PRICE:
Frommer's Very Highly Recommended

The hotel, whose exterior is painted a soft coral pink, stands on 3.6 hilly hectares (9 acres) overlooking the beach and within walking distance of the center of Dunmore Town, which is in a British Colonial style. This is one of the most consistently reliable hotels on the island, avoiding the glitter of some of the more volatile properties. It also opens onto one of the best beach locations and is a favorite of families, whereas some of the more posh resorts don't really cater to children. Coral Sands is a longtime favorite that does a big business with happy repeat visitors. Originally built with an airy design that featured big-windowed loggias and arcades, it opens directly onto the 5km (3-mile) pink-coral-sand beach for which the town is famous. Casual elegance, with ample doses of personal charm and friendliness, permeates every aspect of this hotel. Improvements have revitalized the property and freshened up the decor. Many rooms have private verandas or terraces, all are eminently comfortable, and all allow you to fall asleep to the soothing sounds of waves breaking on the shore. Bathrooms are midsize and well kept, mostly with tub/showers. The latest series of restored rooms are on the second floor of the complex in the Caribe building. They have been converted into luxury one-bedroom deluxe oceanview suites, some with two bathrooms, others with one bathroom. All of these suites have a bedroom facing the ocean, plus a separate living room with sofa.

The hotel's Terrace restaurant offers fine cuisine. Simpler, less elaborate food is also offered at the beachfront Commander's Beach Bar & Restaurant, which is dramatically cantilevered high above the pale-pink sands.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Bahamas 2008, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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