In the Bahamas, the Other Long Island

End of the Road

South through the towns of Hard Bargain, Roses and Cabbage Point, the hills played out and the road became flat and straight, lined by stone walls marking 18th-century property boundaries. There were scattered houses and, at several places, shallow ponds beside the road. In old times these pans were flooded with sea water that was left to evaporate, leaving behind salt that was harvested and sold.

There were more goats than people on the final stretch of Queen's Highway, and the beasts didn't concede half the road. I was stopped twice by meandering nannies with kids. Then the sign appeared -- Gordon's -- though I didn't see any evidence of a settlement or village, just the end of the paved surface and a causeway to the right over a shallow mangrove flat leading to another pristine beach and water the color of lime and cream blended.

I parked under a casuarina tree. Standing alone in the shade with not another soul around me, I gazed out at the expanse of the Great Bahama Bank stretching to the horizon. Behind me was the rental car I'd taken to so many rough places -- the rubble causeway I'd crossed and the end of the road. I felt a sense of accomplishment, but I also had the rueful, sad feeling that comes when something -- a life, a road -- comes to an end.

But the end was only the end until I turned the car around and started back to the Stella Maris. Then it became the beginning. It's all, I thought, a matter of perspective.

And timing. Checking out the next day, I came across this entry in the guest book, written the date I'd arrived:

"Thanks for four wonderful days. John Grisham."

Marvin Hunt, who lives in Durham, N.C., writes frequently about the Bahamas.

Details: Long Island, Bahamas

GETTING THERE: Unless you charter a flight from Florida, the best way to reach Long Island is to fly to Nassau -- from D.C., rates start at $360 round trip -- and catch the 50-minute Bahamasair flight to Stella Maris airport ($78 one way). Stella Maris Resort Club (see below) operates its own afternoon charter flight from Nassau for $102 each way. Info: 800-426-0466 , www.stellamarisresortairservice.com.

GETTING AROUND: Bicycle and scooter rentals are available. Renting a car ($75 to $90 per day, plus 40 cents a mile) is the only way to really see the island. Although costly, I find car rental indispensable in the Bahamas.

WHEN TO GO: Long Island is in the southern Bahamas, on the edge of the Gulf Stream, which means there is hardly a bad time to visit. Located in the path of the trade winds, it is rarely too hot or cold. I prefer early June, when the flowers are in full bloom, but this is also around the time of the Long Island Regatta, when the island population soars. Flights to Stella Maris are often full the second week in June and rooms can be hard to find. The fall or winter seasons are also outstanding. The worst weather I've experienced has been in February and March.

WHERE TO STAY: Rates at the venerable 40-year-old Stella Maris Resort Club (800-426-0466 , www.stellamarisresort.com) range from $160 per night for a double to four-bedroom bungalows with private pool for $580, during the winter high season (Dec. 22-April 27). Prices include land excursions, use of small sailboats and bikes, weekly cave party and more. The much newer Cape Santa Maria (800-663-7090, www.capesantamaria.com), 15 miles north, has one-bedroom villas for $285 a night from Dec. 15 to May 31, $195 June 1-Dec. 14.

In Clarence Town, Gems at Paradise (242-337-3016, www.gemsatparadise.com) offers views of town with its twin church spires as well as Clem Cay; rooms start at $85 a night (summer) and $100 (winter), with one-bedroom condos for $185 in summer to $225 in winter.

The Bahamas Tourist Office (see below) provides links to Out Island hotels and resorts, including Long Island.

WHERE TO EAT: Breakfast and dinner at Stella Maris are consistently excellent. Full breakfast is $12, dinner $25 to $35 per person. The hotel provides box lunches at $5 for those diving or fishing or otherwise away from the resort at midday.

There are mom-and-pop eateries along the length of Long Island, with sandwiches for $5 to $8 and full meals for $8 to $12. Most restaurants offer conch, spiny lobster (called crawfish) in season and a variety of fresh fish. Goat or mutton is a better bet than beef, since there is very little cattle on the islands. Bahamian fruits and vegetables are excellent. I've lived happily for days on peas, beans and rice and local bread.

INFORMATION: Bahamas Tourist Office, 800-422-4262, www.bahamas.com.

-- Marvin Hunt