Small Hope Bay Lodge

The staff were extremely pleasant and being at the resort felt like being a part of a family. Also, they gave free beginners scuba diving lessons which was a pleasant surprise.

Beautiful place with an outstanding staff that will take care of anything you need!

We loved the small friendly feel of Small Hope. The dive operation and variation of sites was excellent and some of the best we have experienced. Staff was all helpful and friendly and the food was delicious!

Absolutely relaxing

Small Hope Bay was amazing! It's like a step back in time to a simpler place. The whole staff was super helpful and friendly

Small Hope Bay Lodge is unique and wonderful. It is filled with a spirit of welcome and joyous comraderie. After a few days, newly made friends and staff become family. The diving is good with a great and very personal dive staff, who also double as Small Hope "ambassadors" who draw new guests into the circle of friendship and activities. A family business, the current owner in the family line - Jeff Birch - is everpresent, mixing it up with guests. Food is thankfully not gourmet, but fresh, delicious, and proudly offered by staff buffet style outside on the terrace. Cabins are not fancy, but clean and comfortable and set in a grove of palms and shrubs just off, and with views of the bay. Local staff is friendly, helpful, personal. Small Hope Bay is alive, friendly, fun, and an escape from the pretentious and into the genuine.

Small Hope Bay Lodge is a gem of a resort. It is a family owned business that has been around for some 50 years. I've been there twice, with for the first visit some 5 year ago. Nothing had changed, which is great. My buddy has been there three times, the first over 30 years ago; and he tells me that the place hasn't changed in that span of time. There is a lot of family tradition here, and it really makes SHB special. Fully loaded, the resort can handle some 30 people (give or take). The food is good, but not excellent. It is hearty fare, from a local chef, prepared well and very tasty. Nothing fancy but always very good. They have a tradition of serving conch fritte's as an ourderve during "cocktail" hour before dinner. They are a great, and the conch are grown right there at the resort. Meals are taken communally with lots of social mixing. This is one of the many pleasures of this resort; the staff are incredibly friendly, and with so few guests, you can't help but meet interesting people. The resort specializes in scuba and bone fishing; and if you're not into either of those two sports, there isn't a great deal else to do. Andros Island is sparely populated, and does not boast much of a night life. Again, that's fine with me. I'm a diver, and the diving is excellent. When I'm not underwater, I'm happy to be lying quietly in a hammock with a book; or at the bar socializing w/ my fellow travelers, or shooting the breeze w/ the staff.

This place is all about friendly and attentive service. Very well run. Not luxurious, but very comfortable. Very good food. I really liked the communal atmosphere. Excellent, professional, safe diving operation. Wonderful place to dive, relax on the beach, and to be in company of very nice people. And, given what they give you, quite affordable too.

Most of the other guests we met at Small Hope Bay Lodge were repeat guests, and that says a lot about the place. It's laid-back, friendly, comfortable and just steps from the beach. The staff goes out of their way to serve. The food was wonderful. The diving and fishing were very good, even with weather that wasn't perfect during our stay. If you're looking for shopping, nightlife and spa treatment, go elsewhere. But if you're looking to get away from it all and enjoy the some of the best fishing and diving in the Bahamas, this is definitely the place.

Great staff great food mellow.. amazing diving amazing beach front location. Guests very interesting

We went to a get away... Husband is a fishing fanatic and I love to scuba and snorkel. Andros is so lovely. Beautiful beaches and reefs. Also the 'blue holes" are a cannot miss! It was a terrific get away. I didn't get to do much diving, but had a great time with the lovely staff and guests doing other things. The food is also amazing there. Lots of seafood, steaks and lovely side dishes. It is an all inclusive place for food, drink and lodging. Fishing and diving are extra, but there is none better! We highly recommend Small Hope Bay Lodge. Lots of other things to explore on this island, so we MUST GO BACK soon!

We absolutely loved our stay at Small Hope Bay! The staff are wonderful and make you feel like part of their warm family. We arrived with hopes of ultimate relaxing in their perfectly located hammocks and left having had that plus learning how to scuba dive and enjoying some awesome snorkeling and sea kayaking and exploring the mangrove! The place feels like a camp for adults who enjoy the outdoors, and we loved it. The food was wonderful, and the renovated rooms are great. If you, like us, were looking for a Bahamas getaway that didn't involve giant hotels and conventional food or "luxuries", but rather a peaceful, beautiful, and warm environment where all your needs are taken care of without feeling like just a number -- then this spot is for you! Can't say enough good things about this place and the people who make it so special!

this was our second time there and it was a good as the first.

Hotel Staff are incredible. they will do anything to make your stay more pleasing. Scenery is incredible. Room furnishings are basic not luxurious. 1 day there was a problem with electricity and jacuzzi didn't work. there is no pool.

Our family has visited three times! Go here for diving, snorkeling, bonefishing, bicycling, exploring, and lounging. The isolated, beachfront grounds have been described as looking like a rustic summer camp, and that's exactly how it feels. Totally laid back and friendly. It's truly a family atmosphere; friendly staff mingle freely with the guests, and the chef takes requests for the family-style meals. Nothing slick or commercial about it. Go here for a true off-the-beaten-track, out-island, sand-between-your-toes beachside experience.

This is the place to go if you want to unplug and feel as if your the only person on the planet! We loved that the wi-fi was shut every night at dinnertime to encourage a sense of community. Was nice to talk to people from all over the world! The staff if fantastic! From the dive masters to the lovely ladies who took my plates after every wonderful meal! I learned how to SCUBA dive while there and could not have chosen a better place to learn. There are so many things to do that we are going to plan a return trip as soon as we can!!

No neighboring casinos, no high-capacity resort rules. The welcome of Small Hope Bay Lodge is like going to the family cottage (but with a full staff!). We were given a cold tropical drink at the beachfront patio-bar and a full tour of the grounds upon arrival, before being left to flop onto the cool comfortable mattress or the shady hammock in front of our private beachfront cottage (that's all there is at SHBL - no sardine apartments, no "garden view" or "island view" suites, and no TVs (yay!)). We put our wallets in the safe and didn't touch them until we left 12 days later. I've always associated "all inclusive" with crowded, loud, gaudy, and over-the top. Not so for SHBL. It's just the best parts of all inclusive, plus awesome diving packages (and fishing) and the coolest, friendliest staff and guests. At first, it's hard to recognize all the activities besides diving, but the staff is full of unique options for no-cost day trips (kayaking, sailing, bike rides, good snorkel spots, etc) and will go out of their way to make sure you have everything you need for your mini-adventure. You're not sharing the free equipment with 2000 other guests here - only 20 cottages at SHBL. Even with these activities, we spent two full days enjoying the fine art of doing nothing. Don't miss Captain Bill's Blue hole; take time out for the tour at Androsia. A couple more ways you can have accessible super-luxury: ask for breakfast in bed, spend a 1/2 day snorkelling, swimming, tanning nude, or whatever... on your own private island with a cooler full of fruits, snacks, and refreshments - you'll get dropped off by the dive charter & picked up a few hours later. Professional massage in cabin or on quiet beachfront is on par with luxury international standards at a very good price. Check out the "stories" section for more details of SHBL awesomeness. Bring your own toiletries (shampoo etc) - you probably prefer your own anyway.

It was a very relaxing week. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The food was excellent. The fly fishing was very good when the weather cooperated.

We had a fabulous time at this low-key beach and diving resort on the Bahamian island of Andros. We were looking for a place that was quiet, unpretentious and laid-back, close to nature, and free from the plague of high-maintenance tourists. We found what we were looking for, and more: simple carrbean-style bungalows with the sound of lapping waves coming in through the window, beautiful views, good food, and good company, and beautiful reef diving. We have had the good fortune to be able to travel around the world and see other places of this style and caliber, and they are indeed very rare gems indeed. A one-of-a-kind experience!!

I loved my stay at Small Hope, as always. The staff, dives, and overall vibe of the place are something found no where else on earth! The people are so great and you make life-long friends. Any questions or requests were always followed up on by everyone. My family and I enjoy the lack of tourist attractions and the peacefulness of being out-of-touch. I've had some of the most wonderful moments of my life while diving at Small Hope, and some of the funniest while joking around with the friends I've met there. You really become a member of the family at Small Hope! We've been coming here for about a decade and don't plan stopping anytime soon.