Briland
Gorgeous pink sand beach on Harbour Island
I’m spoiled for islands: Two years ago, I spent several days in St. Barths and I can’t think of an island that has come close to it in terms of charm, natural beauty, and gorgeous hotels. It’s absurdly expensive, of course—although, there are ways to get around the hefty price tags—and not the easiest isle to reach (scary puddle jumper involved unless you have a private yacht).
So, I was more than a little excited to finally check out Harbour Island, dubbed the St. Barths of the Bahamas. In some ways, the comparison is on point: There’s a fair amount of glamour to Harbour Island, although it’s not an obvious sort of glitz. Tucked away on colorful, though somewhat peeling streets, you’ll find stores like the Sugar Mill, which stocks candles and lotions by co-owner India Hicks, Virginia Johnson scarves, and bikinis by Melissa Odabash. Also worth checking out are Miss Mae’s, the Blue Rooster, and Bamboo Bamboo.
Then there are the resorts–I loved The Landing, which has a laid-back elegance to it: Think four poster beds draped in white Indian cotton, dark wood floors, and island prints. There are currently just seven rooms, but this winter, look for five new rooms. On the other side of the island, Pinks Sands is the oldest and ritziest property, but I preferred its sister, the Coral Sands. For one, the prices are within the realm of possibility–and you have access to the amenities next door. Then there are the brand new cottages, which range from a one-bedroom shotgun style setup to the sprawling two-bedroom Sea Oats, where you can take a bath and watch the lavendar-hued sunset.
Food-wise, Harbour Island has everything you’d want–from Arthur’s Bakery, where you should order the coconut bread (best toasted and slathered with butter) and Queen Conch, where you’ll find the island’s freshest conch salad to more gourmet establishments, like the Vue at Romora Bay, where the chef hails from the French Laundry.
Still, Harbour Island is not St. Barths. And that doesn’t mean it’s not worth visiting–but St. Barths is something special. It’s a place where people leave their keys in their cars, where a lost necklace is reported in the island newsletter, and where (to be completely blunt) there is no racial divide. It’s one of the things I find so tricky about the islands (and living in the South, I’m now more aware of than ever)–that lingering feeling of colonialism, I suppose. Although, I did love seeing the school girls in their white blouses and navy blue knee socks.
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