With more than 700 islands, picking the Bahamas' 10 best beaches is no easy task. The never-ending blue waters fringed by coral, calm surf and powdery white sand means everyone's got a favorite.
So whether you're taking an actual flight or more interested in a mental vacation, here are the 10 best beaches the Caribbean destination has to offer.
Pink Sands Beach – Harbour Island
The powdery sand here shimmers with a pink glow – a result of finely pulverized coral – that’s a faint blush by day and a rosy red when fired by the dawn or sunset.
It's been called the world’s most beautiful beach by a slew of international magazines, and we won’t argue, especially when you get past the rows of umbrellas and loungers.
Love Beaches –
Long Island
Love Beaches are a beautiful string of pink-sand beaches near Stella Maris, and they include a sheltered “swimming pool” (a calm stretch of protected water) for little ones to paddle in safety.
Junkanoo Beach – Nassau
Between downtown Nassau and Arawak Cay, Junkanoo Beach is popular with locals and visitors alike, with beach-shack bars, volleyball nets and sky-juice vendors.
Cable Beach –
New Providence
New Providence’s biggest and most popular destination, Cable Beach is three curving miles (five kilometers) of white sand and sparkling turquoise sea, just west of downtown Nassau.
Named for the undersea telegraphic cable that came ashore here in 1892, the beach is lined with resorts, hotels and casinos.
It's often packed with vacationing families, spring breakers, water-sports operators and souvenir vendors. If you want a beach chair, pay a day-rate fee at one of the hotels to use its facilities.
Tropic of Cancer Beach – The Exumas
This spectacular white-sand beach on the Tropic of Cancer is the longest beach in The Exumas and shockingly free of large crowds.