Small Hope Bay Lodge
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Booking by Tour Leader Club
2 room types · 60 dive sites
Small Hope Bay Lodge sits on the east coast of Andros — the largest island in the Bahamas and, as the lodge puts it, perhaps the largest tract of unexplored land in the western hemisphere: 2,300 square miles, 104 miles long and 40 wide, with a population of around eight thousand.
The lodge has been taking guests since 1960. Its twenty-two cabins were hand-built in the sixties from coral rock and Andros pine, and are furnished with local artwork, handmade furniture and Androsia batik.
The format is all-inclusive, drinks included: the cabin, every meal, the bar all day, kayaks, paddleboards and bikes, a free introductory scuba or snorkel lesson, self-guided nature tours and babysitting for children aged two to seven during dinner. Diving, fishing and excursions are paid separately.
The dive centre and the dock are on the property. The Andros Barrier Reef — the third largest in the world — runs along the east coast, and just beyond it the Tongue of the Ocean drops away: a trench over 6,000 feet deep that begins right offshore. The site names more than sixty dive sites, nearly all within fifteen minutes of the dock.
Underwater there are walls and mini-walls at the edge of the trench, caverns with swim-throughs, the sunken crane barge Marion, ocean and inland blue holes, and a Caribbean reef shark observation dive. The Discover Scuba course is free for guests; training runs on both PADI and SSI programmes.
The lodge closes for all of September and October — the peak of hurricane season.
No markup
You pay exactly the rate the resort publishes. On top of that, only the actual bank costs of currency conversion and the international transfer — no commission of ours.
We run the deal
Correspondence with the resort, holding the room, the contract, booking confirmation and all paperwork are on our side. There is nothing for you to arrange yourself.
Card payment
We accept payment by card through Stripe and issue an invoice. The transfer to the resort is our job — you do not have to find a way to pay abroad.
Support all the way
We help you choose the room and dates, work out the dive package, answer questions about flights and gear, and stay in touch until you are home.
The exact amount is confirmed when we hold your booking: it includes the resort's rate at the day's exchange rate plus the actual transfer costs. No hidden fees.
About the resort
- Country
- Bahamas
- Location
- Andros Island, The Bahamas
- Nearest airport
- Andros Town (Fresh Creek) — a ten-minute drive
- Transfer
The lodge runs no transfer
taxis always wait at the airport, and the site quotes an average taxi rate of $30 an hour
- Dive sites
- 60
- Dive centre
On-site dive centre and dock, running since 1960, PADI and SSI training
- Nitrox
- true
- Rooms
- 22
- Internet
- true
At the resort
Diving
Tank, weights and belt are included in the dive price, and lights are provided on night dives. BCDs, regulators, computers, masks, fins, snorkels and wetsuits are for hire. Gear stays with the same guest for the whole stay, and each room has its own cubby at the dock. Sites named on the site: Whip Wire Wall, Turnbull's Gut, Giant Staircase, Dianna's Dungeons, Alec's Caverns, Sea Turtle Ridge, Margo's Place, Three Sisters, Black Forest, Queen Angel Ridge, Brad's Mountain, South Peters Place, Peters Mystery, Trumpet Reef, End of the Reef, The Aquarium, Central Park Reef, Love Hill, Leiben's Point and Red Shoal. On the shark dive divers kneel on the sandy bottom at fifty feet, off to the side of the feeding point; the chum ball is lowered about thirty feet. Children dive from ten; younger ones get Bubblemaker. The lodge advises waiting 18–24 hours after the last dive before flying.
Food
The kitchen mixes Bahamian and international cooking. Breakfast brings fruit, yoghurt, cereal, granola, bagels and toast plus eggs, omelets, French toast or pancakes to order, with a different Bahamian special each morning. Lunch is a buffet on the waterfront patio: build-your-own sandwiches and a salad bar of local produce, hot dishes and homemade desserts. Dinner is family style — salads, soup, freshly baked Bahamian Johnny bread, one seafood and one meat dish, and vegetarian sides. Children under seven eat in the games room with a sitter. Four times a year the kitchen puts on a holiday feast for Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve.
Things to do
Kayaks, bikes and paddleboards are part of the rate. The west coast of the island holds the flats of the Great Bahama Bank, the main bonefishing ground; the lodge runs guests to Fresh Creek, a twenty-mile waterway, free of charge. The Androsia batik factory has been on the island since 1973, founded by the Birch family, and is open for visits and lessons. Andros has more than sixty known species of wild orchid, and the bush holds land crabs, iguanas and wild boar.
Rooms
Cabin
View: Beach
A cabin steps from the sand. Screened windows and doors let you keep them open and listen to the sea. The sunrise is visible from the bed.
Cabin
View: Beach
Two bedrooms with their own entrances and a shared bathroom between them. Sleeping arrangements vary from cabin to cabin — the lodge matches the layout to the booking.
Rates
All-inclusive rate, per person per day
| Low season | High season | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | $375 | $425 |
| Child 2–12 | $135 | $135 |
| Child under 2 | free | free |
| Single surcharge | none | $110 |
Low season is 6 January — 15 February and 18 May — 15 December; high season 16 February — 17 May and 16 December — 5 January. Bahamas VAT of 10 % is added on top. The rate covers the cabin, all meals and the whole bar, kayaks and bikes, an introductory scuba or snorkel lesson, self-guided nature tours and babysitting for children aged 2–7 during dinner.
Dives and rentals
| Price | |
|---|---|
| One-tank dive | $125 |
| Two-tank dive | $150 |
| Night or shark dive | $125, minimum six divers |
| Boat snorkel | $50 per person |
| Nitrox | $15 a tank |
| Mask, fins and snorkel | $12 for the whole stay |
| BCD, regulator and wetsuit | $35 a day |
Bahamas VAT of 10 % is added on top. Dives need no advance booking except specialty dives.
Courses
| Price | |
|---|---|
| PADI or SSI Open Water | $300 |
| Open Water referral | $150 |
| PADI Advanced | $200 |
Prices exclude equipment rental and the required dives. Other certifications on request.
Fishing, per boat
| Half day | Full day | |
|---|---|---|
| Reef, up to four anglers with a guide | $560 | $800 |
| Bonefishing, up to two anglers with a guide | $560 | $800 |
| Deep sea, up to four anglers with a guide | $630 | $900 |
Tackle is included and lunch is packed for full-day trips; on half days lunch costs a small extra. Times shift with the tides and the weather.
Rates and availability can change. Message us — we will confirm current dates and prices.
When to go
- Water temperature
- 24 °C in winter to 29 °C in summer
The lodge closes for all of September and October, the peak of hurricane season. Hurricane season in the western hemisphere runs 1 June to 30 November, and the lodge names August to October as the months to watch for the Bahamas. Summer averages around 31 °C with occasional afternoon showers; winter is breezy with daytime highs in the low 70s F. High season on the rate card is 16 February — 17 May and 16 December — 5 January.
Getting there
The nearest airport is Andros Town (Fresh Creek), a ten-minute drive away. The lodge runs no transfer, but taxis always wait at the airport.
Two routes. From Nassau, a connecting flight to Fresh Creek: Titan Air leaves at 07:00 and 16:00 (not Saturdays), Le Air at 06:45 and 15:00 (not Sundays). Charters seat 5, 7, 9 or 19.
From Fort Lauderdale, a direct flight to Andros Town: Makers Air from Fort Lauderdale Executive, Aztec Airways from the international airport. It is about an hour from Miami-Dade and Broward counties and about an hour and a half from Fort Lauderdale Executive. Customs can be cleared at Bimini, Fresh Creek or San Andros. Both airlines give lodge guests a discount.
Private pilots land at Fresh Creek directly: customs and immigration work 09:00 to 17:00 seven days a week, there is no fuel at Andros Town, and Nassau is 18 nautical miles away.
The currency is the Bahamian dollar, interchangeable with the US dollar. The lodge takes cards; many small shops on the island do not.
Included in the price
Not included
Mandatory extras
Optional extras
Extras are per person and paid on site.
from 375 USD per person per day, all-inclusive, low season
Small Hope Bay Lodge
Availability for your dates will be confirmed before any payment. Estimated wait time — 24 hours
Cabin
A cabin steps from the sand. Screened windows and doors let you keep them open and listen to the sea. The sunrise is visible from the bed.
- View
- Beach
- Rooms of this type
- 18
Cabin
Two bedrooms with their own entrances and a shared bathroom between them. Sleeping arrangements vary from cabin to cabin — the lodge matches the layout to the booking.
- View
- Beach
- Rooms of this type
- 4
Small Hope Bay Lodge
from 375 USD
