Grand Bahama Island (ePub)

This guide is drawn from our larger guide to all of the Bahamas. Grand Bahama is an island of "cosmopolitan glitz and glamour coupled with miles of pristine beaches and endless turquoise seas." Sounds like a travel brochure, doesn't it? Well, that's because it's quoted from one of Grand Bahama's promotional releases. And, far from overstating the qualities of the island, in fact, it understates them. The Freeport/Lucaya area is the economic center for the island. Sightseeing, shopping, gambling, watersports, golf, tennis and, of course, sun and sand are just a few of the attractions. Grand Bahama is surrounded by crystal-clear emerald seas, sugar-white beaches, and spectacular coral reefs. You can dive with and feed sharks, or spend a quiet moment in the soothing company of an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin. Golfers are in for a rare treat. There are three golf courses on the island - three of the best courses in the Caribbean. For shopping, head for Port Lucaya, where more than six acres of shopping, dining, and entertainment await you at The Marketplace. In downtown Freeport, you'll find more than 90 shops and stores in the International Bazaar. And the Straw Market just next door is a treasure house of crafts and specialties. Aside from the ocean and beaches that teem with life, there's also a unique national park, a magnificent botanical garden, and a nature center devoted to preservation of the island's wildlife. Nature trails and woodland paths meander back and forth among the mangrove swamps, flower gardens, and forests. There are more than 90 miles of virtually untouched wilderness and deserted shores to explore. At the far ends of the island, the villagers in the tiny communities of West End and McClean's Town will extend a warm welcome and create some of the finest Bahamian cuisine you'll ever taste.  Experience the places you visit more directly, freshly, intensely - sometimes best done on foot, in a canoe, or through cultural adventures like art courses, cooking classes, learning the language, meeting the people, joining in the festivals and celebrations. This can make your trip life-changing, unforgettable. All of the detailed information you need is here about the hotels, restaurants, shopping, sightseeing. But we also lead you to new discoveries, turning corners you haven't turned before. That's what makes our guides unique. Photographs throughout. All the latest information on the best hotels in all price categories, restaurants, dive sites, dive operators, fishing guides and much, much more. You'll find more information on these islands here than in any other guide. The Bahamas were once the playground of pirates. Modern travelers can find a different kind of adventure here, exploring a shipwreck or beachcombing near a secluded cove.   "This is a highly informative guidebook that reviews both the obvious and obscure. The Bahamas has so much to offer and this book really manages to cover quite a bit. I highly recommend it for someone that wants an insight into each of the islands that make up the Bahamas." -- Globehound  "Now in an updated fourth edition, The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos is a travel guide the 700+ islands of the Bahamas as well as the Turks and Caicos. Fabulously illustrated with full color photographs on virtually every page, The Bahamas and Turks & Caicos lists the best hotels in different price ranges, restaurants, dive sites, dive operators, tours, fishing guides, historic forts and pirate hideouts, where one can walk through tropical forests or play with dolphins, find duty-free shops with bargains, and much more. An easy-to-use, reader-friendly field guide. Highly recommended for tourists and business travelers alike." -- Midwest Book Review