Anyone can board a plane and get off in a vacation spot, but you have to be determined to have an out-of-the-ordinary beach vacation to choose an island like Elbow Cay, in the Bahamas. Not only do you have to board a plane -- or two -- but you also have to take a taxi, a ferry, and a shuttle van to get to your hotel. That is, unless you sail in on a boat.

The best way to get to Elbow Cay is to fly into Marsh Harbour, home of the Abacos' main airport. From here, you take a taxi to the dock to catch the ferry across Whale Cay Channel to Hope Town, about 20 minutes away. Service is three times a day.

You need to coordinate your flight arrival and departure with the ferry schedule. Ask the staff at your hotel for details or call Albury's Ferry Service at 242-365-6010). If you contact your hotel, your hotel staff can meet you at the ferry dock.

Elbow Cay's long and secluded white sand shores, some backed by sandy dunes, are serious contenders for The Bahamas' most stunning locales. Elbow Cay is practically divided by White Sound, a small, tranquil body of water. Accommodations are on or near sandy shores in Hope Town and White Sound, but because the hotels are small and few in number, beaches remain virtually vacant.