After hearing many great things about the Abacos, we decided to book a trip for my wife's 40th birthday. We read about Elbow Cay in one of the Coastal Living issues, and decided that was the place we wanted to visit. My wife and I and our 2 girls, 6 and 8, booked five nights a the Hope Town Harbour Lodge. We ended up in one of the pool side cabanas, which have two double beds - perfect for a family of four. The hotel was very quaint, it was built over 50 years ago - I believe. The rooms were descent and what I expected - comfortable and clean. The only complaint I had were we kept getting little ants in our bathroom. Also our hot water did not work the first day we were there, but it got fixed fairly quickly. The beach on the resort was fantastic with descent snorkeling right off the shore. We ate breakfast every morning facing the beautiful Atlantic Ocean. The pool was nice and clean and the pool bar made some great adult beverages. One of the best parts of the resort was the manager Tom. Tom was always willing to help and made you feel right at home.

I would recommend Hope Town Lodge to anyone visiting the Abacos. One thing to remember, this is not a 5 star resort (I don't think there are many in the Bahamas), but it had a lot of charm and well located. We did take a look at one of the beach front Cabanas. Those looked very nice. Roomy with a king size bed, small kitchenette, and double vanity. I think these rooms are adult only. I do think the Hope Town Lodge was over priced for what you get, but I think that is common in the Bahamas. While we were there they had a $99 rate for the rooms in the main building - that would have been more affordable.

Sometimes in life you find something special and this was truly wonderful experience.. We stayed in one of the oceanfront cottages where nothing was spared to provides a super deluxe accommodation.. The grounds, pool and dinning facilities were first class and the dinning room was the best cuisine we have ever experienced in the Bahamas.. Having lived in the country for over 38 years we thought we had experienced the best but our dinning experiences were the very best.. For quality and price it was an outstanding value as well.. The Lodge's General Manager Tom Hazel always is seeing to his guests every needs.. The staff was most well mannered, attentive and always helpful when called upon.. For boaters, dockage is complementary for Lodge guests.. Our last comment , we cannot wait to return again to this little touch of Paradise on quaint Elbow Cay, Abaco..
JHDennis and KCBurrows, Nassau, Bahamas

We had never been to The Abaco Islands and went for a wedding that was being held at the hotel. When we arrived, our room was not ready so we went to the pool bar for a light lunch and drink. Five minutes after we sat down, we felt like we were friends with the bartender and the people at the desk were the same way. The location is perfect to walk to other restaurants and to rent a boat to explore other islands. From our room # 12, we could see the ocean from the back balcony and the harbour from the front. The hotel did an amazing job with the wedding reception which was around the pool. I have been telling everyone I know that they need to make this their next vacation.

This was our first trip to the Abacos. Flew from West Palm Beach on a gorgeous Friday afternoon...what a short, easy flight! Within minutes of takeoff we could already see the crystal clear waters & shimmering edges of white sandy beaches...unbelievably close.

Arrived in Marsh Harbour, cab to Dock, ferry to lodge dock--easy, easy, friendly greetings from everyone. They met us at the dock, promptly took our luggage & we walked up the stairs to the Lodge. Lovely layout & style of the lodge. Really nice touches that really bring it up a few notches, i.e. Tommy Bahama style furniture on the peaceful veranda overlooking the harbour with a trickling fountain in the background....lovely flowers & landscaping around, nicely maintained, pretty gazebo with adirondack chairs, nice quiet spaces. Pool is quite nice too with its Tiki bar, but I wish it stayed open later than 6pm...There were tons of options as to where to hang out....beach, pool, decks, veranda. the beach was gorgeouse & private...often only 1 or 2 people on it as far as you could see & you could walk quite far.

Ate dinner in the restaurant & it had the best atmosphere of anywhere on the island. Ray's was a nice bar scene for a pre-meal glass of wine.

The ONLY disappointment was that we had a regular lodge room & it was very musty & the a/c blew directly on the bed which made it very difficult to sleep. Every piece of our clothing & everything we had with us (even our cell phones!) reek of musty odor. We had basically no view. I would recommend upgrading to a cottage or cabana or at least a lodge room with a view maybe...Noise from above room would have been a problem but either the room was vacant or they were extremely quiet...

we rented a boat for 2 days & they picked us up at the Lodge's dock & we were able to keep our rental boat there without any issues. Boating was awesome & I think a trip to the Abacos would not be complete without having the use of a boat.

All in all, I highly recommend the Hopetown Harbour Lodge--just pick an upgraded room...