See full version: Where to sign out of the bahamas in mayaguana
If you’re looking for the road less travelled, Mayaguana is perfect for you! This southernmost island remains relatively untouched by commercial development. As the most isolated and least developed island in the Bahamian archipelago Mayaguana is rarely visited by tourists - those who do favour the seclusion.
Mayaguana was inhabited by the Lucayans prior to the arrival of the Spanish following 1492 who carried off the last of the Lucayans to Hispaniola early in the 16th century. After that the island remained uninhabited until 1812, when people began to migrate from the Turks and Caicos Islands. Today the island hosts approximately 300 inhabitants. The largest settlement is Abraham’s Bay on the south coast; other settlements are the neighboring towns of Betsy Bay and Pirate’s Well in the northwest. The uninhabited areas of Upper Point (north shore), Northeast Point, and Southeast Point are largely inaccessible by road.
However, the growing attraction of Eco-Tourism, in addition to Scuba diving, bone-fishing and snorkeling, is helping to put Mayaguana on the map. The eastern part of the island is popular with advanced off-trail bikers.
English is the rule but for a little fun ask the locals to teach you some of the local dialect, which they often speak when talking amongst each other. more
Although the island farms are not producing to the extent of the past, the land is extremely fertile and locals grow limited amounts of their own watermelon, sweet potatoes, peanuts, corn, and peas as well as an assortment of other fresh fruit and vegetables.
Make sure to bring plenty of cash and sunscreen, and be ready for an adventure away from the resorts and tourists that characterize many of the other more well known Bahamian islands.
This is a cash economy. There are no banks or ATMs on the island and credit cards are only accepted at Shorty's Hotel in Pirates Well. The few shops on the island offer only a limited (and expensive!) selection of goods; as a general rule it is best not to plan on buying additional supplies on the island.
From a lot of my contacts on each of these islands, this has been a very recent phenomenon (in the last 6 months to a year) so I really can't recommend that these islands be visited, unless you are looking for very crowded beaches.
Worse yet, is that even the beaches that are several (or even several dozen) miles from the major settlements, on Mayaguana, Great Inagua, Ackins and Crooked Island, have been overrun with many people setting up makeshift shelters with very LOUD music as well as litter and trash to do along with it.
I'll end by saying that anyone who wants solitude, peace, empty beaches, should AVOID the southern Bahamas. [links]
We filled out the “Contact Us” form at the bottom of their website expressing our interest in staying there, as there is no online reservation system set up. After making contact and asking a few more questions, we booked one of their 16 rooms for a Monday – Friday stay! The best way to get to Mayaguana is through Bahamasair, and at the time flights only came in twice a week, though they have since added a Wednesday flight as well. We were a bit nervous to not have any sort of reservation number for our stay, and they were also unable to take any sort of payment ahead of time. Instead, we traveled with quite a bit of cash split between our bags to cover the cost of our stay. A week or so before our wedding, we had some trouble getting Baycaner on the phone to confirm our details. After calling a few times, they were happy to let us know that they still had us on their books! This was a huge relief, as there are no other hotels or resorts to stay in on the island.
We got married on a Saturday, flew to Fort Lauderdale that evening and then to Nassau on Sunday to make sure that we had ample time to make our flight to Mayaguana, as the small propeller plane flights don’t always leave at the stated time. After just about an hour and a half flight, we landed at Mayaguana! The airport on the island is quite primitive compared to what we were used to, without even a computer system for checking in to flights. A small booth selling food was set up on the days that flights came in; otherwise, the waiting area consisted of just a few rows of chairs. When we left, everything was done by hand, including marking our bags to continue on to Nassau with us. One of the four employees at Baycaner was there waiting to pick us up and drive us to our home for the next five days!
There were very few restaurants on the island, so we were glad to eat our meals at the Baycaner as well. They were kind enough to pack us sandwiches and snacks to go on the days that we were out exploring, and we all ate dinner together in the evening, being asked in the morning what sounded good based on the groceries they had stored. We were even treated to fresh conch salad and conch fritters, made from conch caught the same day! There was a small self-serve bar in the back with a pool table and some seating. It was all operated under the honor system, with a pad of paper to write your name and use tally marks to keep track of how much you drank during your stay. The day before we left, we met with the owner to settle up what we owed based on how many meals we ate and if we had added on any extras. [links]
More isolated and less developed than any other island in The Bahamas, Mayaguana is the ideal getaway for travellers seeking a secluded escape. Whether it’s a footprint-free beach or a far-off fishing spot, the island is the perfect blend of solitude and charm.
Make your way to the secluded island of Mayaguana, where quaint, rustic accommodations with Caribbean charm await in this tight-knit community.
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