Best beaches in the Abaco Islands

Three and a half miles of drop-dead-gorgeous coastline, north of Marsh Harbour. The softest, whitest sand your toes have ever sunk into, paired with the glimmering turquoise of the Sea of Abaco. Spend the day kayaking, sailing, swimming or snoozing and taking breaks to refuel on conch fritters at the Coco Beach Bar and Grill.

Seven miles of pale sand, backed by tall dunes (walk to the top for views of the ocean). The list of activities is almost as long as the beach itself - swimming, snorkelling, surfing, kayaking and feasting on Nipper’s weekly pig roast being some of our favourites.

On the southernmost shores of Elbow cay, Tahiti brings together the Caribbean dream: white sand, coconut palms and clear, calm waters that reveal a spectacular sandbar at low tide. Unreachable by car, you have to either walk, cycle or hop on a boat to get here – but it’s so worth the extra travel. This quiet beach has stunning scenery and you can easily spend the day here; either swimming in the warm sea, or soaking up the sun.

This sheltered beach can be found at the end of a main road, a quarter of an hours walk from New Plymouth Town. Join the search for shells and sand dollars, don your snorkel or simply float about on the big blue (and wow is it gorgeously blue over here).

On a peninsular off Great Abaco, the fishing village of Cherokee Sound feels like another island entirely. Its beach is a gloriously combination of light sand, greenery and see-through-sea, with a lovely long dock stretching out into the water (apparently the longest in the Bahamas). There’s marine life galore, and this is a popular spot for fly fishing.

Mother Nature must’ve made Crossing Rocks for beach walks: it seems to go on for miles. Which is a good thing, as there’s nothing like a long stroll to help take in the rugged beauty of this neck of the woods.

Get the boat from Green Turtle Cay to this private island. The top end has a gorgeous white-sand beach, where you can paddle, fish or beachcomb… Bring fish and watch friendly stingrays, sharks and seagulls compete for them on the northwest side of the beach.

A fifteen-minute ferry takes you from Great Abaco to Hope Town Harbour on Elbow Cay. The beach is stunning, backed by dunes and palms with a coral reef 10 metres or so from the shoreline for amazing snorkelling.