Six years ago, a friend of my wife told her about the tiny settlement of Hope Town on Elbow Cay, a 6-mile-long island in the Abacos, Bahamas. Less than one year later, we took our 1st trip to Hope Town. We were instantly captivated by its people, natural beauty, and lifestyle. It didn't take more than a few days on the island to realize that we would return soon. And so, what started as a yearly migration, quickly evolved into a monthly routine.

Marked by its signature red-and-white striped lighthouse, Hope Town is a unique and amazing place. The town is lined with tiny colonial-looking houses in a palette of tropical hues. Only pedestrians and the occasional golf cart pass by, and bougainvillea, hibiscus and the Bahamian yellow elder flower perfume the air.

In every visit to the Island, we pass by the familiar lighthouse and our favorite sign at the entrance to the harbour: “Slow Down. You’re in Hope Town.” We’ve come to take this message both literally and figuratively. For us, Hope Town is synonymous with decompressing, disconnecting and taking a hiatus from the mad dash of life in the US. On the literal side, we know from experience that in these shallow waters, one wrong move and we’ll be in the water pushing our boat off the sand banks.

For us, Hope Town started as a one-of-a-kind vacation destination; with time, however, it became our 2nd home. Houses in Elbow Cay are not numbered; instead, each house is identified by its unique name. Inspired by the freedom and happiness that Danica and Lucas (our beautiful King Charles Spaniels) enjoy on this magical speck of land, we named our house "Sandy Paws."

We could go on and on about what makes this place so special to us. Rather than words, however, we will let the pictures in this book give you a glimpse of the Island that time seems to have forgotten.