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

Rafting on the "Deliverance" River

Interested in whitewater rafting?  Although the Chattooga isn't the first river to have commercial rafting operations (see Green River, CO), it does have the aura of the ultimate rafting trip because of the influence of the movie "Deliverance."

Click here for more information about rafting down the Chattooga River, which starts in North Carolina and runs along the Georgia-South Carolina border.

See also the following New York Times article "Riding the Rapids on "Deliverance" River,"  which provides a background on how the 1972 Academy-award nominated film introduced millions of Americans to this stunning stretch of river. 

Did we leave someone home alone?

Do you constantly worry that you forgot something when traveling?  Click here to make a list of items to take on vacation.