Insider Tips for Visiting the Bahamas, From SI Swimsuit Model Chase Carter
Travel + Leisure teamed up with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit to highlight one of the beautiful destinations included in this year’s swimsuit edition.
Twenty-year-old Chase Carter, a Bahamian-born model from Nassau, gave T+L an exclusive tour of Harbour Island, in the Bahamas, during a break from shooting.
“I could not feel more blessed and lucky to be here in the Bahamas where I’m from,” Carter told T+L. “I get to take you around and show you my Bahamas.”
Related: The One Thing a Pro Golfer and SI Swimsuit Model Packs for Every Trip
Harbour Island is just northwest of Eleuthera Island, and it’s famous for its blushing pink beaches, stylish boutiques, and tropical eats.
That’s why the Conch Shack — Carter’s favorite place to eat when she visits home — is the first stop on her tour of Harbour Island. Conch (pronounced conk by locals) is a common, tropical mollusk that can be eaten either fried or raw. Guests at the Conch Shack can also have their fresh catch prepared as a salad.
Next, Carter took a private horseback ride on the beach — an activity travelers can easily set up through Pink Sands Resort. This upscale property has a mix of 25 cottages and two oceanfront villas, set along three miles of the island’s iconic beaches.
Carter told T+L that the island’s pink sands are created by frequent storms that break up the surrounding coral, and wash ashore the red shells of the Foraminifera.
On her day off, Carter also played dominos with locals and went snorkeling. Harbour Island’s unique reef system doesn’t just contribute to the tint of the beaches — it also keeps the waters incredibly clear. Serious explorers can head farther off shore for dive trips to the island’s shipwrecks and underwater caves.
The 2018 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition was shot all over the Caribbean, including Aruba, Nevis, and other destinations in the Bahamas (like Spanish Wells, where cover model Danielle Herrington went swimming with pigs).
