Tingum Village

Set on quiet little Harbour Island, just off Eleuthera, Tingum Village is a casual retreat offering 3 miles of unspoiled pink sand beach, a casual atmosphere and Ma-Ruby's home cookin'. Claiming to be the proud home of "Cheeseburgers in Paradise" as featured in Jimmy Buffet's Parrot Head Hand Book. Ma Ruby confirmed it, and she added that sometimes when Jimmy is in the Caribbean, he will stop on Harbour Island just to have one of Ma Ruby's cheeseburgers and will only then continue on his journey.

This is a simple, no-frills property, but it has bargain prices and draws a loyal repeat business. It lies just off the main street, a 3-minute walk to the beach. Set in a steamy tropical garden, Tingum Village offers basic accommodations in small cement-sided bungalows. Each of the rooms has air-conditioning, ceiling fans, and a patio with plastic furniture, plus a small bathroom with a shower stall. There are no phones or televisions in the rooms. The hotel's restaurant, Ma Ruby's, overlooks the garden and offers standard Bahamian and American food.

Each cottage has a rather large terrace for relaxing after a long day of adventures or great for, as we found, spreading your dive equipment out to dry. Make sure you have plenty of mosquito repellent; the mosquitos were fierce, as they are everywhere in the Caribbean.

Watersports are down the beach at one of the other resorts or on the other side of town near the harbour. Harbour Island is a big fishing and yachting community which is what most of the conversations here center around. However, you can find diving at Valentine's, a full-service dive operation located in the harbour.