Fifty-five miles east of Miami, GRAND BAHAMA looks from the air to be a flat, dry slab of bleached limestone bristling with tall, thin pine trees and edged by a ribbon of powdery white sand and multihued bands of blue-green water. Accessible by daily ferry service and direct flights from several major American cities, the island is ninety-six miles long and seventeen miles wide, and has a range of appealing features: gorgeous white beaches , aquamarine seas , and an exotic profusion of lush coral reefs and undersea gardens . The island's interior landscape is as stark and rugged as its coastline is colourful and brilliant, with seemingly barren forests revealed up close to be teeming with life - home to numerous species of birds, lizards, plants and trees. Although the sun-dappled stands of pine, with an understorey of emerald-green thatch palm, are accessible on old logging roads that may be explored on foot or mountain bike, the rest of the interior is a vast monotony of unkempt bush and swamp that is decidedly less picturesque.

Despite the natural surroundings, most of the half-million annual visitors to Grand Bahama rarely stray far from the urban conglomeration of Freeport - located three miles inland from the south coast - and its seaside suburb Lucaya , which together are home to most of the island's 47,000 residents. Not surprisingly, the local economy is geared almost entirely to the tourist trade . Here, you can golf, gamble or just relax poolside at any number of all-inclusive resorts.

Outside the city, between Pelican Point and Sweeting's Cay, there are seven oceanic blue holes to entice divers and snorkellers. East of Freeport, the Lucayan National Park encompasses walking trails, limestone caves and mangrove creeks that can be explored by kayak. West of Freeport, Deadman's Reef offers lush snorkelling opportunities accessible from the powdery white beach at Paradise Cove .