Whiteland Beach

    One of our absolute favorite beaches on Eleuthera has always been Whiteland Beach.    We made a short visit to Whiteland at the beginning our trip but it was so windy we could not enjoy it, so we moved on in search of a calmer beach.   We knew we wanted to get back there again before we left and had been waiting patiently for the weather to cooperate.  Whiteland is not sheltered from the wind so you it is best on a dead calm day.  The cold front still had not passed us by so it was still quite cool out, mid 70's, but there was little to no breeze on the Atlantic side so we decided this would be our day to try Whiteland again.   We lounged around the house a little than longer than usual relaxing and enjoying the view while waiting for the weather to warm up a little.  I think we had fully embraced the Eleuthera feeling by this point in our vacation and were really taking things slow.  
    We finally motivated and made it to Whiteland around lunch time.  It was just as beautiful as ever, the wind was calm and the sun was shining, despite a few clouds.   It would have been a perfect day for snorkeling and frolicking in the water, except for the air and water temperature were just so darn cold (by tropical standards).  S and I decided it would be a book day for us as we were not too enthusiastic about getting back in that cold water.    J and D decided maybe if we went for a beach walk we would all warm up enough to get in the water by the time we got back.  The four of us really enjoy our beach walks so we can typically make the best of the cool or windy days as long as the weather is good enough for a long walk on the beach.   
   

    We decided to head to the northern end of the Whiteland were there was a tidal creek system where we had caught a few fish in the past.  It was a beautiful walk!  S and I looked for shells while J and D tried kept their eyes out for bonefish and barracuda.  When we finally got to the end we were sorely disappointed to find that the creek system was no longer there.  It looks as if the last hurricane deposited so much sand at the creek entrance it could no longer flow freely between the ocean and the creek system.  You could see a chain of dead mangroves where the creek had dried up.  This discovery took Whiteland down a notch on our list of favorite beaches.  One of the main things we loved so much about it is it had something for everyone.  Fishing for the guys, a fabulous beach for for walking and lounging, and places to go snorkeling.   Although the snorkeling is not great, there are a few decent spots and it made up for it with the fishing and the spectacularly beautiful beach.  I guess it is just a spectacular beautiful beach with decent snorkeling now, oh well you cant have it all.

   
    After our walk we made some lunch and re-evaluated the possibility of heading into the water to do some snorkeling.  It was a no on all four counts, it was just too darn cold.  After lunch D, S and I sat around, read and listened to the surf while J headed on another beach walk in the opposite direction just to make sure there were not any fish out there he might have missed.  He came back empty handed and we discussed our plans for the rest of the afternoon.   We decided it would be a good night to splurge on dinner out.  We unanimously chose The Beach House.  J and I had our rehearsal dinner there not long after they first opened and they did an amazing job.  We all loved the food and atmosphere so much we make a point of going there at least once every trip.   We decided to head back to Caribbean Blue, clean up and relax a bit then head to the beach house around 6ish.  We had not needed reservations in the past but since they are only open for dinner two nights a week now, we figured we better call and double check.  We called around 4pm hoping for a reservation around 6 or 7pm, but all they had left was 9pm.  We inquired if they left openings for walk in's and they said maybe you will just have to come and wait and see if they can find room for us.  Oops I guess we should have planned better, it is so hard for us to commit to anything on vacation.   We never know when we will feel like going out dinner so reservations tend to be one of the last things on our minds.  We decided we better go a little early just to make sure we got a table.  We arrived a little after 5pm and sat at the bar.  The waitress said if we wanted to eat at the bar we could, but they would stop serving at 5:30 so we needed to order right away.  We were not hungry yet but we figured we better take the opportunity while we could.   It turned out the waitress was wrong and they don't serve food at the bar at all.    That was OK with us since we were not that hungry yet anyway.  We told her we were perfectly happy waiting and taking in the view from the bar until a table came available.   

   
    S and I had a few generously poured glasses of red wine while J and D sampled the limited Bahamian beer variety still debating in which was better Sands or Kalik.  The Rum Runners were playing and we thoroughly enjoyed the music and the atmosphere while we waited.  They eventually managed to find us a table around 7pm.  That worked out perfect for us since that was when we wanted to eat anyway.  We were in no hurry so the wait did not bother us and we were very grateful that they even managed to squeeze us in at all.  I think the only reason they did have room is that the Fish Fry was being held that same night (Thursday) instead of Friday since it was Good Friday.   We definitely now know that you HAVE to make a dinner reservation ahead of time (not a few hours) if you want to eat dinner at The Beach House.  We ordered our favorite, the jumbo shrimp stuffed with goat cheese and wrapped in prosciutto along with some Conch fritters, calamari, grouper fingers and some salads.  W definitely got our fried seafood fill but it was all delicious!!!  
    After a great night and a great meal we headed back to our vehicle and found a little surprise.   When J opened the door there were two giant cockroaches (Palmetto bugs) on the front seat.  He tried to scoop them out but they dashed in the car somewhere.  It was dark and we could not find them again to try and get them out so we did our best to pretend they were not in the car on the way home.  We were very grateful that Caribbean Blue is so close to The Beach House.   We left the car windows open so they could escape and then denied the whole experience happened every time we got back in the car.  Thankfully we never saw them again!!