Eleuthera is the Greek word for freedom and it was in search of religious freedom that the island was accidentally colonised in 1648 by Captain William Sayles and a group of Puritans from Bermuda. The shipwrecked adventurers found a heaven of peace, cleared of its original Lucayan Indian inhabitants by Spanish slavers and rapidly developed their settlements along its 145 km of curving bays, offshore cays and turquoise water. Photo by: universal.traveler2

Here are the oldest, and still the prettiest townships in the Bahamas. Pastel green blue, pink and yellow houses with white picket fences and gingerbread fretwork crowd stone quays, miles of pink and white sand beaches glisten into the distance, and the lush plantation of pineapple, and smallholdings of fruit and vegetables farms stretch for miles behind the fringe of coastal palms. Photo by: photos_mweber

Yet for all its length, Eleuthera is never more than 3,5 km wide and at the Glass Window Bridge, which replaced an earlier natural rock archway, it narrow to less than 32 m between the turbulent Atlantic and Exuma Sounds. Photo by: universal.traveler2

Tortuous geology has given Eleuthera some of the world’s best dive sites like the Blue Hole, the Train Wreck, the Devil’s Backbone and the famous Current Cut. You might prefer bone fishing along miles of wadeable flats, or braving fishable surf for snapper, jacks and barracuda. Photo by: jon_beard

Eleuthera is blessedly free of gambling, shopping and amusement parks. Even Dunmore Town, on Harbour Island off the east coast and the heart of celebrity-dripping, upscale Bahamian chic (Versace’s personal architect recently re-designed what was already called ‘the most luxurious beach in the world’) is full of the calm and grace that form Eleuthera’s greatest asset. Photo by: bahamascastaway

When to go: October to June. Population: 9,000. How to get there: By air via Miami or Nassau, by excursion ferry from Fort Lauderdale or by the weekly Out Islands mailboat service. You should know: The island is called ‘Citagoo‘ in the rural patois. Photo by: WIlly Volk