Small Hope Bay Lodge

Small Hope Bay Lodge is unique and wonderful. It is filled with a spirit of welcome and joyous comraderie. After a few days, newly made friends and staff become family. The diving is good with a great and very personal dive staff, who also double as Small Hope "ambassadors" who draw new guests into the circle of friendship and activities. A family business, the current owner in the family line - Jeff Birch - is everpresent, mixing it up with guests. Food is thankfully not gourmet, but fresh, delicious, and proudly offered by staff buffet style outside on the terrace. Cabins are not fancy, but clean and comfortable and set in a grove of palms and shrubs just off, and with views of the bay. Local staff is friendly, helpful, personal. Small Hope Bay is alive, friendly, fun, and an escape from the pretentious and into the genuine.

Small Hope Bay Lodge is a gem of a resort. It is a family owned business that has been around for some 50 years. I've been there twice, with for the first visit some 5 year ago. Nothing had changed, which is great. My buddy has been there three times, the first over 30 years ago; and he tells me that the place hasn't changed in that span of time. There is a lot of family tradition here, and it really makes SHB special. Fully loaded, the resort can handle some 30 people (give or take). The food is good, but not excellent. It is hearty fare, from a local chef, prepared well and very tasty. Nothing fancy but always very good. They have a tradition of serving conch fritte's as an ourderve during "cocktail" hour before dinner. They are a great, and the conch are grown right there at the resort. Meals are taken communally with lots of social mixing. This is one of the many pleasures of this resort; the staff are incredibly friendly, and with so few guests, you can't help but meet interesting people. The resort specializes in scuba and bone fishing; and if you're not into either of those two sports, there isn't a great deal else to do. Andros Island is sparely populated, and does not boast much of a night life. Again, that's fine with me. I'm a diver, and the diving is excellent. When I'm not underwater, I'm happy to be lying quietly in a hammock with a book; or at the bar socializing w/ my fellow travelers, or shooting the breeze w/ the staff.

We absolutely loved our stay at Small Hope Bay! The staff are wonderful and make you feel like part of their warm family. We arrived with hopes of ultimate relaxing in their perfectly located hammocks and left having had that plus learning how to scuba dive and enjoying some awesome snorkeling and sea kayaking and exploring the mangrove! The place feels like a camp for adults who enjoy the outdoors, and we loved it. The food was wonderful, and the renovated rooms are great. If you, like us, were looking for a Bahamas getaway that didn't involve giant hotels and conventional food or "luxuries", but rather a peaceful, beautiful, and warm environment where all your needs are taken care of without feeling like just a number -- then this spot is for you! Can't say enough good things about this place and the people who make it so special!