Eleuthera, Bahamas

Eleuthera is 110 miles long with one main highway. As such your hotel's location is very important. The Cove, in the north, is a 26-room cluster of bungalows over a beach (242-335-5142). It's close to teh dock where boats leave for Harbour Island. It is also not far from the dive bar Elvina's.

Pineapple Fields is in the center of the island and consists of small condo-style rooms (242-332-2221). Tippy's is the resorts restaurant, and has a rustic menu of dishes like tuna and red snapper.

Beach Combing in the Bahamas

For the snorkeler: Fernandez Bay Village on Cat Island (fernandezbayvillage.com) with doubles from $260. You can swim or kayak out to rocky atolls teeming with life

For the Recluse: Tay Bay Beach in North Eleuthera, which is home to Preacher's Cave.

For those who want to Yacht: Try the Staniel Cay Yacht Club (242-355-2024), which was founded in 1959 and is no-frills. It has airy cottages and a marina.

Finally, for the chic, try Harbour Island off the Eleuthera. Spend the day on Pink Sandy Beaches and go diving with Valentine's (242-333-2080). Two guest houses are also availabel on Hick's compund (hibiscushillharbourisland.com) from $4,900/wk or try the Rock House in town.

Caribbean Travel

For more information on the Caribbean go to www.caribbeantravel.com - the region's official travel site with information on the individual island destinations, places to stay, things to do, festivals and events, plus news and features.

Or visit the island sites directly:

Bahamas www.bahamas.com

Belize www.travelbelize.com

British Virgin Islands www.bvitourism.com

St. Maarten www.st-maarten.com

US Virgin Islands www.usvitourism.com