Man-O-War Cay
Man-O-War Cay
4.5
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Known as the boat-building capital of the Bahamas, this island has historically been populated by religious white settlers.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
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Excellent
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Very good
14
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4
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2
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1
My visits to the Abaco's are always a welcome trip. I actually look forward to my next visit before I even leave the current one.
I just finished my 5th trip to the Abaco's, specificly, Dicky's Cay. My wife's family has had a home here since 1954. It's a small island of between 10 and 15 homes, next to Man-O-War Cay that together make up the Man-O-War Harbour. In some places in the Harbour, at low tide, you could literally walk across to MOW.
MOW is what I consider to be the best of both worlds. It's a tropical paradise with fantastic people and great places to shop and eat, fish and boat. It's also a small town, where everybody knows everybody...with fantastic people and great places to shop and eat, fish and boat. Whenever I visit, the locals remember me and we strike up a conversation that seemingly left off from the last visit. It's like I never left.
Did I mention you can shop and eat there? There are several places to do souvenier and gift shopping. Some of my favorites are; Joe's Studio, the Dive Shop(at the marina), and the Sail Shop. Joe's sells clothes, jewelry, lots of local artist stuff, touristy things, not-so-touristy things, practical items such as placemats and placesettings. Joe makes and sells "half models". For those of you unfamiliar with these, they are just that...a half of a model, cut in half the long way, that is mounted to be diplayed on a wall. He makes them from indiginous Bahamian woods. They are works of art. And very popular. The Dive Shop sells clothing also, but different clothes mostly, a full line of snorkel gear as well as dive equipment. Norman Albury-Sail Makers, aka the Sail Shop, specializes in hand making just about anything you can out of canvas. Between my wife's family and I, I bet we have 15 or more items that we use regularly from the Sail Shop. Duffle bags, carry on bags, shaving kits, hats, and other bags of all sort of shape and sizes for a multitude of uses. We purchase many of them for gifts and they are always a hit.
The food. There are two grocery stores on MOW. Albury's Harbour Store and MOW Grocery, affectionately known as "the upper store", for geographical reasons. Both stores sell a lot of the same items, but each sells somethings that are uniquely their own. If one doesn't have it, the other probably will. If not, ask if they can get it and more often than not they can accommidate. The prices are interesting. Somethings are more expensive than in the states and other things are cheaper. I'm talking food and clothing mind you. You need a circular saw? At home, a Craftsman saw is about $59.99. That same saw in the Bahamas...$259.99. Anyway, back to the food.
There are several restauants. The Hibiscus Cafe has some American fair, as most do, and a lot of of sea food. Grouper burgers, conch fritters, dolphin(durado/mahi-mahi)burgers and coconut prawns just to name a few. The dinner menu rivals most up-scale Bistro's I've eaten in. Oh, so many choices, so little time. My favorite is the Tuna salad sandwhich. They put lime in it. Try it, you'll like it. The Pavillion is an open air restaurant right off the water. If it gets too windy, they drop down these rolled-up plastic, see through walls. The menu is basicly the same as most eateries with a few changes. On Friday and Saturday eves. they have an extra BBQ menu. The ribs are our favorite.
There are many local bakeries. We buy are bread and coconut pies from Lola's Bakery. They're all good, but Lola drives us around in her golf cart. What are you gunna do?
There are very few automobiles on MOW. The ones there are, are smaller than normal. Mostly, cars I've never seen in the states. The prefered mode of transportation is the golf cart. There are also a few scooters and motorcycles as well.
Life is tranquil and the people are great. Not just the locals, but all of the transient sailors and the seasonal residents. Season residents are people that live there for several months out of the year.
We have gone to a lot of the other Out Islands. Most are a 20 min to an hour long boat ride away, or there is a ferry service that can get you many places with a flexible schedule.
If you are into fishing, diving, boating, shopping, eating, or just want to relax in a tropical paradise and feel at home, go to Man-O-War Cay, Abaco Bahamas.
You wont regret it, I promise.
Tpockrandt1@aol.com
I just finished my 5th trip to the Abaco's, specificly, Dicky's Cay. My wife's family has had a home here since 1954. It's a small island of between 10 and 15 homes, next to Man-O-War Cay that together make up the Man-O-War Harbour. In some places in the Harbour, at low tide, you could literally walk across to MOW.
MOW is what I consider to be the best of both worlds. It's a tropical paradise with fantastic people and great places to shop and eat, fish and boat. It's also a small town, where everybody knows everybody...with fantastic people and great places to shop and eat, fish and boat. Whenever I visit, the locals remember me and we strike up a conversation that seemingly left off from the last visit. It's like I never left.
Did I mention you can shop and eat there? There are several places to do souvenier and gift shopping. Some of my favorites are; Joe's Studio, the Dive Shop(at the marina), and the Sail Shop. Joe's sells clothes, jewelry, lots of local artist stuff, touristy things, not-so-touristy things, practical items such as placemats and placesettings. Joe makes and sells "half models". For those of you unfamiliar with these, they are just that...a half of a model, cut in half the long way, that is mounted to be diplayed on a wall. He makes them from indiginous Bahamian woods. They are works of art. And very popular. The Dive Shop sells clothing also, but different clothes mostly, a full line of snorkel gear as well as dive equipment. Norman Albury-Sail Makers, aka the Sail Shop, specializes in hand making just about anything you can out of canvas. Between my wife's family and I, I bet we have 15 or more items that we use regularly from the Sail Shop. Duffle bags, carry on bags, shaving kits, hats, and other bags of all sort of shape and sizes for a multitude of uses. We purchase many of them for gifts and they are always a hit.
The food. There are two grocery stores on MOW. Albury's Harbour Store and MOW Grocery, affectionately known as "the upper store", for geographical reasons. Both stores sell a lot of the same items, but each sells somethings that are uniquely their own. If one doesn't have it, the other probably will. If not, ask if they can get it and more often than not they can accommidate. The prices are interesting. Somethings are more expensive than in the states and other things are cheaper. I'm talking food and clothing mind you. You need a circular saw? At home, a Craftsman saw is about $59.99. That same saw in the Bahamas...$259.99. Anyway, back to the food.
There are several restauants. The Hibiscus Cafe has some American fair, as most do, and a lot of of sea food. Grouper burgers, conch fritters, dolphin(durado/mahi-mahi)burgers and coconut prawns just to name a few. The dinner menu rivals most up-scale Bistro's I've eaten in. Oh, so many choices, so little time. My favorite is the Tuna salad sandwhich. They put lime in it. Try it, you'll like it. The Pavillion is an open air restaurant right off the water. If it gets too windy, they drop down these rolled-up plastic, see through walls. The menu is basicly the same as most eateries with a few changes. On Friday and Saturday eves. they have an extra BBQ menu. The ribs are our favorite.
There are many local bakeries. We buy are bread and coconut pies from Lola's Bakery. They're all good, but Lola drives us around in her golf cart. What are you gunna do?
There are very few automobiles on MOW. The ones there are, are smaller than normal. Mostly, cars I've never seen in the states. The prefered mode of transportation is the golf cart. There are also a few scooters and motorcycles as well.
Life is tranquil and the people are great. Not just the locals, but all of the transient sailors and the seasonal residents. Season residents are people that live there for several months out of the year.
We have gone to a lot of the other Out Islands. Most are a 20 min to an hour long boat ride away, or there is a ferry service that can get you many places with a flexible schedule.
If you are into fishing, diving, boating, shopping, eating, or just want to relax in a tropical paradise and feel at home, go to Man-O-War Cay, Abaco Bahamas.
You wont regret it, I promise.
Tpockrandt1@aol.com
Written January 24, 2002
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Explorer17167
Rochester, NY1 contribution
I have been visiting Man-O-War Cay since I was born. My parents took me there as a child, and I have been back many times since.
If you are looking for a place to relax, this is it.
Rent a house and go swimming or read all day. Do absolutely nothing.
That's real rest. Fish or go diving, read, or get to know someone on the island.
I got married on Man-O-War.
If you are looking for a place to relax, this is it.
Rent a house and go swimming or read all day. Do absolutely nothing.
That's real rest. Fish or go diving, read, or get to know someone on the island.
I got married on Man-O-War.
Written February 20, 2004
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jane C
Deltaville, VA61 contributions
Feb 2013 • Friends
Warned about limited groceries on Man-O-War, we shopped on Marsh Harbour, Abaco & lugged bags of food over on the ferry. NOT NECESSARY! Maxwell's now has a grocer on the little island but the real find is Alburys Harbour Store just a short walk from the ferry landing. Forget the dire warnings of no produce, few choices, and exorbitant prices! Sure, it costs a bit more to import all your food, and you probably might not find the latest fad, but never fear! There's everything you need and most of what you'll want at this jewel of a grocer.
Written February 28, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
John L
Denver, NC18 contributions
Jan 2012 • Couples
The boat building is very interesting to see and the local grocery has everything. hey do not like anyone who is not local and they let you know. Stayed one night and moved on.
Written September 27, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NotThereYet59
Ann Arbor, MI60 contributions
Jun 2011 • Couples
Man-O-War is one of the family islands off of Abaco. Most reach the island by private boat or by scheduled ferry service. The island is only 2.5 miles long so it is easy to explore on foot. The main harbor area (the settlement) has two main parallel roads and a series of side streets that link the harbor with the ocean. Spanning most of the island is the "Queen's highway", which becomes a sand/dirt lane once you are out of the settlement. Walking through the side streets to look at the houses or to head to the beach is one walking option. Heading North or South on the Queen's Highway is another. The Northern direction is longer and will allow you to see more water along the way. There are several lovely beaches on MOW. The easiest to get to are from the settlement--just take the Cemetery or Ballfield roads and head away from the harbor. The roads in town are getting signs so finding these side streets should not be a problem. While on Cemetery road, don't forget to stop at Lola's bakery (you will see a small sign and a path on the right about 200 feet down the road) for some fresh bread, cinnamon rolls or guava jam. Another nice place to swim is the "low spot" or "narrows." It is about a half mile north of town. You can't miss it while following the Queen's highway. Nice swimming on either side, depending on the wind. Great snorkling a bit to the North-East. Also a wonderful beach to the South-East.
MOW is famous for boat building and is where the Albury boats used to all be made. Many still are and you can see the work in progress on the lower road. On the lower road you will also find one of the grocery stores, the sail shop (where they make the famous MOW canvas bags), a couple of restaurants (Dock and Dine and Bradley's) as well as shopping. The upper road has the other grocery store. There is a hardware store in between.
Staying on MOW is a bit tricky but well worth the effort. There are no hotels. There are 4 condo units that are easy to find in searches. Most visitors, however, stay in the houses of second home owners who rent out their houses by the week or month. To find a rental, you often need to know someone who knows someone or to know the names of the caretakers on the island. Try posting a notice on one of the forum boards (Abaco's Community Message Board or AbacoForum) to get some advice from folks that have stayed there. I would recommend the message boards for finding housing on the other family islands as well. There are also a few listed on VBRO. For MOW rentals, some are actually on the small island next to MOW (Dickey's Cay) and you will need a boat to get back and forth to MOW. Make sure you know where you are renting. We stay about 1/4 of a mile north of the settlement. We love to watch the boats going in and out of the harbor, the beautiful sunsets and the easy access to the pristine beach. I'm sure if you asked those staying on any part of the island, they would tell you their location is the best. It really is hard to go wrong on MOW.
One peculiar thing about MOW is that it is a dry island. Yup, no alcohol for purchase anywhere. This doesn't mean you can't drink. It does mean that you have to stock up on beer, wine or liquor in Marsh Harbour before you come to MOW. It is OK to bring wine to the restaurants, just be discrete.
MOW is my favorite place to stay in the Abacos. It really does seem like you have stepped back in time. People are friendly. Life is slower. Almost everyone gets around on foot or golf cart. Because of the lack of hotels, it is much quieter than some of the neighboring islands.
A slight warning to those that have never been to a place like the family islands--the electric company, BEC, is notorious for not having steady power. It is not uncommon for the electricity to be off for an hour or 6 hours every day or so. I have visited many times and often there is power the entire trip. Other times, MOW shared power with several other islands which resulted in fairly scheduled power outages.
MOW is famous for boat building and is where the Albury boats used to all be made. Many still are and you can see the work in progress on the lower road. On the lower road you will also find one of the grocery stores, the sail shop (where they make the famous MOW canvas bags), a couple of restaurants (Dock and Dine and Bradley's) as well as shopping. The upper road has the other grocery store. There is a hardware store in between.
Staying on MOW is a bit tricky but well worth the effort. There are no hotels. There are 4 condo units that are easy to find in searches. Most visitors, however, stay in the houses of second home owners who rent out their houses by the week or month. To find a rental, you often need to know someone who knows someone or to know the names of the caretakers on the island. Try posting a notice on one of the forum boards (Abaco's Community Message Board or AbacoForum) to get some advice from folks that have stayed there. I would recommend the message boards for finding housing on the other family islands as well. There are also a few listed on VBRO. For MOW rentals, some are actually on the small island next to MOW (Dickey's Cay) and you will need a boat to get back and forth to MOW. Make sure you know where you are renting. We stay about 1/4 of a mile north of the settlement. We love to watch the boats going in and out of the harbor, the beautiful sunsets and the easy access to the pristine beach. I'm sure if you asked those staying on any part of the island, they would tell you their location is the best. It really is hard to go wrong on MOW.
One peculiar thing about MOW is that it is a dry island. Yup, no alcohol for purchase anywhere. This doesn't mean you can't drink. It does mean that you have to stock up on beer, wine or liquor in Marsh Harbour before you come to MOW. It is OK to bring wine to the restaurants, just be discrete.
MOW is my favorite place to stay in the Abacos. It really does seem like you have stepped back in time. People are friendly. Life is slower. Almost everyone gets around on foot or golf cart. Because of the lack of hotels, it is much quieter than some of the neighboring islands.
A slight warning to those that have never been to a place like the family islands--the electric company, BEC, is notorious for not having steady power. It is not uncommon for the electricity to be off for an hour or 6 hours every day or so. I have visited many times and often there is power the entire trip. Other times, MOW shared power with several other islands which resulted in fairly scheduled power outages.
Written August 4, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NANCANVA
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA253 contributions
Aug 2015 • Family
I'd like to take the opportunity to explain Man-O-War so that visitors are not put off by any of the low ratings given to Man-O-War. This island is completely different from Marsh Harbor or Hope Town. First, it's a very religious, conservative, mostly all caucasian, DRY island. There are no bars or places to buy alcohol on the island. Everything pretty much closes up at 5:00 pm. What you will find, however, is what day to day living really looks like in the Abacos. The people on Man-O-War are exceptionally proud of their history - there are several books written on the subject in Abaco book shops. It's quaint, clean and still very beautiful. Because it's so small, you can literally walk end to end in less than an hour. There's a wonderful beach at "the narrows" - a place where the land is very narrow with perfect beaches on each side. It's pretty much unspoiled and open to anyone who wants to spend the day there. There's a grocery store with a few souvenir items, Lola's bakery, the Marina store and a couple of small restaurants - but that's pretty much it. I lived on this island for almost two years (off my sailboat) and I will agree that the locals are not "overly" friendly. They are polite and reserved - but that is very typical of smaller cays like Man-O-War. Remember, these are the people who are still loyal to the crown. They were Loyalists who fled the American Revolution and settled on these islands. They like life pretty much like it was back then. Some may find that a narrow point of view, but it's their island and they've thrived. They don't mind tourists, but if tourism dried up, most of them would be okay with it. As I said, this is not a party island. If you want to spend the day exploring the Abaco's boat building history and finding more about the history of the original founding families of the Abacos, this is the place for it. And, then go back to Marsh Harbor or Hope Town for the nightlife.
Written April 1, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mabel T
Baltimore, MD1 contribution
Nov 2014 • Couples
We have spent a week in a rental cottage on Man O War Cay in the Abacos. This is one of the most beautiful islands in the Bahamas. A small settlement with friendly and helpful locals. The village is spotless, gardens edged with tropical flowers. Lots to do if you enjoy a perfect beach, peace and tranquility. Water sports activities abound, dive time shop near the marine for diving and snorkeling the reefs, boat hire to explore alone. A truly wonderful spot. Shush don't tell everyone :)
Written December 14, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
newtonmatraveler
massachusetts145 contributions
Jul 2011
We stayed on man-o-war for a week and loved the island. We visited both elbow cay and Guana cay, and thought that man-o-war was the best by far. It is less touristy than the other islands with good amenities. The stores are better and it has a great harbor, nice beaches and a real family atmosphere. It really seemed more like Bermuda than the Bahamas since the "natives" are descendants of British Tories who fled America at the revolution. You see a lot of blue eyed blonde kids and people with a British accents. We rented a house and boat ( you need a boat here) from Waterways rentals. With the boat we could go to all the beaches and places like nippers. Most days we would go to a deserted beach, anchor, and swim off the boat. If you go here expect to lose power just about every day, it's a dry island so bring your own, and TV, internet and phone are limited. It was a great place to go with teens since you can cut them off the tv, phones, texting, facebook, etc. and enjoy some quality family time. I was worried that they would be bored (4 teens), but they actually had a great time drawing, reading, and swimming. A week is just about the right time, any more might be a problem though.
Written July 25, 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Elaine B
Standish, United States26 contributions
Jan 2017 • Couples
Have been coming to MOW for 10 years now. Always rent a home on the water. This is my favorite place in the Caribbean. It is like stepping back in time. The people are wonderful, always so friendly and helpful! Grocery store has everything plus fresh baked goods. Love the Hibiscus cafe and Joe's Gift Shop. Sally's is my all time favorite. The colors, fabrics, and people always make you feel so good. This is my best place for buying gifts for anyone. The Sail Shop is also such fun to visit. The views, the flowers, the fresh fish are all delightful. I come for a month and never want to leave.
Written January 10, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrew_WNY
Staten Island, NY127 contributions
Jun 2016 • Friends
My favorite place to stay so far in the Abacos is Hope Town since there are a number of good restaurants there and a real nice ocean beach, but in Man 'O War it feels a like bit more of the authentic Bahamas, as opposed to being so heavily influenced by vacation homeowners. I really enjoy taking a day trip here by boat -- either a rental, the ferry or Froggie's tours from Hope Town. The town is immaculate, Dock N Dine is quite good, and a stop in the boat-building shed is educational.
This time, three of us had a boat rental and after lunch at Dock N Dine and a brief walk through town, we took the boat up to the Abaco side where there's a nice little beach with a gazebo. The island narrows to a few dozen feet and you can see the Atlantic. It was a beautiful spot to anchor and laze away an hour or so.
This time, three of us had a boat rental and after lunch at Dock N Dine and a brief walk through town, we took the boat up to the Abaco side where there's a nice little beach with a gazebo. The island narrows to a few dozen feet and you can see the Atlantic. It was a beautiful spot to anchor and laze away an hour or so.
Written July 4, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are credit and debit cards accepted at most of the Man o War establishments (grocery market, restaurant etc)?
Written January 25, 2024
Hi! Are the shops open on sunday?
Written June 15, 2019
We were the during the week. However, on most islands everything is shut down on sundays
Written June 16, 2019
Can you rent a boat there what was the cost and do you have to have special license? Is everything furnished and do you have to pay for everything separate including groceries or is there an all-in-one price?
Written July 14, 2018
see question on what is usual for weather over Christmas and the best beaches
Written December 6, 2017
I am traveling to Man o War on December 26 for a week stay. What is the weather usually like at that time of year. Also what are the best beaches and are they public?
Written December 6, 2017
Does Miami A/P have flights to Man-O-Wasr? What airline services
this island.
Thank You for any info you can provide.
Written April 15, 2017
Desperate for some coconut pie and it sounds like Lola's Bakery on Man o War is closed?!?! I'm in Hopetown, and so far no pie! Vernon's hasn't had any since Tuesday. Any suggestions?
Written February 24, 2017
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