Surrounded by the Sea: Hope Town Harbour Lodge from above and below

I suspect there are few places in the world you will find a rustic resort like Hope Town Harbour Lodge that is at the same time a hill top, beach front and harbour side hideaway. Located on Elbow Cay in the Abacos, the resort has to compete against many worthy properties, including others designed the way I like it best, villa style. However, Hope Town Harbour Lodge has three assets few others can compete against when it comes to location, location, location.

Asset #1: The Harbour Side

When you arrive by ferry from Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco, you will pull into the iconic Hope Town Harbour with its signature candy cane striped lighthouse, and settle at the resort’s private dock. Colonial style clapboard houses wrap around the entire perimeter of the asymmetric harbour, as do private and public docks with boats ranging in every shape and size.

Hope Town Harbour Lodge finds its nesting place on the harbor side, positioned in walking distance to the bars, shops and restaurants that form the social center of Elbow Cay.

Asset #2: The Hill Top

It takes a moderate amount of athleticism to climb the stairs that switch back through the resort’s hillside garden. Thankfully, I didn’t have to tote any bags up the stairs and expose my true fitness level. It is customary for a resort host to greet you dockside accompanied by a private escort for your luggage.

An outdoor patio creates perfect sanctuary to lay off in the evenings: boat-watch over the harbour and marvel at the setting sun. Every night it passes the flame to the lighthouse as it sets beyond the horizon.

Asset #3: The Beach Front

From on top of the hill, you expect the beach to be out of reach. But as you walk through the foyer, a crossroad between the protected harbor side and the open ocean, you descend on the eastern elevation to find an expansive sandy shore. The aquamarine shallows are blotched by a stretch of coral reef, running parallel to the beach.

Surrounded by the sea, Hope Town Harbour Lodge has a unique vantage point that rises from sea level to the heights of its highest hillside balcony room.

Check out the resort at www.hopetownharbour.com.