Bahamas
by Kevin Burton
I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to this unique part of the world and I say unique because of the sheer plethora of islands all ready and waiting to be explored and experienced. All easily accessible and all offering something new and different.
I visited Nassau & Paradise Island, along with Great Exuma, Abaco, Andros, Kamalame Cay and Harbour Island. My lasting impression is of quality hotels, friendly faces, the incredible colours of the sea, and the pristine beaches. I would definitely return!
If I had to single out a favourite island, then it would be Harbour Island for its quirkiness and spectacular beaches of soft pink sand. Access around the island is by golf buggy which can be hired easily either for the day, or for longer periods of time.
The pace of life in the Bahamas is very chilled, so you can really unwind, but there are plenty of activities on offer should you be feeling energetic and if diving is your forte, then the Bahamas will not disappoint, the waters around the island are amongst the clearest in the world with visibility of over 200 feet! Perfect for spotting the myriad of marine wildlife that inhabits these waters. The Bahamas has the third largest barrier reef in the world, so the opportunity for divers at all levels of experience is endless.
Access between islands is either by ferry or plane and the network of inter-island flights, whether schedule or private makes island hopping easy. I was fortunate during my trip to be able to experience private flights and these are certainly well worth considering - no queues at airports, private terminals and check-in areas and straight off the plane and on to your hotel transfer after your flight - perfect!
There are hotels to cover all tastes and budgets in the Bahamas, and I have covered a few that I was fortunate to be able to sample as follows: -
I stayed at The Cove, within the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island, the hotel is chic, beautifully appointed and is perfect for those people not wanting to be in the main hubbub of the resort itself. Atlantis itself has something for everyone, action, adventure, chill out, luxurious accommodation, sea-life interaction, casinos, restaurants and a marina. A word of warning however, it is expensive, so families will need to budget accordingly.
I also stayed at the Four Seasons on Great Exuma which is an elegant, peaceful hotel positioned on Emerald Bay, named so because of the incredible colour of the ocean - it really does have an Emerald hue to it and its colours change through out the day.
After Great Exuma, we then flew to Andros Island to access Kamalame Cay, a private All Inclusive property via the hotels very own launch. Staying here is very special, beautiful rustic cottages and rooms spread throughout the Cay, all accessed by your own private golf buggy! All food and wine is included and you simply help yourself to liquid refreshment as and when you please. This is not the place to stay if you are wanting evening entertainment, or lost of activity during the day - Its very low key, very, very chilled and a week here will feel like two!
On Harbour Island I stayed at Coral Sands, a lovely, cosy hotel located on a magnificent beach of pink sand - just as good and just as pink as the beaches in Bermuda! Coral Sands is colonial in style and has a delightful beach side bar/lounge/restaurant, which served excellent food when I sampled their lunch menu.
The outer islands are all individual and unique and as there are over 700 of them, it's a case of go forth and explore!!