A Guide to Family Island Guesthouses That Feel Like Home

Pip Simmons ran The Ocean View Club on Harbour Island for three decades, cooking recipes shared by guests and treating every visitor as a co-producer of the experience. That philosophy — hospitality as collaboration, not transaction — is the thread that runs through the best family island guesthouses in the Bahamas today.

The properties below share two things: they’re small enough that the owner might remember your name by checkout, and they’re on Out Islands where the pace slows to match the tide. Here’s how they stack up at a glance.

Little Island Hotels: The Farm, The Ocean View Club, and The Other Side

Ben Simmons and his wife Charlie own this trio of properties spread across Eleuthera and Harbour Island, but the soul of the operation belongs to Ben’s mother Pip. She ran The Ocean View Club on Harbour Island for three decades, hosting fashion photographers and supermodels while cooking almost everything herself from recipes guests left behind. That spirit carries through today.

The Farm on Eleuthera is the most distinctive of the three. Twelve canvas-and-wood rooms circle 203 raised garden beds that supply nearly everything the restaurant serves. An avenue of Tabebuia trees leads to an ice-blue swimming pool. The rooms themselves trade sea views for something quieter — a wall of windows opening onto the farm, a roll-top bath with a palm tapestry view, and the scent of herbs drifting through the air. Breakfast means eggs with tomato and rocket pesto from the beds you passed on the walk over. Lunch might be grouper with microgreens and coriander aioli. Half the cocktail list is non-alcoholic, including a lemongrass collins called Lost in the Weeds.

The Ocean View Club on Harbour Island keeps Pip’s original style intact: mismatched olive tiles, cluttered paintings, a radio playing Kiko Bun’s “Stay Bless,” and a bar that pours the Island Girl cocktail. It has 13 rooms and a guest-as-co-producer ethos that means you’re part of the place, not just passing through.

The Other Side sits on North Eleuthera, reachable by a 28-foot speedboat with chocolate leather seats that crosses Bottom Harbour bay. Ben and Charlie took it over from Pip in 2013 and leaned into the destination-wedding market — in season, barely a weekend passes without one. But the Sunday tradition is open to everyone: a long table set for 50–60 people, locals and guests together, serving fish and grits, the area specialty. The goal, Ben says, is to draw people over to go back to nature.

North Eleuthera excursions from any of the properties include Preacher’s Cave, where 70 Puritans washed up in the 1640s, the natural pools at Queen’s Baths, and the Glass Window Bridge, where the wild Atlantic meets the calm bay on either side of a limestone ridge.

Kamalame Cay, Andros

A 96-acre private island reachable by a short hopper flight from Nassau, Kamalame Cay runs on golf carts — no cars, no stress. Villas, cottages, and bungalows sit steps from a three-mile beach with calm, clear water that makes it easy to let kids explore on their own. Hermit crabs, the pool, and new friends at the next villa tend to fill the hours.

The deliberate lack of TVs and Wi-Fi in the rooms is the point: this is a place to unplug and reconnect. Dining means fresh cookies daily, house-made ice cream for kids, and locally inspired dishes like conch salad and grilled fish. The property is all-inclusive in its private villas, combining family-owned warmth with a level of polish that keeps it from feeling rustic in the rough sense. Several accommodation types exist, from cottages to full villas, so you can match the setup to your group size.

Coral Sands Hotel, Harbour Island

With 39 rooms, Coral Sands is small enough to feel personal but large enough to have an infinity pool with a shallow edge designed for little ones. It sits directly above Pink Sand Beach, the three-mile stretch of soft pink sand that makes Harbour Island famous. No cars operate on Harbour Island — everyone gets around by golf cart — which keeps the pace slow and the streets safe for kids on foot.

The Beach Bar serves casual fare like conch fritters and ice cream, while Latitude 25 offers French-inspired dining in a cozy, family-friendly setting. The hotel can arrange a babysitter easily, and the library and game room give older kids a screen-free place to hang out when they need a break from the sun.

Cape Santa Maria, Long Island

Long Island is one of the quieter Out Islands, and Cape Santa Maria leans into that stillness. There’s no pool — the beach is the attraction, a stretch of soft powdery sand that runs for miles with calm turquoise water that stays shallow enough for young kids to splash safely. Beach toys are provided; space under the palm trees is plentiful.

The accommodations are two-bedroom beachfront villas steps from the water, each with a full kitchen, washer and dryer, and flexible meal times. Grocery delivery is available, and the on-site restaurant serves fresh local seafood with a kid menu — they’ll even cook your catch if you went fishing that day. The overall feel is spacious and cozy, more like a beach house than a hotel.

Grand Isle Beach Resort, Exumas

The Exumas are a chain of 365 islands and cays, and Grand Isle sits on Great Exuma along Emerald Bay’s turquoise waters. It’s a four-star resort, but the setup is villa-based: one- to three-bedroom units with full kitchens and laundry, plus a golf cart included per villa. That makes it more of a home base than a traditional resort, especially since it’s not all-inclusive — you cook some meals, eat out at the three on-site restaurants for others, and spend your days exploring.

The private white-sand beach has a calm entry and decent on-site snorkeling. The beach club includes a heated oceanside infinity pool. Complimentary kayaks, floats, snorkel gear, and sand toys mean you don’t need to bring your own gear. But the real draw is what’s offshore: boat excursions to Big Major Cay to swim with the famous pigs, Thunderball Grotto for snorkeling, sandbars, and uninhabited cays where iguanas sun themselves. Older kids and teens tend to light up at the adventure factor.

How to Choose and Book Your Family Island Guesthouse

Each of these properties works best for a specific travel style. Here’s how to match your family’s needs to the right choice.

Getting There

Little Island Hotels are spread across Eleuthera and Harbour Island — you fly into North Eleuthera Airport (ELH) and take a taxi or speedboat between properties. Kamalame Cay requires a hopper flight from Nassau to Andros. Coral Sands is on Harbour Island, reachable via a ferry or flight to North Eleuthera then a water taxi. Cape Santa Maria on Long Island needs a flight to Stella Maris Airport (SML). Grand Isle on Great Exuma is the easiest — direct flights from Nassau, Miami, or Atlanta into George Town (GGT).

Meals and Kitchens

Cape Santa Maria and Grand Isle both offer villas with full kitchens and grocery delivery, which cuts costs significantly for longer stays. Kamalame Cay is all-inclusive, so meals are covered but you lose the flexibility to cook your own. Little Island Hotels have on-site restaurants with farm-to-table menus — not all-inclusive, but the food is good enough that you won’t mind paying per meal. Coral Sands has multiple dining options including a casual beach bar and a sit-down restaurant.

What’s Included

All five properties provide beach equipment (towels, chairs, toys) and basic watersports gear. Grand Isle includes kayaks, floats, snorkel gear, and a golf cart. Kamalame Cay includes all meals and activities in its villa rates. Cape Santa Maria includes beach toys and flexible meal service. Coral Sands includes the infinity pool and access to Pink Sand Beach. Little Island Hotels include paddleboards and sunloungers at The Farm and The Other Side, plus the Sunday fish-and-grits table.

Before You Go — Eleuthera, Andros, Harbour Island, Long Island, Exumas

Do these guesthouses have kitchens for meal prep?

Cape Santa Maria and Grand Isle both have full kitchens in their villas. Kamalame Cay is all-inclusive, so no kitchen needed. Coral Sands and Little Island Hotels have restaurants but no guest kitchens — you eat on-site or in town.

How do you get to these Out Islands?

All require a flight from Nassau or, in the case of Grand Isle, direct from Miami or Atlanta. From the airstrip, each property arranges a taxi, ferry, or speedboat transfer. Little Island Hotels has a dedicated speedboat for The Other Side. Kamalame Cay meets you at the Andros airstrip.

Is there Wi-Fi?

Kamalame Cay has no Wi-Fi in rooms — the point is to disconnect. Coral Sands, Cape Santa Maria, Grand Isle, and Little Island Hotels all offer Wi-Fi, though speeds can vary on the Out Islands. If you need reliable video-call quality, check with the property before booking.

What’s the best island for young kids?

Harbour Island (Coral Sands) is the top pick for toddlers and preschoolers — no cars, calm pink-sand beach, shallow pool edge, and easy babysitter access. Long Island (Cape Santa Maria) is also excellent for young kids because the beach stays shallow far out and the villa setup means nap schedules aren’t disrupted.

Are these properties all-inclusive?

Only Kamalame Cay is all-inclusive. Grand Isle is not — you pay per meal or cook in your villa. Cape Santa Maria, Coral Sands, and Little Island Hotels are pay-as-you-go for food. None of them nickel-and-dime for beach equipment or basic watersports, which keeps the add-on costs low.

Finding Your Rhythm

The common thread across these guesthouses is that they trust you to make your own vacation. No activity schedules, no wristbands, no催促 to join a conga line. You wake up, you walk to the beach or the garden or the pool, you eat when you’re hungry, and you go to bed when the island gets quiet. That freedom is what makes a place feel like home — and it’s exactly what Pip Simmons understood when she handed a guest a spatula and said, “You make the pasta tonight.”

For more on how Harbour Island’s boutique stays compare to the bigger resorts, read about Coral Sands’ recent renovation and what it means for families.

References

Condé Nast Traveller. “This family-run farm stay is showing guests the best of the Bahamas.” Condé Nast Traveller, 2023. ↗

Mango Tree Travel. “Skip Baha Mar — Choose These Family Boutique Hotels in the Bahamas Instead.” Mango Tree Travel, 2024. ↗

Family Adventures Blog. “The Best Bahamas Islands for Families.” Family Adventures Blog, 2025. ↗

If you’re still deciding between islands, our guide to the best beach resorts in Nassau covers the other end of the spectrum — bigger pools, more organized chaos, and a very different kind of family vacation. And for a deeper look at what a farm-to-table stay actually feels like, the Condé Nast Traveller piece on Little Island Hotels is worth a full read.