Luxury Villas Across the Bahamas Out Islands
What a Week Here Actually Costs
10 guests · 5 bedrooms · 7 nights on Great Exuma in February at $2,650 a night
Villa rate
7 nights x $2,650
$18,550
Taxes
10% VAT on the villa rate
$1,855
Fees
Booking fee, damage waiver, departure clean
$199
Private chef
4 dinners for 10 at about $90 pp, chef extra
$3,600
Staff gratuities
Housekeeper about $10 per bedroom a day, chef about 20%
$1,070
Food & dining
Groceries $50 pp/day, 2 dinners out at about $100 pp
$5,500
Transfers & getting around
Two rental cars for the week at about $95 a day plus VAT, water taxi to Stocking Island
$1,663
The number the family pays
$3,244 per person · 75% above the villa rate
$32,437
Plus a refundable damage deposit set by each house, not included above.
These are our costed estimates for a villa of this class, not a quote. Send us the brief and we'll cost your actual house.
Cost Your Own WeekSubject to Villa Type
Housekeeping: Varies by Island
Harbour Island houses usually include housekeeping six days a week. On Exuma it runs from daily service to a paid clean twice a week, so it's worth checking before you book.
Chef Extra
Chefs on Exuma charge by the meal, roughly $75 to $110 a person for dinner. A few of the top estates include one in the rate.
Some houses add a 5 to 10% gratuity or service charge to the rate, so ask before you tip on top. The 10% VAT covers the whole stay and is in the costing above. Damage deposits are set house by house.
Flights
Can You Get There From Where You Live?
Your Nearest Metro
Nonstop from Atlanta into Exuma (GGT) and North Eleuthera (ELH) on Delta, daily from mid-November. About 2.5 hours.
One connection from Austin, via Miami or Atlanta into Exuma. About 6 to 7 hours total.
One connection from Boston, via Charlotte or Miami into Exuma. About 6 to 7 hours total.
One connection from Calgary & Edmonton, via Toronto on Sundays or a US hub. Usually a night on the way. About 10 to 12 hours of travel.
Nonstop from Charlotte into North Eleuthera (American, daily from November 7) and into Exuma once a week. Other days, connect in Miami. About 2.5 to 3 hours nonstop.
One connection from Chicago, via Miami or Atlanta into Exuma. About 6 to 7 hours total.
One connection from Dallas-Fort Worth, via Miami into Exuma on American. About 6 to 7 hours total.
One connection from Denver, via Atlanta or Miami. The island flights leave the hub mid-morning, so most people take a red-eye. About 8 to 9 hours total.
One connection from Detroit, via Atlanta into Exuma on Delta. About 5 to 6 hours total.
One connection from Houston, via Miami or Atlanta into Exuma. About 6 to 7 hours total.
One connection from Las Vegas & Salt Lake, via Atlanta into Exuma, usually on a red-eye. About 9 to 10 hours total.
One connection from Los Angeles, via Atlanta or Miami, usually on a red-eye or with a night at the hub. About 10 hours total.
Nonstop from Miami into Exuma (American, up to 3 a day in winter) and North Eleuthera. About 1.5 hours. Fort Lauderdale has smaller-plane flights to both islands.
One connection from Minneapolis, via Atlanta into Exuma on Delta. About 6 to 7 hours total.
One connection from Montreal, via Nassau on Air Canada or via Toronto on Sundays. About 7 to 8 hours total.
One connection from New York, via Charlotte or Miami into Exuma. Or fly nonstop to Nassau and take the 45-minute hop. About 5 to 6 hours total.
One connection from Orlando & Tampa, via Miami or Nassau into Exuma. About 4 to 5 hours total.
One connection from Philadelphia, via Charlotte or Miami into Exuma on American. About 5 to 6 hours total.
One connection from Phoenix, via Atlanta or Miami, usually on a red-eye. About 8 to 9 hours total.
One connection from San Diego & Orange County, via Atlanta or Miami, usually on a red-eye. About 10 hours total.
One connection from San Francisco Bay, via Atlanta or Miami, usually on a red-eye. About 10 hours total.
One connection from Seattle & Portland, via Atlanta on Delta, usually on a red-eye. About 10 to 11 hours total.
Nonstop from Toronto into Exuma (Air Canada, Sundays from November 15 to April 4). About 3 hours 45 minutes. Other days, connect in Nassau or Miami.
One connection from Vancouver, via Toronto on Sundays or a US hub. Usually a night on the way. About 11 to 13 hours of travel.
One connection from Washington DC, via Charlotte or Atlanta into Exuma. About 5 to 6 hours total.
Exuma International (GGT) is a short drive from most of our Exuma houses. Harbour Island has no airport, so you fly into North Eleuthera (ELH) and cross by water taxi. Nassau has the most flights from the US and Canada, and it's about 45 minutes on to Exuma or 25 minutes to North Eleuthera.
What Governs the Arrival Day
The hub connection. Most flights to Exuma and North Eleuthera leave Miami or Atlanta in the middle of the morning, so anyone coming from the West Coast either flies overnight or spends a night near the hub.
For Harbour Island, it's a five-minute taxi from the North Eleuthera airport to the dock, then a short water taxi across, about $10 a person each way. Plan to land in daylight. The $29 departure tax is already in your airfare.
Schedules change. We check yours before anyone books.
Best For
- Groups who want the water to be the whole trip
- Days on a boat out among the cays
- East Coast families who want a short trip with one easy connection
- Anyone who wants the Bahamas without Nassau's crowds
Not For
- A restaurant and nightlife scene, which the Out Islands don't have
- West Coast groups who won't fly overnight or stop on the way
- Harbour Island in September and October, when many restaurants close
When to Go
High Season
Jan 4 to Apr 30, priciest in March and early April
Festive Window
Dec 20 to Jan 3, minimum 7 nights at most houses
Low Season
Mid-August to mid-November, the peak of hurricane season
Minimum Stay
7 nights over the festive window · 3 to 5 nights the rest of the year
Where to Stay in The Bahamas
Great Exuma
Where most of our Bahamas houses are, from Emerald Bay down past George Town to Hartswell. Five-bedroom houses run about $1,900 to $2,800 a night in February.
Harbour Island
Pink Sands Beach and the old lanes of Dunmore Town, a water taxi ride from North Eleuthera. The priciest island we cover, and you get around by golf cart.
Further Out
A few houses on the quieter islands, including a nine-bedroom house on Elbow Cay that sleeps 20. The pick for big groups happy to arrive by ferry.
Pairs Well With
Planning a Trip to The Bahamas?
Tell us the group and the dates. We'll come back with the houses that fit and what the week costs.
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