Simple and charming. Keep in mind that this is one of the out- islands of the Bahamas, where they haven't yet built luxury resorts and get very few tourists. You can't compare this hotel to properties in developed areas. The property itself is very clean and well-maintained. The restaurant may not offer gourmet fare, but it's the only place in town open after 5 p.m., the service is fast and friendly, the decor is bright and pretty and you can get a good selection of liquors, as well as a frosty cold Kalik Bahamian beer to go with it. We had fried grouper for dinner. It was fresh and tasty. The property is not luxurious, but it's really cute and they obviously take pride in it. The staff are extremely friendly and helpful. Rooms were simply furnished, but well maintained, although the mattress on our bed was pretty hard. The gardens were pretty and there was a nice small swimming pool. I loved the fresh flowers everywhere. If you don't have a car it's a bit of a hike to the beach.

Have not stayed at Cigatoo but here are some observations from a one-week stay in Governor's Harbour in mid-November 2005. Due diligence: Cigatoo is a Quality Inn and so is part of the US-owned Choice Hotels megaplex of hotel properties. The hotel is set at the crest of a hill above GH at a point where Eleuthera is not much more than a mile wide. A ten-to-fifteen minute walk down to the east(-ish) side of the island takes you to the very nice and completely deserted pinkish sands of ClubMed Beach (the beach is several miles long; ClubMed is gone, destroyed by a hurricane several years ago); five-to-ten minute walk down to the west(-ish) side takes you to town. More due diligence: liabilities of the nice breezy hilltop location...the immediate skyline is dominated by a BaTelCo antenna tower right down the road...and the walk back from town is up about a third of a mile of looooooooong and fairly challenging hill. Wouldn't want to do it regularly in really hot weather.

The property: nicely landscaped...well-kept appearance...gift shop...tennis courts...didn't see rooms. The restaurant is popular at dinnertime, possibly owing to the extremely limited dining choices in GH after 5:00 p.m. We had several meals at the restaurant and I was...underwhelmed. Breakfast (probably the best Cigatoo meal we had) was good but not cheap...$25 for two omelettes and two coffees and service (auto-added). Dinner was nothing special...grade it fair to disappointing...restaurant boasts a Chinese menu...unimpressive. Prices for one starter or dessert + one burger + one entree + two beverages + auto-added service were about $35-40...service was fairly quick but ranged from pleasant to bored and almost grudging. If the food quality and prices were a match for the pleasant decor and atmosphere, they'd have something worth writing home about.

TA users, feel free to email with questions about Governor's Harbour...also see notes on GH town in my review of Laughing Bird Apartments.

The Cigatoo is family owned by Dwight Johnson and his family. The Johnsons are friendy and on-hand to ensure you have a pleasant stay. The rooms are small but clean, well-maintained and comfortable. The grounds, pool and tennis courts are nice.

The food in the restaurant is very good and the atmosphere is exceptionally tasteful for a modestly-priced property. Mrs. Johnson has decorated nicely, and there are fresh flowers from the gardens adorning the tables.

The folks there went out of their way to help us find rental cars, property and wireless internet access (you have to sit in a certain spot on the corner of the bar).

Lovely island experience at a good value.