When it comes to the perfect beach, you know it when you see it.
The brightness of the sand, the brilliance of the blue, that perfect permutation of palm trees dotting the shore.
We’ve been to more Caribbean beaches than just about anyone on earth. But this one is special.
This is Cape Santa Maria Beach, the crown jewel of Long Island in The Bahamas.
It’s set on the northwestern tip of Long Island, a deliciously uncrowded, pristine gem in the Out Islands, and it’s exactly the kind of dreamy Out Islands shoreline you imagine: that Windex-level shade of turquoise, with sand so white you have to squint just looking at it; a rhythmic, calm lap to the waves.
Photos don’t do it justice. Even your eyes can’t quite grasp the beauty.
But spend a week at the Cape Santa Maria beach resort, and you’ll begin to understand it.
But when it comes to this beach, named for Columbus’ October 1492 landing here, there’s really just one way to fly here: Makers Air, the Fort Lauderdale-based airline that just started the first-ever scheduled nonstop routes between the United States and Long Island’s Stella Maris Airport — just a 10 minute drive from the Cape, as it’s affectionately known.
Makers is a semi-private airline with a broad network of charter and scheduled flights from its terminal at Fort Lauderdale Executive across the Out Islands — to places like Staniel Cay, Rock Sound and Andros.
But the new Long Island route is particularly welcome, connecting a fabulously beautiful, decidedly hard to reach spot with the important market of travelers in South Florida.
So what else do you need to know?
The Fort Lauderdale-Long Island service runs twice per week, with flights on Sundays and Thursdays, meaning the perfect long weekend or a great option for week (or longer) vacations.
Even better? Cape Santa Maria isn’t just home to one of the best beaches in the Caribbean — it’s also a tremendous value, with toes-in-the-sand rooms starting at around $295 on a representative booking for next week.
To learn more, visit Makers Air.
