Elbow Cay is approxmately 6 miles long and 1/4 mile wide and is well known for its spectacular white-sand beaches. One of The Bahamas's best, Tahiti Beach lies in splendid isolation at the far end of Elbow Cay, with sparkling waters and powdery white sands. A magnificent barrier reef protects the beaches, making them perfect for swimming, snorkeling, diving, and fishing.
The cay's largest settlement is Hope Town, a little village with a candy-striped, 36m (118-ft.) lighthouse -- the most photographed attraction in the Out Islands. Hope Town seems frozen in time. Like other offshore cays of the Abacos, it was settled by Loyalists who left the new United States and came to The Bahamas to remain subjects of the British Crown.
The small 18th century picturesque village is built around a protected harbour and has several fine restaurants, good grocery stores with fresh baked bread, a drugstore, gift shops with artwork, jewelry, and clothing; modern marinas, daily & weekly boat rentals, an historical museum, a medical clinic, and most importantly a genuinely kind and friendly population.
Its clapboard, saltbox cottages are weathered to a silver gray or painted in pastel colors, with white-picket fences setting them off. The buildings may remind you of New England, but this palm-fringed island has South Seas flavor.
Hope Town is almost free of traffic. To explore Hope Town, you walk one of two roads: "Up Along" or "Down Along," ...both run along the water.
