Spanish Wells Bahamas Russell Island & Harbour Island
Frequently Asked Questions
At anchor. The small cruise ships that call here anchor in emerald water between sandbars and reefs, and their tenders land in the middle of the village.
On the small island of St George's Cay, off the northern tip of Eleuthera. The territory is three kilometres long and eight hundred metres wide.
Walk or drive the village by golf cart, visit the small local museum, swim on the north beach and try the spiny lobster on the waterfront.
On foot or by golf cart, the only vehicle that matters here. Book the cart early in the day: the available fleet is modest.
The community descends directly from the Eleutheran Adventurers, English Puritans who left Bermuda in 1648. Three and a half centuries of chosen isolation have preserved a world apart: a mainly white, English-speaking population, spotless streets, wooden houses in sorbet shades. It feels like a New England maritime town transplanted to the tropics.
The name recalls the Spanish ships that once came here to fill their freshwater barrels before the voyage home.
Spiny lobster. This village alone supplies most of the lobster the Bahamas exports, and the waterfront restaurants serve it grilled, in salad or as fritters: it does not travel far between the trap and the table.
Yes to both. A bridge links Spanish Wells to Russell Island, its farming neighbour, explored by golf cart between smallholdings and coconut groves. Some excursions push on to Harbour Island a little further east, famous for its pink sand: a water-taxi round trip that pairs well with a morning ashore.
US and Bahamian money are accepted interchangeably, at par, and English is spoken. Note that the community lives by fishing and by faith, and several businesses close on Sunday.
Yes. The village is tiny and very quiet, the golf carts amuse children, and the north beach offers calm water shading from pale green to turquoise without ever darkening. One caveat: it offers almost no shade, so bring an umbrella or a long-sleeved shirt.
