The Pelican Bay at Lucaya Hotel is one of the newest boutique hotels in the Grand Bahamas. Considered “charming and intimate, ” this romantic getaway received the “Small Treasures of the Bahamas” award from the ministry of tourism.

Pelican Bay has state rooms available and waterside rooms. To create a feeling of being a home away from home, they give their extended guests a gold fish in a gold fish bowl.

The Sheraton Grand Bahama Island Lucaya Resort is across the street from the marketplace. It covers almost eight miles of beachfront and has four pools, a spa and fitness center and plenty of restaurants to choose from.

Another major luxury resort is The Westin Grand Bahama Island Lucaya Resort. The Westin has 740 guest rooms and highlights include three pools, a couple of golf courses and a casino on the Isle of Capri.

If you’re looking for something a little bit more laid back, you may want to check out the Sunrise Resort and Marina. Relax and enjoy the sunset from one of 31 island inspired rooms. There is a pool, restaurant and room service – everything you need to get away from it all.

Old Bahama Bay is the place for you if you are into fishing, snorkeling or boating. Old Bahama Bay has 73 beachfront suites and a 72 slip marina. It is the perfect combination of luxury and tranquil getaway.

You can’t go wrong with any of these accommodations. Check them out on the internet and once you start seeing visions of the beautiful beaches in the Grand Bahamas, you’re going to want to leave tomorrow.

The island is also the nearest main island to the United States, because it’s only about 55 miles away off the state of Florida.

The island is governmentally divided into Freeport Bonded Area, East Grand Bahama district and West Grand Bahama district. The capital city is West End, which is the oldest city in the island and in 2004, there were more than 50,000 people living on the Grand Bahama – making it the second most crowded island in the Bahamas.

Important Cities

Freeport and Lucaya is the 2 most important cities in Grand Bahama.

Both the trade harbor and main airport are located in Freeport. It’s a very clean city with many good shops, roads and premium watefront lots.

On the other hand, Lucaya is a great destination for tourists. It has beautiful beaches, great hotels and many attractions, including snorkeling and cruising.

How to Get Here

There are many ways to reach the Grand Bahama Island. If you want to get here by sea, then there are cruises, mailboats and ferries. If you prefer by air, then you can choose a chartered and scheduled air, or a private one.

Where to Stay

You have plenty options.

If you don’t want to spend more than $100 per day, then you can stay at places like Bell Channel Inn, Dundee Bay Villas, Island Palm Resort, Port Lucaya Resort, or Flamingo Bay Hotel & Marina.

If you can spend more, then there are nice places like The Westin at Our Lucaya Beach & Golf Resort, Viva Windham Fortuna Beach, Pelican Bay Hotel, Old Bahama Bay, Xanadu Beach Resort & Marina and Island Seas Resort.

There are currently more than 30 big hotels and resorts in the Grand Bahama Island.

Grand Bahama Island Attractions – Things to Do

You can visit the beautiful beaches like Paradise Cove Beach, Barbary Beach, Mather Town Beach, Xanadu Beach, Taino Beach, Gold Rock Beach, William’s Town Beach and Lucayan Beach.

If you like water sports and adventures then you can go snorkeling, diving, boating, sailing and fishing.

Birding is another unique way to spend your time in the island, because the Grand Bahama is very well-known for its large collection of native bird species.

Other attractions that might interest you are golfing, private flying, shopping and of course… dining.

For dining, I suggest you check out Ruby Swiss Restaurant, La Dolce Vita, China Beach and  Zorba’s Greek Cuisine.

How to Get Around

To explore the island, just like any other islands in the Bahamas, you can find rental cars easily at the airport. Be careful though, these cars are for left-hand driving.

Renting motor scooters  or bicycles could give you more freedom to find quiet spots. You can find a cycling path in Lucaya.

Public buses are also available. They connect the East and West Grand Bahama and the fares depend on your destination.

You can also try the free ferry that runs between Sweeting’s Cay and McLean’s Town every day. There’s also another ferry service that can take you to the Abacos.