Eleuthera! One of the 700 islands and cays in our beautiful archipelago, The Bahamas.

With a population of around 8,000, Eleuthera is long and narrow with rolling hills.  Flanked by several other smaller populated islands, we refer to Eleuthera as the mainland and our island is 110 miles in length and 2 miles at its widest point.

What to expect:

Language

• English is our official language and is spoken by a great majority of the residents

Currency

• The Bahamian dollar (BSD).
• The U.S. dollar (USD) is used extensively and is valued at 1:1 with the Bahamian dollar.

Taxes

• Value Added Tax (VAT) at 7.5% is added to the cost of all goods and services.
• Gratuities are normally charged in the hospitality industry with a standard rate being 15%.

Time Zone

• Eastern Standard Time and Daylight Saving Time. 
• Spring forward one hour in the spring time of the year and fall back one hour in the fall.

Climate & Weather

• Subtropical Maritime.
• With just two noticeably basic seasons, summer (the wet season) runs from May to September and winter (the dry season) runs from October to April. It is not unusual to experience hot summer days in November or December and even consistently well before May.
• Generally speaking, throughout the islands, the temperature is balmy all year long, with cooling, near-constant trade winds blowing almost continually from the east.
• Comfortably cool weather is experienced during the winter months due to cold fronts from the north (USA) which extend a little further south.  Generally, night time temperatures tend to be cooler than day time.
• From May to November the Bahamas enjoy daytime temperatures of around 80ºF (26ºC) and in winter (December to April) daytime temperatures average 70ºF (21ºC).
• The Bahamas is located in hurricane alley with the hurricane season running from June 1st to November 30th.

Business Hours

• Typically, Monday through Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. for most shops and businesses and weekdays only for government offices and medical services. 
• Food stores are usually open on Sundays for reduced hours and are generally closed before 11:00 a.m.

Law Enforcement

• Royal Bahamas Police Force personnel are stationed throughout the island and may be reached at the Governor’s Harbour station (24/7) at either 911 or 919.

Health Services

• Government clinics are located throughout the island and are open week days from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Those staffed with a doctor, nurses and auxiliaries are located in Gov. Hbr., Rck. Snd., Hbr. Isl. and Spnh. Wls.
• Private Doctor Services are also available throughout the week and on Saturday mornings in the same areas as above.
• The nearest hospitals (both public and private) are located on the island of New Providence, a 25 minute flight from Eleuthera.
• An on call Government doctor is available for emergency medical services and is accessible by calling 911. If the need arises, emergency medical airlift to New Providence can be arranged; upfront payment is usually required.
• Pharmacy services are available in Spanish Wells, one of the smaller neighbouring islands accessible by ferry.

Transportation

• Rental car is highly recommended for getting around on the island.
• Taxi services, if used beyond getting from the airport/seaport to your vacation destination, can become very expensive and is not recommended.
• There is no public transportation system on the island of Eleuthera.

Driving

• We drive on the left in The Bahamas and we suggest you drive within the posted speed limit. 
• Eleuthera’s roads are long, winding and with hills and valleys.
• As a tourist, your foreign driver’s license is valid for car rental.
• Minimum age requirement for car rental is 25 years.

Communication

• Telephone (land and mobile), Television (cable), Internet and Radio services are quite modern.
• Each town has a post office for domestic and airmail; there is no mail delivery service.
• Courier services by FedEx and DHL are also available.

Electricity

• Same as the U.S. and Canada, 120/240 volt, 60 Htz system.

Other – Feel free to call or email us; we’ll be more than happy to assist with additional information.