vacation to abaco house and boat rental

[eagle]

Hello,

I am a travel agent and have heard many good things about this island
we are avid weekend boaters from the midwest and boat on the mississippi river all summer. We would like to be our family 2 adults 2 kids and another family same number to this are in spring -06 - we would like to rent a house and a boat. Any information - is boating from island to island easily navigated?
I am new to this destination and would like to get more info and aqainted.
Any responses would be great. We are not looking for touristy things - just lay around on beach swim and boat.

[steamboat]

Suggest you go to the Dr. Ralph link at the top of the page and look at "Abaco Isn't for Sissies" and other articles. The Abacos are a great vacation destination for some and an awful location for others (sounds like your in the GREAT group). Anyway, once you figure out if you want to be on an outer Cay or in Marsh Harbour proper, you need to get started on reservations ASAP since a lot of the properties and boats rent out starting a year in advance. DO not wait until you arrive to make rental (golf cart, car, boat, etc.) arrangements. If you have any questions, the board members here are great about sharing experiences and travel arrangements.

[Paul Ingram]

And don't count on boat reservations being reservations. We're arriving tomorrow (Wed) and got a call last week from a replacement boat renter guy. Seems the primary company, who has had our deposit for months, overbooked due to a loss of records and they had to find us an alternate source - a small businessman who seems nice over the phone. I believe (and hope) everything will be okay. We believe this is an honest mistake and look forward to the New Years Junkanoo parade in Hope Town!

[LeeR]

www.getawaybahamas.com

It is free for the vacationer and to the vacation home owner.

[CATNAPSzzz]

Getting around from cay to cay is easy enough and, excepting a heavy downpour which might cut your visibility (we never, well almost never, see fog),
you can usually sight navigate from point to point if you know what you are looking for. That being said, you are a first timer and therefore the usual "buy a Dodge Guide" applies. Not only will you see the course to set but it is full of other good info.

Enjoy!

[momshell]

You will have a great time if you are not looking for a fancy resort type vacation( though there are some lovely inns/resorts). Boating, sunning, fishing, relaxing, walking, laughing, etc. you get the picture.- are what you do in the Abacos. Too many great Cays to choose from. In my opinion, it is better to stay away from Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco and get to a smaller cay, such as Lubbers Quarters, Elbow, Guana, Treasure or Green Turtle. Tons of houses to choose from, but if you want two separate places, book soon to be near your friends. You may want one large house , and there are great links for searching for that perfect place. Rent your boat the same time you rent your cottage (hot commodities). We have never had a rental problem with the boat... I always keep good records and check in with cottage owner and boat rental company about a month prior to my trip to make sure everything is in order. Your kids - whatever their ages- will love the abacos. Great snorkeling, swimming, and most especially, exploring. My two girls started their Abacos trips at 5 and 7 years old. They love the escape. No tv or telephone to muck up a great experience, but you can rent places with every conveniance if that is your desire. Plenty of great resouces on this board. Rentals can be found at abacovacations.com, getawaybahamas.com, vrbo.com. ( ooops , forgot your were a travel agent). I'll stop rambling. Have a great trip!!

[Watercolours]

Check out this web site www.lubberslodging.com (http://www.lubberslodging.com)

[DrRalph]

Check out Advice to Novice and Rental Boaters (http://www.************/AdvicetonoviceandRentalBoaters.html).