Two 50 year old girlfriends on our annual vacation, found Coral Sands through TripAdvisor looking for a pristine beach, balcony with ocean view, and gourmet food. We absolutely fell in love with the quaintness of Harbour Island. Check in, including 5 big cases taken from taxi directly to our room, went smooth. We had done our homework and knew what to request, then followed up with a call to the hotel the day before we went to be sure our requests had been met (fridge, etc). The hotel was pretty, and while the people are not overly friendly by nature, I think people confuse that with bad service. I found most everyone to be very attentive if I needed anything, but not in a kiss-[----] American way!
We stayed in the Caribbe building, and our room was nice, although the tiny bathroom w/slotted door wasn't! The big balcony w/ocean view was great, very private, and we could hear the surf. They come by each night for turn down, if you like, or just to bring towels.
The beach bar is beautiful, and in the morning, if you are an early riser like me, when you walk around the property, including the pool area and beach bar, there is no one else up! I would go down to the lobby at 7am, and they had a fresh pot of coffee w/real cream set up (just for me?!), and paper cups, which all I had to do is ask, and even though they weren't serving yet, someone would go find a real cup. It's a perfect time to soak up the layout of the property, while everyone's sleeping in and missing out!
The restaurant is very good. We found all of the restaurants on the island very good. The bread & eggs were really good - fresh & homemade.
Driving around town is very cool. Everyone drives golf carts, and you just park anywhere. Warning: the guy at Johnson's Golf Cart Rentals is rude - talk about bad service.
The beach is truly awesome, with velvety sand, and clear, beautiful water, not to mention the blue sky, puffy white clouds, and the nice breeze . The water is not cold, but it is not very warm either. Just takes a second to get used to (and I'm whimpy), then it seems like if it were any warmer, it would be too warm. We brought blow up pool mats for the pool, which the pool was way too small for that, but we used them in the ocean, and loved it! The surf is just enough to bring you in after drifting for a while. I highly recommend bringing your own from home, as this was a highlight of our vacation. Be careful not to sunburn.
We went to The Island Spa for our 'To Die For' treatments from Karen & Tina, and had a lot of fun going in to town (Arthur's Bakery had a good tuna sandwich), and tooling around the island, finding our own private beach. We went to see Lone Tree, to which the locals said 'you mean that stick in the sand?' when we asked where it was! Since we are not night-life people, not sure how that would be, but didn't see much.
Harbour Island is not for those looking for a vacation on a budget, or if you need action and entertainment, but, if you dream of being a beach bum all day on a paradise beach, then cleaning up and going out to a casual, but great gourmet meal, then Harbour Island is for you.














