SOUTH ANDROS ISLAND, Bahamas – After the drone of three flights on consecutively smaller planes and the hum of a 10-minute powerboat ride, we arrived at our destination to find – silence.

Nothing but the lapping of the surf and the soft rustling of the afternoon breeze.

There were no cars, no streets, no shops, no access except by water. Just a strip of bone-white beach and elevated buildings hidden in the palms, pines and sea grape. No people, either, until a staff member walked onto the dock and said, "Welcome to Tiamo."She wore a smile, probably because of the familiar shell-shocked look of the newly arrived who had spent a grinding day traveling to end up, at last, in every person's vision of paradise.

Fishing boats and brightly painted buildings decorate the beaches of South Andros Island, the Bahamas.

We had glimpsed the resort while circling to land at Congo Town on South Andros, one of the Out Islands of the Bahamas. The resort's 11 bungalows stood out amid coconut palms on the beach.

About 700 Bahamian islands are sprinkled in the waters east of Florida, with the turquoise Caribbean on one side and the emerald Atlantic on the other. Of the 14 main islands, Grand Bahama and Nassau on New Providence are where the action is, with Exuma catching on fast.

We were headed to South Andros and Cat islands, each of which boasts a single beach-hugging road lined by modest native settlements. Visitors encounter few amenities, only a resort or two and guest houses for anglers who seek the world-class bonefishing. Spend a week or more in these laid-back havens and you'll never want to put on shoes again.

The few bars and restaurants on South Andros and Cat Island are filled with locals, but visitors are welcome. The islanders' homes are one-story structures built of concrete block to withstand the storms and painted the vibrant colors of the islands: the fiery pink of the sunset, the gaudy yellow of the butterfly fish, the iridescent greens and blues of the Caribbean.

Since opening in 2001, Tiamo Resorts has earned a slew of awards for sustainable tourism because of its total solar power, energy efficiency and recycling of nearly everything. But don't call it an "eco-resort" in front of creator Mike Hartman.

Lobsters are among the morning's catch taken from the seas around Cat Island.

"I'm not a big fan of that word," he says. "There's a perception that everybody has to wear Birkenstocks and eat granola bars. Our job is to sell a great vacation. Composting toilets is not a compelling way to pick a destination."

While Mr. Hartman, 38, extols the water-saving benefits of a front-loading washing machine over a top loader, he insists the sustainable policy is inspired more by business sense than environmental fervor.

"We wanted to provide comfortable accommodations, with good food and good service, on a beautiful island," he says. "And we wanted to do all that without ruining the place we were promoting."

Sammy Thurston has a similar goal on neighboring Cat Island. He wanted to open a resort that offered quiet beauty. Let the sand and sea do the talking. He investigated several islands in the Bahamas before settling on his own slice of paradise, Sammy T's, near his father's home in Bennett's Harbour.

Our hostess at all-inclusive Tiamo led us off the dock and up a sandy path to the main lodge, where she offered a cold beer. A Bob Marley recording played in the background.

Meals are served three times a day in the lodge, or the staff will bring breakfast or dinner to your bungalow by request. Happy hour with hors d'oeuvres begins at 6. Sailboats, kayaks and snorkeling gear are at guests' disposal. Naturalists on the staff offer daily hikes and snorkeling outings to blue holes, which are underwater caverns that attract fish, and the reef, which is the third largest in the world.

Like the subdued ambience of the lodge, our bungalow was made of wood and screen, simple yet elegant, with bird songs filtering in from the surrounding trees. The sitting room had a view of the beach, and the bedroom had a king-size bed. Pieces of coral and shell were imbedded in the concrete floor of the walk-in shower. The composting toilet, which produces fertilizer for the gardens, had a flush pedal and differed little from the potty back home.

Within seconds, we had traded shoes for sandals, clothes for swimsuits, and were strolling the beach. Visitors had decorated snags and stumps at the shoreline with bleached conch shells.

That conch, a large sea snail with a distinctive shell that is the mainstay of the Caribbean menu, can be found in the waters is one of Mr. Hartman's victories. Meals at Tiamo do not include conch, lobster or grouper, all species in danger of collapsing in the Caribbean.

Flights to the outer islands begin in Nassau, the city that covers New Providence Island. From South Andros, I flew back to Nassau to take the afternoon run to Cat Island. I shared the plane ride over with locals carting back stacks of pizzas and tubs of fried chicken.

Sammy T's was a bit noisier than Tiamo, but only because its owner had landscaped the walk from the villas to the beach with flowering trees and shrubs that attracted birds, including a Bahama woodstar, a beautiful hummingbird.

Wood cottages with small porches and vaulted ceilings are decorated with native art. Paintings and a mannequin wearing a spectacular Junkanoo costume sparked the resort's Sapodilla Restaurant, which served excellent island dishes.

A gazebo overlooked the sea, and a broad stairway ended at the sand.

Islanders say Cat Island is where Christopher Columbus first set foot in the New World. It also was a center of the slave trade in the 1800s. More recently, the isolated island also served as a drop-off point for drug dealers, which was in evidence on one balmy night during my stay when the whir of low-flying police helicopters, followed by gunfire, drowned out waves slapping the beach.

The sounds of silence were much better.

The lodgings

•Tiamo rates include lodging, food and activities (bonefishing extra). Cost: $315 to $445 per person, per night, depending on season. Contact: 242-357-2489; www.tiamoresorts.com .

•Cottages at Sammy T's are $165 for a one-bedroom and $255 for two. Contact: 242-354-6009; www.sammytbahamas.com.

Weather

The high season is January through April. The more rainy, low season is May to October. Many visitors come during the off-season to get discount hotel rates. Hurricane season is July through November.

Resource

Ministry of Tourism: 242-302-2000; www.bahamas.com.