Port Lucaya, Grand Bahama: Count Basie Square, UNEXSO Diving, Taino Beach and Where to Eat

In the evening, Count Basie Square fills with the sound of a live band, and people drift between the open-air stalls and the waterfront tables as the boats rock at their moorings. Port Lucaya is the marina and shopping village of Grand Bahama, a place built for strolling, eating outside and watching the water. It suits travelers who want a lively base on the island with the sea, the diving and the music close at hand.

What is Port Lucaya like?

Port Lucaya is a compact, walkable waterfront village in Lucaya, a suburb of Freeport on Grand Bahama island, and its whole identity is tourism. Boats tie up along the marina, the lanes are lined with shops and bars, and the center of it all is Count Basie Square, where the island’s social life gathers once the sun drops.

The feel is relaxed and outdoorsy rather than polished. By day you hear the clink of rigging, see divers carrying gear toward the docks, and find people lingering over lunch with a view of the boats. By night the square takes over, with live music most evenings and a crowd that mixes vacationers, families and locals out for a drink.

The village has long drawn a younger crowd too. Port Lucaya is a popular spring break destination, and the socializing centers on the square, so those weeks carry a livelier, louder mood than the rest of the year. Divers love the place for another reason: UNEXSO, based here, was the first destination dive charter business in the world, and its presence gives the harbor a seafaring, underwater flavor you do not find in every resort town.

Port Lucaya also sits beside the big resort stretch of Lucaya, so it works well for anyone who wants restaurants and nightlife on foot after a day on the beach. Couples, divers, groups of friends and families all find a rhythm here, whether that means a slow afternoon at the marina or a late evening of music under the open sky.

Things to do in Port Lucaya

Count Basie Square

The square is the heart of the village and the reason many people come at night. Live music plays here most evenings, so the best plan is to arrive around dusk, find a seat at the edge, and let the evening build around you. Stalls and shops surround it, which makes it as good for a browse as for a drink.

It is also the center of the spring break scene, so the energy shifts with the calendar. In quieter weeks you get a mellow, local-feeling evening with a band and a few tables of vacationers. In busier weeks it turns into a full party. Either way, a walk through before dinner shows you the mood and helps you choose where to sit.

UNEXSO and the diving

UNEXSO, the UNderwater EXplorers SOciety, runs dive charters out of Lucaya and features a dolphinarium alongside its SCUBA trips, including shark feeding dives. UNEXSO is a natural starting point for divers interested in its charter offerings.

Diving off Freeport offers a varied menu. One spot, Picasso’s Gallery, is known for coral heads shaped like a painter’s palette. Sunken shipwrecks bloom with gorgonian sea fans and swarms of fish, and divers can swim alongside Caribbean reef sharks. Choose a dive suited to your experience and confirm the details directly with the operator before you go.

Taino Beach park and nature trail

In Freeport, the park at Taino Beach is a community space developed by the Freeport/Lucaya Council for Bahamians and visitors alike. It has restrooms, playground equipment and sitting areas, and a memorial to Edward St. George, the late chairman of the Grand Bahama Port Authority, stands prominently inside. It is an easy place to spend an unhurried hour with children.

A trail leads through a nature preserve and bird sanctuary that showcases the indigenous vegetation of Grand Bahama, a pleasant change from the marina bustle. The park is also the venue for the annual Junkanoo Summer Festival, when music and costumes fill the grounds. Live music turns up nearby too, at Tony Macaroni’s Conch Experience on Taino Beach on Wednesdays and alternate Sundays.

Within reach of Port Lucaya

East Grand Bahama holds Lucayan National Park, the only place in the Bahamas where you can see all six of the island’s ecosystems, along with Gold Rock Beach. Access to the caves in the park is seasonal because they also serve bat conservation, and visitors are advised never to leave belongings unattended there, as thefts have occurred.

Peterson Cay National Park lies just off the coast and is reached only by boat. Visitors anchor in specific areas away from the coral reefs, and fishing, shelling and any damage to or removal of coral are strictly prohibited. West End, the oldest and westernmost settlement on the island, is the first port of entry for boaters crossing from Florida.

Eating and drinking in Port Lucaya

Eating in Port Lucaya mostly means sitting outside near the water. The village is built around the marina and the square, so you will find open-air restaurants, bars with views of the boats and casual spots where a plate of fresh seafood arrives with a cold drink. Because tourism is the main business here, the choices run from quick lunches to long, unhurried dinners.

Conch is the dish to look for in the Bahamas. It turns up as fritters, in salad with lime and peppers, cracked and fried, or in chowder. Grilled or fried fish, rice and peas, and a slice of coconut or guava dessert round out a typical island meal. Pair it with a rum-based cocktail or a local beer and you have the flavor of the place.

Music and food go together here. Count Basie Square has live music most evenings, so a table nearby gives you dinner with a soundtrack. Tony Macaroni’s Conch Experience on Taino Beach plays live music on Wednesdays and alternate Sundays, which makes it a natural choice for a beachside evening built around its namesake dish.

Farther afield, Bikini Bottom Bar in Williamstown hosts live music on Thursdays and Saturdays, a good excuse to step outside the village for a more local-feeling night. Back at the marina, an after-dinner stroll along the docks, with the lights reflecting on the water, is a quiet finish to the evening.

Staying in Port Lucaya

Port Lucaya suits travelers who want to step out of their room and into restaurants, music and the marina. Lodging in the area leans toward resort properties. The Our Lucaya resort in Lucaya includes both The Radisson and Reef Village properties, which gives a sense of the scale and style of the stay on offer nearby.

The village is lively in the evening, with live music in the square most nights, so light sleepers should think about how close they want to be to it. If noise matters, ask the property about the room’s location before booking. During spring break the mood turns louder and younger, so that is worth weighing if you want calm.

Compared with Taino Beach, which has a parkland feel with its playground, trail and sitting areas, Port Lucaya is more about the marina and the evening scene. Divers will like being near UNEXSO, and families can pair the village with the park. For a base that puts dining, diving and music close together, the village makes a sensible choice on Grand Bahama.

Getting to Port Lucaya

Port Lucaya is in Lucaya, a suburb of Freeport on Grand Bahama island, roughly 105 miles east-northeast of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The island lies in the Eastern Time Zone, the same as much of the U.S. East Coast.

Once you are on the island, the village is built for walking. The marina, the square and the shops sit close together, so you can leave the car behind for the evening and move on foot between dinner and the music. Nearby Taino Beach is part of the same stretch of coast.

If you do drive, roads on Grand Bahama are driven on the left and locals drive aggressively, so caution is advised for car, motorcycle and buggy rentals. Visitors headed for Lucayan National Park in the east or Gold Rock Beach should plan the outing as a separate trip from the village.

Good to know before you go

The U.S. State Department rates the Bahamas Level 2, “Exercise increased caution”, and says most crime occurs in Nassau on New Providence and in Freeport on Grand Bahama.

Count Basie Square and the marina are especially lively on evenings when music is scheduled. The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30, so trips in those months should allow for changes in the weather. Keep belongings with you at Lucayan National Park, where thefts have been known to occur.