Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
SALT POND
Salt Pond, in the middle of the island, is the main centre of business, despite its small size.
There's a fish-processing plant, several well-stocked stores and a gas station that's open on
Sunday. With the arrival of the Long Island Breeze Resort here, this is a place that's set to
become even more prominent in the future.
Just north of Salt Pond is
St Joseph's Anglican Church
, enjoying a sublime setting on
a ridge above the beach and boneflats. Break out your camera!
Immediately north of HSC supply store there is a road that leads east to the Atlantic
shore and a headland with blush-pink beaches and a craggy, untouched shoreline. You can
hike trails that lead south for several miles.
At Pinders, about 2 miles south of Salt Pond, another road (this one is in appalling con-
dition) leads to
Guana Key
, a beautiful, well-protected, shallow bay; Guana Key Island
is a short swim offshore. In good weather you are able to snorkel over the wreck of an old
freighter in 15ft of water.
The highlight of the island's annual calendar is the
Long Island Regatta
, a four-day
event that's held at Salt Pond in mid-May.
Activities
The snorkeling and diving here are simply superb. Divers should head for
Cape Santa
Maria Ship's Graveyard
or
Grouper Valley
where thousands of these friendly (and pos-
sibly endangered) fish gather to spawn every November. There is also
Grouper Village
, where resident groupers and Brutus, a mammoth jewfish, expect to be fed.
Ocean Blue
Hole
, a dramatic, ever-widening funnel, is worth seeing. Some like the adrenalin of feed-
ing sharks at
Shark Reef
although this practice is now widely frowned upon.
Snorkelers should head for
Coral Gardens
- Hawksbill turtles favor these awesome
caves, overhangs, and valleys - and
Eagle Ray Reef
where rays flutter around guarded by
a friendly grouper.
Flamingo Tongue Reef
and
Watermelon Beach
are both favored by
countless species of corals and fish. Some very experienced divers have set up shop at Salt
Pond, but they cover all the dive sites.
Sleeping & Eating
Long Island Breeze Resort
RESORT $$
( 242-333-0170;
www.longislandbreezeresort.com
;
Salt Pond; s/d from $80/105;
) This very smart new resort has just eight plush rooms, but planning permission for a
further 40 makes this potentially the biggest resort on the island. So far we like what we
see: the quality wooden floors, tasteful furnishings and grand style of the bigger suites that
