One Of The World's Prettiest Beaches Is An Out Island Bahamas Resort Getaway With Free Bikes And Kayaks

The Bahamas is a varied and beautiful nation. Unlike many tropical island destinations, it's spread over a vast area, measuring more than 500 miles from one end to the other. There are 700 islands and cays (pronounced "keys"), more than 2,000 rocks and islets, and innumerable sandbars and coral reefs. Most travelers are familiar with Nassau and Freeport since these are the biggest ports, but that leaves 698 more islands. And while you probably can't visit them all, it's worth trying.

In the Bahamas, the islands found away from the capital of Nassau are called the Out Islands. This is where you go to find the secret and remote Bahamas islands. Some spots, like the Abaco and Exuma Cays, may be small in land area but are popular with visitors, making them feel busier than you might expect. But a bit farther afield, on the larger Out Islands like Eleuthera, Cat, and Long, you'll find boutique beach resorts, hidden spots to explore, and miles of beaches all to yourself.

Long Island is a particular treat. It's a rugged and narrow 80-mile-long island in the Southern Bahamas. For the most part, it is undeveloped, consisting of a few settlements strung along a single highway. The eastern side faces the Atlantic and is rocky, rugged, and reef-fringed. The western shore is more protected, with sandbars and shallow waters that make it a bucket-list destination for its flats fishing. It's a paradise for diving, fishing, or simply lounging on any of the island's beaches. Sitting alone on one of those spectacular beaches is a singular resort, Cape Santa Maria.

The Cape Santa Maria Resort is located at the northern tip of Long Island on an extensive strip of picture-perfect sand that faces the waters of Exuma Sound. While the whole island (the whole country, really) has gorgeous beaches, Cape Santa Maria's has been heralded by travelers as one of the prettiest in the world. The resort's one- and two-bedroom bungalows and villas are all as beachfront as you can get, draped in tropical landscaping.

When you first see the beach, you'll lose any concern you may have about finding other things to do. The water is warm, clear, and inviting, making it easy to whittle days away just soaking in the view and taking the occasional dip. On the off-chance you do want to leave your chair, the resort provides kayaks, paddleboards, bikes, and Hobie Cat sailboats for excursions. Guided fishing, diving, and nature cruises can be arranged if you want to venture farther afield. It's important to realize, however, that there's no entertainment or happening nightlife on this quiet island. Resort life here is centered around the beach, water sports, and simply getting away from it all.

The Cape Santa Maria Resort is located 20 minutes north of the Stella Maris Airport and a little over an hour north of the airport at Deadman's Cay. It has a restaurant and bar, but you'll probably want to travel the island and visit some of the other resorts and restaurants dotted along the highway. As of this writing, room rates start around $300 per night, but some limitations exist. For one, the resort is closed for September and October; secondly, there is a seven-night minimum stay during the holidays. Be sure to check the resort website for precise dates, policies, and prices.

To find this amount of peace and quiet in the world today, you've got to work for it. While Cape Santa Maria isn't exactly hard to get to, it's not as simple as calling an Uber, either. No major airlines fly directly to Long Island, so while it has two airports, they see very little traffic. Bahamasair and Southern Air offer flights from Nassau to the island, and if you fly in from South Florida, Makers Air has a twice-weekly flight to the Stella Maris Airport from Fort Lauderdale Executive.

Once you're on the island, you'll need a rental car to explore it fully. This is one advantage of visiting a larger island because the vehicle allows you to explore it all. If you skip the rental, you can get a taxi from the airport, but then you'll be limited to the resort's food and bar options. But you'll also miss the opportunity to tour the island on your own. Among the other sites you'll want to explore are the Columbus Monument on the island's northern tip and Dean's Blue Hole, a favorite of divers and the deepest in the Bahamas. And then there are the many hikes to isolated beaches where you won't see another soul.

There's one more major thing you need to know to vacation in the Bahamas: with the Tropic of Cancer slicing through the island, it's officially a tropical destination with the weather to match. Average temperatures — both air and water — never stray from the 70s and 80s (Fahrenheit), no matter the month of the year. Late summer and fall (June through November) bring the threat of tropical weather and hurricanes, and peak times for travel are between December and April.