Harbour Island's pink-sand shoreline is one of the quietest arrivals in the Bahamas. From Fort Lauderdale the seaplane brings you within reach of Dunmore Town without the ferry-and-taxi relay the trip usually demands. Settle in; the water does the rest.

Baker's Bay on Great Guana Cay is built for people who would rather not be found. A direct run from Palm Beach sets you down beside the club's own waters, skipping the usual connection through Marsh Harbour entirely.

Eleuthera is a hundred miles of beach, pineapple fields and the Glass Window Bridge where two waters meet. Crossing from Naples, the Gulf gives way to Bahamian blue and you arrive rested for the slow pace the island keeps.

Bimini is the closest the Bahamas come to the mainland — half an hour of water from Fort Lauderdale Executive. Big-game fishing, clear flats and Hemingway's old haunts become an afternoon decision rather than a weekend's planning.

Marsh Harbour is the gateway to the Abacos and its string of out-island cays. A seaplane from Boca Raton lands you in the heart of the boating country, with Hope Town and Guana Cay a short hop or tender ride beyond.

Hope Town's candy-striped lighthouse has guided sailors into Elbow Cay for generations. From Miami the seaplane reaches the harbor directly, trading the usual island-hop connections for a single quiet flight over the reef line.

Chub Cay sits at the southern tip of the Berry Islands — a marina-and-fishing outpost with deep water just offshore. The run from Key West keeps you over the Straits and the Bahama Bank the whole way in.