THE BAHAMAS : WHERE SUN AND SURF ARE CLOSER TO HOME

The first thing a beach-loving vacationer should know about the Bahamas, the chain of more than 3,000 coral islands and islets that stretches southeast from the Florida coast toward Haiti, is that it is not, repeat not, a Caribbean island nation--although generally it is included in Caribbean island guidebooks.

The Bahama Islands are near the Caribbean but located entirely in the Atlantic Ocean--a factor to keep in mind when you are planning a winter trip. From a visitor’s point of view, this geography bequeaths the islands both a major advantage and a modest disadvantage.

Because of its more northern position, the Bahamas, like Florida, is sometimes battered by strong winds, and winter temperatures can turn surprisingly chilly. The last time I was in Nassau, the capital--in early January a few years back--a cold breeze was blowing, and I never even considered going for a swim. In the city’s popular Straw Market, the vendors were wrapped in blankets and obviously shivering. So bring a sweater. Still, on most winter days the islands are quite pleasant and tend to be slightly warmer and sunnier than Miami and Key West.

Despite the threat of an occasional chill, the Bahamas’ proximity to the United States makes it a more convenient and less-expensive sun-and-surf destination to reach than most Caribbean islands. Nassau is only about an hour’s flight from Miami, and service is so frequent that some tourists in Florida hop over for a day’s outing. The Bahamas’ Biminis, a small chain of islands and cays famed for deep-sea fishing, are just 50 miles off the Florida coast--a 25-minute flight. And cruise lines offer quick three- and four-night voyages to the Bahamas out of Florida.

The Bahama islands cover a lot of territory, and it is unlikely that anyone can see all of the country on one trip--or even several. Stretching for about 750 miles, the Bahamas archipelago caters to tourists as the nation’s primary industry, offering visitors diverse choices that range from high-stakes casinos and glitzy night life in the resort cities of Nassau and Freeport to quiet escapes in the lightly populated Out Islands, sometimes promoted as the “Family Islands.” You can go on a tight budget, or spend lavishly on deluxe lodging and sophisticated dining.

Many of the Bahamas’ more than 700 islands and 2,500 cays (pronounced “keys”) are adorned with gorgeous, often-empty stretches of soft-sand beaches lapped by waters in every shade of green and blue. Only about 30 islands are inhabited, and among them sun-lovers can enjoy swimming, tennis, golf, boating, big-game fishing, diving, snorkeling, windsurfing and the thrill of para-sailing. In some places, couples can arrange with their hotel to spend a romantic day alone on one of the tiny, uninhabited beach-ringed cays. A boatman ferries you and a picnic lunch to your private hideaway and returns to pick you up at an hour you specify.

The population of the Bahamas is about 269,000, the majority of whom live on the island of New Providence, where the old city of Nassau is located. Another population center is the relatively new town of Freeport and nearby Lucaya, on the island of Grand Bahama, which was first targeted for luxury resort development in the 1960s. The rest of the islands of the Bahamas are the Out Islands--where the people are few, the pace slow and the ambience serene and reclusive.

The Bahamas boast a history rich in the lore of piracy and other skulduggery, a legacy of the European quest for power in the West Indies. The Bahamas got caught in the competition at the outset. In 1492, Christopher Columbus reportedly made his first landing in the New World on the Bahamian island of San Salvador, although there is some dispute on the matter. About 12 miles long and six miles wide, the rock-edged strip of land today supports a population of just 750 and is the site of one of the three Club Med resorts in the Bahamas. Called Club Med-Columbus Isle, it is among the all-inclusive chain’s most luxurious holiday villages.

These days, most of the major islands in the Bahamas can be reached by regularly scheduled flights from Nassau or from such Florida gateways as Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach and Orlando. The major carriers are Bahamasair, airline of the Bahamas; American; Delta and USAir. Adventurous travelers can take passage from Nassau on one of the overnight mail boats that call on the Out Islands weekly. On those vessels, once the lifeline of the islands, you may share the deck with chickens, goats and produce bound to or from market. Ferries and water taxis link the big islands to neighboring cays.

Most Bahamians are of African descent, a heritage stemming from the West Indies slave trade. But a few islands are predominantly white.

The ancestors of these Bahamians arrived as settlers from Bermuda or as British loyalists fleeing the American Revolution.

First-time visitors to the Bahamas may want to spend a few days in Nassau and Freeport before venturing to one of the Out Islands. Generally, repeat visitors head directly to their favorite hideaways. The traveler who wants to see as much of the Bahamas as possible, but quickly and cheaply, should consider a three-island air package offered by Bahamasair (800-222-4262). Price of the package, which includes the round-trip from Miami, comes to about $350 per person, tax included.

Each of the major island groups in the Bahamas has something a little bit different to offer visitors.

For example, Andros, the largest of the islands, claims to be the world’s bonefishing capital; slender Eleuthera invites with a choice of upscale lodgings; and in the Abacos group, little Green Turtle Cay, which has the look of old Cape Cod, is reputed to be one of the most charming of the Bahamian islands.

Among the islands with tourist services:

* New Providence, the most populous of the islands, is home to historic Nassau, an attractive city of pastel-shaded structures and flowering trees, and to Nassau’s neighboring resort areas of Paradise Island and Cable Beach. When the cruise ships dock, sometimes two or three at a time, the capital’s streets are bustling.

New Providence is a playground for tourists attracted by golf, tennis, shopping, an active night life and casino gambling.

* Grand Bahama, where Freeport and Lucaya are located, offers more active resort life alongside miles of sheltered beaches, where the surf is warmed by the Gulf Stream. * Eleuthera is perhaps the best-known, most sophisticated and most beautiful of the Out Islands. With 10,600 residents, it also is the most populated Out Island. One mile wide and about 110 miles long, it is a quiet retreat of pink sand beaches, dramatic cliffs and secluded coves, as well as golf, tennis and a variety of water sports. Harbour Island is located about one mile off the coast of North Eleuthera and is reached by ferry. The town of Spanish Wells is the Bahamas’ crawfish capital and Gregory Town is its pineapple capital.

* The Abacos, a 130-mile-long chain of pine-forested islands, tempts fleets of pleasure craft with its naturally protected waters, plentiful hidden coves and quaint New England-style charm. Many residents are descendants of British loyalists who fled New England. The islands of Elbow Cay, Great Guana Cay and Manjack Cay offer some of the most scenic beaches in the Bahamas.

* Andros, 104 miles long and 40 miles wide, is the largest of the Bahamian islands and one of the least developed. Its barrier reef, the third largest in the world, attracts fishing enthusiasts and scuba divers.

* Berry Islands are a little-populated chain of 30 islands with palm- and pine-fringed beaches. They appeal to anglers, snorkelers and scuba divers.

* The Exumas, a chain of 365 islands that stretches for 90 miles, offers exceptional bonefishing and yachting. The main village is George Town on Great Exuma, and just offshore is Stocking Island, where seashell collecting is said to be exceptional.

* The Biminis, closest to the Florida coast, are the haunt of confirmed anglers in search of marlin, sailfish, grouper, wahoo and tuna. Author Ernest Hemingway, an avid fisherman, was a frequent visitor. The Compleat Angler, a bar he frequented in Alice Town, is decorated with Hemingway memorabilia.

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GUIDEBOOK: Better in the Bahamas

Getting there: From LAX fly to Nassau, with one change of planes, on American or Delta. Round-trip fares start at about $550. From Miami fly American, United, Paradise Island Air, Gulfstream International, American Eagle and Bahamasair to Nassau and Freeport; about $110, round trip. From Orlando fly Delta, American and Gulfstream International to Nassau and Freeport; about $150, round trip.

Where to stay: Lodging choices in the Bahamas include guest houses, intimate inns, yacht clubs, cottages, motels, boutique hotels, manor houses, villas and high-rise resorts, and prices range from modest to very expensive.

One of the largest properties is Atlantis, Paradise Island (800-321-3000), a newly refurbished and expanded 1,150-room resort on bustling Paradise Island. It features 12 restaurants, a golf course, a gambling casino, a shops, an outdoor aquarium with six lagoons and a 14-acre Waterscape Park. Rates for a standard room for two (without ocean view) begin at $130 a night Sunday through Wednesday and $155 a night Thursday through Saturday. (Rates will rise Feb. 10 to $170, Sunday through Wednesday, and $195, Thursday through Saturday.)

For a somewhat smaller resort on a tiny Out Island, Club Med’s Columbus Isle (800-258-2633) on San Salvador accepts a maximum of 500 guests who stay in low-rise bungalows fronting a three-mile-long beach. Club Med promotes Columbus Isle as a resort for couples and honeymooners, and there are no facilities for children. The all-inclusive rate for a week’s stay begins at $1,880 per person, including air fare from Los Angeles.

Intimacy at a moderate price is the promise at Bluff House Club and Marina (809-365-4247), a casual, 25-room hideaway on beautiful Green Turtle Cay (pop. 500) in the Abacos. Simply furnished, the property climbs a hillside overlooking the ocean. A standard room for two begins at $80-$90 a night, and breakfast and dinner are offered for an additional $34 a day per person. Coco Bay, which shelters one of the prettiest beaches in the Bahamas, is a 20-minute walk.

For more information: Bahamas Tourist Office, 3450 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 208, Los Angeles 90010, (213) 385-0033 or (800) 422-4262,and Bahama Out Islands Promotion Board, 1100 Lee Wagener Blvd., Suite 204, Ft.Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33315, (800) 688-4752, and (305) 359-8099. This latter represents 52 lodging properties on 10 Out Islands.