Easter 2016 at Small Hope

WOW! What a fun Easter! We had a full house - couples, families, new guests, and repeaters. We dyed Easter eggs, had a hunt for candy, and ate an incredible, mouth-watering feast.

It was a gorgeous Bahamas day here - sun shining, palms swaying. Our guests went diving, snorkeling, fishing, swimming, and relaxing. The kids got crafty with their Easter eggs, and loved their candy hunt (duh).

Then a beautiful evening with dinner served on our outside patio. We had roasted turkey, smoked turkey, pork tenderloin, roasted suckling pig, two kinds of ribs, shrimp, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and Greek salad.

And the desserts! Whoa. 30+ of the best desserts ever - creme brulee, chocolate chip cookies, mini chocolate cheesecakes, Bailey's parfaits, cocnut cream pie, marble cake, key lime pie, and so many more . . .

A great time (and a great meal) was had by all!!!

Happy Easter!

Pin It Now!

The Beautiful Artwork at Small Hope . . .

Not only do we get the coolest guests here at Small Hope, but we also get the most talented and generous! Check our some of the incredible artwork our guests have done and given to us . . .

This piece was given to us by Elizabeth Klevens. She and her family have been coming to Small Hope since she was a small child. Diving was a favorite pastime for both her parents and Small Hope had a very special place in their hearts. Elizabeth did this piece for them and it hung in their entryway at their home until they both passed away. They both requested their ashes spread at their favorite Small Hope dive site. We had memorial services for them both and Elizabeth also made plaques that mark where we dropped the ashes. Elizabeth then added the mount and lighting and shipped this to us!!!! So amazing. Our inside bar wouldn't be complete without it. Check our her website for all the other amazing things she has done on her website elizabethklevens.com. 






Another mind blowing piece of glass work was given to us by Mary Driver. This piece sits over our mantle and is unreal how beautiful it is. Look at the detail of the glass work. Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest but comes at least once a year to dive with us here on Andros. She has done some of the most impressive mosaics. See her beautiful pieces here www.marydrivermosaics.com.






This painting was given to us by a good friend. It also hangs behind our bar and people are shocked to learn it isn't actually a photo! Look at the detail. So talented!!!










This lithograph has been with Small Hope for many years. I think it really captures the beauty of our night sky over the dock.











Thanks to all the artists who have shared their works with us. And keep sending more. We love them. 





Pin It Now!

Andros Island, the Sleeping Giant, by Rosi Birch

Rosi Birch spent many years here on Andros. She found it to be a wonderful oasis, full of beauty and life. Here is what she wrote about Andros Island in the 1960's, in her own words . . .

The Sleeping Giant

Pin It Now!

A Beautiful March, on Andros Island, Bahamas!

Sometime it is just too pretty here and we have to share it . . . Check out some of the gorgeous days we have been having here.

Pin It Now!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

In honor of this holiday we are giving you one of our most popular drink recipes!

Screaming Black Monkey

(For 10 people)
Fill blender pitcher with a 1\3 ice
4oz                             Vodka
4oz                             Kahlua
4oz                             Baileys
1 1\2 oz                      Banana Liqueur
1 1\2 oz                      Grand Marnier
1 1\2 oz                      Tia Maria

Blend, serve, and enjoy!!!

Pin It Now!

Coral Nursery and Algae Removal Project

At Small Hope, we have been diving the Andros Barrier Reef for over 55 years. We have been enjoying this beautiful ecosystem and sharing it with all of our sub-aquatic enthusiasts. However, due various man-made and natural changes in this environment, our reefs are suffering.

Algae, in healthy quantities, is beneficial for the marine life. However, if it is not kept in check, it can suffocate a reef and its corals. In the 1970s there was a plague that affected the long-spined sea urchins, killing off a huge portion of them. The sea urchin eat the algae off the coral and help to maintain a healthy balance. With the loss of so many urchins the algae population was not kept in check and continued to grow, covering and suffocating many corals.

Here at Small Hope, we have escaped many of the ill effects that other Caribbean islands have suffered. We still enjoy a beautiful and healthy coral reef, with lots of variety of hard and soft corals, sponges and other sea life. But that doesn't mean we can't help make it even better!

We have recently been collaboration with the Bahamas National Trust and the Nature Conservancy in an effort to grow our corals and help remove some of the excess algae. Our dive staff has assisted in the creation of a coral nursery, growing one of the hard corals native to the area, Staghorn Coral. They have been learning how to care for these juvenile corals, transplant them to other parts of the reef, and learning how to help remove algae from areas where it is overgrown.

And now we are developing a program where our guests can join us in this effort as well. Stay tuned for details of how you can help assist our beautiful reef system when you come to dive with us! Pin It Now!

What our guests have to say about Small Hope Bay Lodge . . .

We truly get the most wonderful guests at Small Hope. I suspect that the type of people who choose to go to an off-the-beaten -track resort on a (mostly) deserted tropical island, with no TVs in your cabins are just the coolest anyway!

Our guests bring with them great stories of families and travel and we get to share all of it. The staff and guests here mingle and chat about everything from world politics, to the environment, to the new Star Wars movie, and the most recent Duke game.

Our cocktail hour has seen different people come and go. Many of our guests have made life-long friends here among the other guests and the staff as well. It is such a treat to live and work among some of the most interesting people in the world!

Check out some of what our guests have said about their stay here . . .

Pin It Now!

Check out this awesome video of Small Hope!!!!!!!

An amazing video! This really captures the beauty of Andros Island, and all the great activities we offer here!

Pin It Now!

Small Hope's "West Side Story"

The west side of Andros Island is a virtually unexplored and pristine oasis. It is miles of waterways and mangroves, estuaries and sand banks. At Small Hope we offer tours to this paradise for nature lovers.

We have several guided tours of Andros Island - half days and whole days, and to some of the beautiful natural attractions this island has to offer - but nothing compares to the West Side. This tour is unique since we have to go by boat rather than vehicle.

It is a whole day tour and starts early in the morning. We drive down to Cargill Creek where we get in to the skiff and start the ride through North Bight, the large waterway that crosses Andros. The tour includes bird watching, fishing, snorkeling, and sight-seeing. You can see the old sponging locations and you'll pass the historic Bang Bang Club, which worn down now, used to have guests like Al Capone! Some of our guests even spot dolphins on this trip!

Check out our guests' most recent trip to the West Side. Looks like they had a great lunch with some very fresh snapper! They also made a new friend - one of the rare iguanas we have on the island.

Pin It Now!