Port Lucaya Marketplace

A vacation on Grand Bahama island doesn’t have the same popularity as one on New Providence island, which is home to Nassau. But maybe that’s an advantage.

The advantage is an island that doesn’t have the same crowds and commercialization as more popular islands in the Bahamas and Caribbean. It does have Freeport, which is a common stop for cruises in the region.

Grand Bahama Island is one of the northernmost islands of the Bahamas and is known for two areas in particular – the resort center at Freeport and the suburb of Lucaya. Lucaya also has a cruise terminal and is a major hub for cruise ships, shopping, restaurants, hotels and entertainment.

Hotel and Resort Tips

Grand Bahama is only 55 miles from the coast of Florida. So it is appealing to anyone who wants quick access to an island vacation.

Hotel visitors fly into Grand Bahama Island International Airport, which is five miles from Freeport. From there, they have quick access to their hotels because most of them are near the city.

The island has a small number of hotels and only a few all-inclusive properties compared to most islands in the region. Prices of less than $200 a night are common at these smaller hotels, villas and condos available for short-term rent. It has no major hotel chains except for one Wyndham.

Tourist Attractions

Attractions include Lucayan National Park, which has one of the world’s largest underwater cave systems for adventurous divers. Another attraction is Peterson Cay National Park, a protected area a mile offshore with coral reefs and opportunities for picnicking, snorkeling and scuba diving.

Other attractions include Pinder’s Point Lighthouse, the birds and nature trails at Rand Nature Center or the Garden of the Groves, which has more than 10,000 species of plants and animals. Or swim with the dolphins at Dolphin Experience Lagoon located on Sanctuary Bay. It’s part of the Underwater Explorer Society’s scuba diving and dolphin programs.

Shoppers find plenty to browse and buy at the 12-acre Port Lucaya Marketplace. During our visit, we found that it compares well to some of the mid-sized tourism districts on destinations in the Caribbean.

Golfers can use the Reef Course at the Grand Lucayan. Designed by Robert Trent Jones, the course is par 72 with 18 holes and nearly 7,000 yards of greens.

Vacation Weather

Freeport monthly rainfall. © Scott S. Bateman

Anyone planning to visit Grand Bahama for a vacation will find that the best time to visit is March and April. They have the best combination of warm temperatures and low risk of rain.

Average daytime temperatures range from the mid 70s Fahrenheit or mid 20s Celsius during the winter to the high 80s Fahrenheit or low 30s Celsius in the summer, according to the Bahamas Department of Meteorology.

Nighttime temperatures in the winter usually make the seawater too chilly for swimming.

The dry season goes from December through April when the average monthly rainfall is about two to three inches. Rainfall is heaviest from June through October when it averages about six to eight inches a month.