India Hicks’s Favorite Things to Do on Harbour Island

India Hicks's Favorite Things to Do on Harbour Island

Originally settled in the mid-1600s by people who were shipwrecked (literally), Harbour Island is a pearl in the Sargasso Sea. Living here, we are reminded daily of the beauty of the pink sands and clear waters—and the important architectural history of this little town.

Our own house has evolved over time, layer upon layer, year after year. David [Flint Wood, my husband] remembers me saying, "It feels like home," as soon as I saw it. That was nearly 30 years ago.

My parents, on their honeymoon, had visited the Bahamian island of Eleuthera (Latin for freedom) and became enchanted by its coral sand beaches and simple villages. When, a few years later, they were offered the chance to buy a plot of land on the tiny adjoining island of Windermere, they could not resist. Whilst everyone else lived in perfectly normal Caribbean holiday homes, my father set about designing a house that looked rather like the ancient Egyptian temple of King Zoser, a mix of rough cement with sand from the beach. It was christened Savannah.

As a result, the island became a prominent feature of my childhood, with several trips to the neighboring Harbour Island, long regarded as the crown jewel of the Bahamas for its expansive beauty, bold use of color, and preserved community. The first time I crossed that turquoise bay I was about 4 years old. Never could I have imagined that I would end up falling in love, not only with a barefooted English man but also a way of life, and make Harbour Island my home where I was to raise my own five children.