy fries, along with a Rum Punch and a Goombay Smash. Not quite the same as the Goombay Smash we had just enjoyed at Miss Emily’s Blue Bee Bar on Green Turtle Cay a few days earlier, but everything tastes delicious after a morning of playing on the beach, doesn’t it?
Once you have finished your meal, you can rent a chair and/or palapa from Coco and spend the rest of the afternoon lazing away on one of the prettiest beaches we’ve seen.
From there, the bar is just steps away, so you can make sure you stay hydrated, or in our case “rum”drated.
Have you been to Coco Beach Bar & Grill? Tell us about it!
Frequently listed as one of the top 10 beautiful beaches in the world, Treasure Cay easily places in our top beach list as well. After looking at the following pictures, I think you’ll see why.
The gated community of Treasure Cay is actually not a “cay” at all. It is a long peninsula connected to the Abaco mainland making the area easily accesible by car or boat. Besides many amenities such as restaurants, shops, a golf course and marina, the area is flanked by a spectacular 3 1/2 mile white sand beach.
Treasure Cay as seen from above
We rented a car and made the 30 minute drive to Treasure Cay while staying in Marsh Harbour. We loved the beach so much that we ended up driving to Treasure Cay again several days later to experience more of this beautiful beach.
Our first glimpse of Treasure Cay.
From a long sandbar on the east side of the beach at low tide,
To a brightly colored pier on the west end of the beach,
The entire expanse is a feast for the eyes.
The colors change depending on the day and even the time of day, but one thing is for sure.
