My family was fortunate to vacation at Stella Maris Resort during the few weeks in July 2020 when the Bahamas was open to tourists from the U.S. This was our 3rd visit to Stella Maris in ~12 years, and I hope it won't be our last. We were originally supposed to vacation during May, but had to postpone because the Bahamas borders were closed due to the pandemic. We rescheduled for July in hopes that the situation would improve by then. Needless to say COVID was still very much with us, but we managed to make the trip happen -- but not without a lot of re-planning and anxiety over getting our COVID test results back in time and having to revise flight schedules more than once. Jill (partner/manager at Stella Maris) was wonderful to work with as we navigated our way through deciding whether or not to come, and what options we should consider. She answered all of my many questions, and was 100% supportive to do what she could to get us there. I very much appreciate all of her help. Due to the pandemic, we were forewarned that the resort's bar and restaurant would not be operational, so we basically rented the Rainbow Villa "Air BNB" style -- Jill arranged for a rental Jeep so that we could explore Long Island and drive to area restaurants that were open on the island, and she stocked our kitchen and bar prior to arrival based on my shopping list. We had the Rainbow House to ourselves, so it was the perfect place for "social distancing". The house has 3 bedrooms (each with its own full bath), an open concept great room, and a fully stocked modern kitchen. The best features of the house are its private pool and views of the ocean beyond. Absolutely beautiful! There's also a gazebo overlooking the ocean, my favorite place to read. There's a SmartTV in the great room, and a DVD player as well (an eclectic collection of DVDs are on site, along with quite a few books that you can borrow to read while you're there). There is WiFi at the house (but it doesn't reach the downstairs bedroom). Drinking water is "potable" (won't make you sick), but it doesn't taste good. No worries though, just inside the front door is a water cooler with purified water that is chilled and tastes fine. This was a family trip -- my husband, me, and our two grown children in their early 20s. It was fun to revisit a locale that we'd been to with them when they (and we) were 10 years younger. I will say the Rainbow Villa (aka Rainbow House) looked somewhat worse for wear than it had 10 years ago -- it's still an absolutely lovely place to vacation, but the tile work on the pool looked tired, the big sliding doors were sticky, one of the A/C units seemed to struggle. But to be fair, with the COVID shutdowns we were probably one of the first visitors to stay there in quite a while. Between last year's hurricane and this year's pandemic I can understand why things might not be perfect just yet. That said, the pros far outweighed the cons. The Bahamas is my happy place, and Long Island is one of my favorite Bahamian islands. It's remote, quite, and relaxed. Everyone is friendly, and it is not at all commercialized. In this traveler's opinion, it's a perfect place to unwind and get away from it all for a bit. Stella Maris Resort has a great laid-back vibe, and the locale along the Atlantic coast is gorgeous. Nearby Cape Santa Maria beach is one of the prettiest beaches in the world, no exaggeration. The crystal blue waters are incredible! If you visit and want to explore, beware that the roads are rough. The "highway" that traverses the length of the island is the best road you'll find, and it's not good. On the plus side, there are NO traffic lights on Long Island! The side roads and back roads are a trip... narrow, mostly overgrown, and full of some very rocky stretches. A rugged car (preferable a jeep of SUV) is a must if you plan to drive much. One thing that's changed for the better in the past 10 years is the Columbus Monument, overlooking the harbor where Columbus' ships anchored when "discovering America". The views are stunningly beautiful (as they always have been). On our prior visits getting to the monument was a bit of a challenging uphill hike, but since then a paved walkway and steps have been installed which make it far more accessible. Bravo for that improvement! If you're lucky enough to visit when the resort's restaurants and bars are open you'll be in good hands I'm sure. If you want to explore other dining options, I'd recommend Docky's Flats for indoor/outdoor dining/drinks/dancing (about a 5-minute drive from the resort). Docky is a bit of a local legend - Flats seems to be a side venture (currently only open a few days per week), the rest of the week Docky captains a boat for various excursions -- mostly well known for bone fishing, but other types of excursions are available as well. During our visit we went out with him for a boat trip to visit swimming pigs, snorkel in a few spots, and take a sunset cruise. It was one of the highlights of this trip. If you have a car, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND driving to Chez Pierre's for dinner (just be sure to call ahead - reservations are a must). It's about a 30 minute drive away, and totally worth it. I'll post a separate review, but suffice to say we ate there twice during our visit, it was that good. We also enjoyed a very nice (albeit expensive) dinner at Cape Santa Maria Resort. Worth a visit as well. I highly recommend Stella Maris Resort if you're looking for an island destination that's off the beaten path. Truly a place to get away and "recharge" your spirits. Enjoy!…