Why Eleuthera?
Agave flower spike at Calypso
Eleuthera is a long skinny mostly flat island covered with scrub rather than people. It is 110 miles long and only has about 10,000 people. There is not much to do, rather little choice of restaurants or stores, and it can be buggy (mosquitoes in the wet season and sandflies all year). In summer it is hot and humid, and in winter it can be cool and gray. So why do so many people love this island? Obviously the beaches are superb, and the colours of the ocean and the "Caribbean" (technically Exuma Sound, the sea to the west of the island) mesmerising. 2 other factors are (1) the people (2) the lack of people. The native-born Bahamians are almost always friendly, polite, educated, and honest. Many are quite charming, without even trying. But because there are few islanders, and fewer visitors, mostly the island (outside of the few sleepy towns) feels empty, and close to the constants of sea, sand, sky and weather.
But although mostly empty the island manages to provide almost everything one could need: banks (including ATMs), stores with all the basics, a smattering of good to adequate restaurants where even if the food is not always fascinating, the setting often is, a movie theater, a few bars, a handsome library with internet and the best views of any library in the world, local fruit, produce and fish (if you can ferret them out), daily direct airservice from the US, various interesting excursions, a dive shop and various fishing opportunities, and various events that bring islanders and visitors together in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.
Don't come if you cannot do without : malls, multiplexes, interstate highways, convenience stores, fast food, corporations, franchises, billboards, commotion, crowds, noise, frenzy; in a word: hell!
Do come if you want to live as humans lived for thousands of years, in contact with nature, and at one's own pace; in a word: heaven!
Calypso garden scene