Stays
From large resorts on Paradise Island to beach cottages on Eleuthera and villas in the Exumas, matched to the island that suits your trip.
Request stays on Harbour IslandHarbour Island
Harbour Island, known locally as Briland, is a small island off the north tip of Eleuthera. Dunmore Town, its only settlement, was once the capital of The Bahamas and keeps its 18th-century grid of lanes lined with pastel wooden houses. On the Atlantic side lies the beach the island is famous for: three miles of sand tinted pink by crushed foraminifera shells.
The island is roughly three and a half miles long and half a mile wide, and nobody needs a car. Visitors move around by golf cart, bicycle or on foot, from the harbourfront and its boutiques to the beach on the far side of the island, a walk of a few minutes at most points.
Harbour Island has long drawn a well-heeled crowd and has a density of boutique hotels, villas and good restaurants that is unusual for an island of its size. It is correspondingly one of the more expensive destinations in the country. Scuba diving, bonefishing in the flats to the south and boat trips to nearby cays and to Spanish Wells fill the days for those who tire of the beach.
Reaching the island is part of its charm: a flight to North Eleuthera, a short taxi to the Three Island Dock, and a water taxi across the channel to the Government Dock in Dunmore Town. The whole transfer from airport to hotel usually takes under half an hour.
Dunmore Town takes its name from Lord Dunmore, the governor who laid out the settlement in the late 18th century, and for a time it was a shipbuilding centre and the second largest town in the colony. Loyalist families who arrived after the American Revolution left the clapboard houses with picket fences and gingerbread trim that line the lanes today, many now restored as guesthouses and holiday homes. The calm harbour side, facing Eleuthera, holds the docks, bars and sunsets; the ocean side is for the beach, and the two are a ten-minute walk apart.
Getting there
Routes change by season. We describe how arrivals work and leave schedules and fares to the carriers.
- Fly to North Eleuthera (ELH), take a taxi to the Three Island Dock, then a water taxi across to Dunmore Town. Hotels and villa managers can usually arrange the whole transfer.
- Fast ferries from Nassau call at Harbour Island on certain routes and days.
What we can arrange on Harbour Island
Boats and charters
Crewed yachts, bareboat sailing in the Abacos and Exumas, day boats with a captain, and fishing charters across the islands.
Request boats and charters on Harbour IslandTours and experiences
Swimming pigs, reef snorkelling, blue holes, fishing, cultural tours and Junkanoo: the experiences that define a Bahamas trip, arranged with trusted operators.
Request tours and experiences on Harbour IslandVisitor and event services
Private chefs, photographers, wedding and event planners, makeup artists, and Junkanoo groups, musicians and dancers for celebrations in The Bahamas.
Request visitor and event services on Harbour IslandPlanning a trip to Harbour Island?
Send us your dates and what you have in mind. We will come back with real options for this island and honest advice about what fits.
Questions about Harbour Island
Is the sand really pink?
Yes, though subtly. The pink tint comes from the crushed shells of foraminifera mixed with white sand, and it shows most clearly where the sand is wet and in low morning or evening light.
How do I get around Harbour Island?
By golf cart, bicycle or on foot. Golf carts are rented locally and most hotels can arrange one. The island is small enough that many visitors walk everywhere.
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Often planned with Harbour Island
Eleuthera
A long, thin island of pink-sand beaches, pineapple fields and small settlements, with the Glass Window Bridge where the Atlantic meets the bank.
The Exumas
A 120-mile chain of 365 cays with the clearest water in the country, the swimming pigs, Thunderball Grotto and a protected land-and-sea park.
Nassau and New Providence
The capital and main gateway: colonial streets, Cable Beach, Junkanoo, and the easiest connections to every other island.