Bahamas - Andros
'Bahamian Rhapsody'
Accommodation : Liveaboard : How, Why & When : Prices
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Small Hope Bay Lodge on Andros has been hosting scuba divers and nature lovers for more than 45 years and is not your typical Bahamian hotel. The lodge was the first family-run dive resort in the Caribbean and started out before the invention of BCDs and when double-hose regulators were the norm although their equipment has been upgraded since then! Small Hope Bay Lodge was built by Dick Birch who opened the lodge in 1960 with just four cottages and started a diving legend when his record for deep diving on compressed air to 462 feet remained unbroken for many years. The Birch Family continues to operate Small Hope Bay Lodge as a small resort hotel with 21 cottages on the beach and it has received many awards over the years – for eco-tourism as well as for the quality of the establishment and the level of service that's provided by Dick and his team. The cottages are located directly on the beach, each built by hand from coral rock and Andros pine. In addition to the regular cottages, there are four two-bedroom cottages for families as well as a special "honeymoon cottage”. All have private bathrooms, ceiling fans (several are air-conditioned) and are decorated with locally-made furniture and Androsia batik fabrics and all have a view of the sea. To the north of the cottages is a separate and secluded swimming beach.