Abaco, Bahamas

This nautical setting with uninhabited cays and beaches makes it easy to find the perfect spot to claim as your very own.

Called the "top of The Bahamas," the Abaco Islands compose the northernmost portion of the nation. Though this "island" is often called Abaco, it is actually a cluster of islands and islets. This boomerang-shaped mini-archipelago is 130 miles long and consists of Great Abaco and Little Abaco, as well as a sprinkling of cays. With some 650 square miles of land, it is the second-largest grouping in The Bahamas. It is a mecca for yachters and other boaters who flock here year-round.

Many residents of the Abacos, descend from Loyalists who left New England after the American Revolution. Against a backdrop of sugar-white beaches and turquoise water, their pastel-coloured clapboard houses and whitepicket fences retain the Cape Cod architectural style of the first settlements on Abacos. One brightly painted sign in Hope Town says it all: Slow down. You're in hope town. The same could be said for all the Abacos.

The Abacos, with many first-rate resorts, are the most visited of the Out Islands. People come here mainly to explore the outdoors; the boating and fishing are spectacular. The diving is excellent. There are many lovely, uncrowded beaches and cays to choose. The Abacos are definitely a world apart from the glitzy pleasures of Freeport, Nassau, or Paradise Island.

Posted online 11/22/04.