HARBOUR ISLAND
COCONUT TREES AND COVE
BEAUTIFUL TURQUOISE WATERS
BEACH AND REEF
STROLLING WITH THE SEAGULLS
Harbour Island
World famous Harbour Island is the ideal vacation destination for pink sand beaches, diving and unique, luxurious resorts.
Known simply as Briland to its residents, Harbour Island, Bahamas, is often is called the Nantucket of the Caribbean. The colorfully painted New England-style architecture on the island beautifully compliments the lush palms trees, flower-lined streets and pink sand beaches. This tiny world famous (and world class) island is a vacation magnet for the rich and famous, savvy travelers and beach vacation seekers alike.
Approximately 3.5 miles long and only 1.5 miles wide, Harbour Island is located just off the tip of Eleuthera, separated by a narrow channel. Regular ferry service shuttles resort and hotels guests as well as daily visitors from North Eleuthera for a day of exploring and shopping the picturesque village of Dunmore Town.
One of the oldest settlements in The Bahamas, Dunmore Town dates back to the 18th century. It was formerly the capital of The Bahamas and second only to Nassau in importance. Dunmore Town was once the summer home of the Royal Governor, Earl of Dunmore — hence the name.
When the Revolutionary War broke out in the United States, the Loyalist Governor of Virginia fled to The Bahamas where he was awarded the title of Lord Dunmore, Governor of The Bahamas. He laid out what is today Dunmore Town, at the center of Harbour Island, giving shape to the village of today.
From a noted shipyard and sugar refinement center in the late 1800s to shipbuilding and citrus farming just before WWI to a thriving tourism business—thanks to weekly flights beginning in 1941 on Bahamasair’s predecessor, Bahamas Airways—Harbour Island’s history is just as fascinating as the island itself.
Harbour Island, is famous for its three-mile-long pink beach that runs the entire length of the island on its eastern side. The beach is protected by an outlying coral reef that makes the turquoise clear water one of the safest and most alluring swimming and snorkeling spots in The Bahamas. Adventure vacationers can also seek out these waters for great diving opportunities. Current Cut, for example, offers one of the most thrilling high-current dives in the Caribbean.
Harbour Island, was ranked “The Best Island in the Caribbean” by Travel Leisure magazine and readers of the elite travel magazine rated this tiny gem of The Bahamas Out Islands number one among the islands of the Caribbean, Bahamas and Bermuda.