WOW!! We just returned from a 6 day/ 5 night stay at Stella Maris. There were 5 of us in the group. Two couples, age range from 30-45, plus my soon to be 11 year old daughter. There is so much to say, so this won't be short. I have been reading all the reviews of this resort for the last 3 months in anticipation for our vacation. Now that I've been there, I can't imagine why anyone would write a bad review!
We flew in 1/28 in the smaller plane in the bakground of the picture. Our pilot was Anton. It was a very smooth ride (this is coming from someone who is scared of flying!). We flew out 2/2 in the bigger plane with Joerg as our pilot. He was amazing! My sister sat in the fromt with hem. He explained to her all about the islands we flew over and the resort. At the end, he shook all our hands and gave my daughter a hug!!

We booked an all-inclusive package with Jill who was incredibly helpful and patient with me. We stayed in room #21. My sister and her husband were in room #20. The rooms were absolutely beautiful and immaculately cleaned with beautiful views of the ocean. You can see from my picture fo the view that there is a pool right below our room. Also, there is a bigger pool with a bar by the ocean, the water was very cold though.
Two of the owners, Peter and Joerg, have both retired but are still visible on hte resort. Nearly every meal, at least one of them or their kids came to ur table and asked how things were going and helped us plan our day out. Joerg called a car for us and Peter told u of all the must see places. (Highly recommend renting a car. We did two days of sight seeing.) All of them went completely out of their way to make us comfrotable and made sure all of our expectations were being met. I've traveled enough to tell you we have not experienced this kind of hosptality anywhere else!
We are not scuba divers, nor die hard snorkelers (I don't snorkel) and we were not board. There is so much to seee on this island. It is absolutely beautiful!!

Must see:
-Deans Blue Hole
-Natural swimming pools- 2 in Bonnacourt (the second one is the best) and the "Love Beaches"(we road bikes to these ones). While at the "Love Beaches", kiip walking down and you'll see a shipwreck.
-Columbus Monument/ Harbor- In low tide you can walk/ swim accross to the island.

The sevice was very good. We had a waitress and bartender at night that made us feel like we were a bother, other than those two, everyone else was super! The drinks are very strong, they don't go easy on the liquor. They had a very diverse menu. Lot's of native dishes, some German dishes, and as always the ever so famous American food (Steaks and burgers). Ther specials changed every night. All the food was fabulous and most of the time, we could not finish our plates. There is a set dinner time every night.
We went deep sea fishing. My husband caught a Blue Marlin! We went to the "Cape" beach. It is beautiful but not for the less advanced snorkelers so we didn't stay long. The natives on the island are all so friendly. Nearly every car we passed waved. While we were riding bikes it was the same, they all wave. If you are nice to them, you will get the same in return. Any time I'm with a taxi driver or someone of the sor, I always ask them about their land. They love to tell and I love to hear the history!
Peter and Joerg's kids now run the place with minimal help from them. Not only do they care about the place, they care about their guests! All of them. They didn't just come to our table, they went to every bodies table. I'm told they now have two silent partners who are wanting to make a few changes to the place. I hope it's not too drastic!
There are no locks on the doors. They have a safe at the front desk for passports, jewelry and things of the like. No t.v.'s or telephones. If you like the people your with, it will be great. One more thing, for those who have never bought tickets on-line before. Be sure to pick your seats ASAP. I didn't realize you were supposed to do this. I thought if you bought three tickets together, you'd sit together. WRONG!!!!! We were scattered around the plane. We were able to re-arrange so that my daughter could sit in front of me. My husband had to sit way in the front of the plane by himself though. Very upsetting!!! We always bought our tickets through a travel agent before so this was new to me.

Enjoy your vacation!

My husband and I thoroughly enjoyed our recent 5-night Scuba-Inclusive package at the Stella Maris Resort in Long Island, Bahamas. The package offers excellent value -- including diving, meals, drinks, and even inter-island flights from Nassau. The hotel closes for the month of September, and as it turns out we were the last of the guests staying at Stella Maris in late August. In fact, for the last few days of our stay, we were the ONLY guests. It was like having a private resort! Amazingly, the resort was still fully staffed and no one begrudged us being there. We felt completely welcome.

The Stella Maris Resort is managed by 3 delightful Germans (Peter, Joerg, and Bruno) who have been running the resort for decades. They are very personable, and make it a point to reach out to their guests. You can pretty much be assured that at least one of the owners will stop by during any given meal to share a story, inquire about your day, tell a joke, etc. Plans are that next year management will be turned over to the next generation (sons/daughters of the present owners); it will be interesting to see how they will make their mark on this delightful destination. One can only hope they will preserve the relaxed and friendly atmosphere which is a current signature of the Stella Maris.

Stella Maris means "Star of the Sea", an apt name for such a lovely locale. The ocean is clear and blue as could be. Simply stunning! Long Island is a quiet out island, and makes a perfect place to really "get away from it all" for a few days (or longer if you can!) No TVs, no cell phone service, no computers... Bliss!! :-)

The hotel is not luxurious, but it is clean and bright and comfortable. The location is gorgeous -- we stayed in room 10 which is a corner unit with gorgeous views of the ocean ahead, and the former plantation grounds to the left. There is a roomy patio where you can take in the sea breeze and enjoy the ocean views in comfort. Truly relaxing!

Meals and drinks were very good, and fully covered by the Scuba-inclusive package. All meals are served in a main dining room.

The scuba operation was first rate. The dive guides were great, and there are plenty of dive sites within an easy boat ride of the nearby marina. The dive boat was spacious, and well organized. If you're diving for several days, you can stow your gear in the locker room at the marina, which is very convenient. The visibility is excellent, and fish/coral life abundant.

The hotel has 3 small pools, a unique "ocean pool" and several beaches on the property. However, those beaches are on the rocky side (it's helpful to bring pool shoes if you plan to swim there). A better bet is take advantage of the complimentary shuttle service to visit some of the other nearby beaches which are simply spectacular. I highly recommend the beach at Cape Santa Maria... It is stunning!!!

Another recommendation is to visit the Columbus Monument (about a 15-20 minute drive). Peter gave us a personal tour, which was just great. Be sure to wear strudy shoes and be ready for some steep climbs... The trek is certainly worth it -- the view from the monument area is one of the prettiest I've ever seen in Caribbean.

Kudos to the staff of the Stella Maris Resort -- from the owners to front office staff to the servers to the maintenance workers to the bartender to the... you name it. Everyone we met was friendly and nice, and they really made our vacation experience a delight. We would love to come back!!!

Stella Maris is a unique little resort; truly a gem. If you're looking for an unpretentious resort where you can savor some quiet time, remember how to rest and relax, and be surrounded by the beauty of the Bahamas and its people, it doesn't get much better than this! Go, and enjoy!!

We boated into the marina and had plans to stay for a month or so and ended up staying nearly 6 months. A great place to launch from for daily car exploring trips. They really have the island all figured out. When we were there the lots of land were for sale and we serioussly considered it. I can tell you that George, Gert, and their famiies are delightful honor bound people and will take good care of you.

We had some friends have a tragedy on the island and I have never seen people so quickly rally around and offer such well placed and gentle support. If for that alone, i woudl recommend people stay there.

Bring strong bug spray and cover up with light long sleeved clothing and pants. You wil be happy you did.

Just returned from a guys scuba trip to Stella Maris Resort on Long Island, and all four of us had a blast! Two gacious Germans, Peter and George run a tight ship that functions well beyond expectations on this very laid back, and sparsly developed out island in the Bahamas. The accomodations, which date from the late 60's to early 70's, are clean and quite comfortable and the food was plentiful, fresh, and very good, if not exceptional for the remote local. Best of all was the service, which was very accomodating and run with German precision, which is most unusual in the always easy going Bahamas. The diving was very good, and Matt, the Dive Master had just the right touch of caution, adventure, and accomodating leadership skills on our 6 dives which included a unique Blue Hole dive and a superb night dive. Best of all was the tremendous value we received for all of our fun, food, drinks and adventure, and we had plenty of all of the above! I have spent considerably more for a lot less.My only wish was to be able to stay longer as our five days literally flew by, but I will be back....as there is lots more of Long Island and its incredible waters to explore from this delightful outpost.