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| Poponi Beach is one of Eleuthera island's many pink sand beaches. |
Holding a spear in one hand, Mario jumps into the warm azure
water of Exuma Sound and heads for the bottom of the sea.
He’s on the hunt for spiny lobster, typically found hiding
in the crevasses of rocks and coral reefs surrounding the small, laid-back island
of Eleuthera. It doesn’t take long before he pops back up, proudly displaying a
lobster twitching on his spear.
“I usually catch a lot more,” says Mario, as he climbs onto
the small boat close to the rocky shore. “I look for the antenna – that’s the
key. You just have to know how to find them.”
I was unaware, but pleasantly surprised lobster fishing was
part of the snorkeling excursion I embarked upon shortly after arriving at Cape
Eleuthera Resort – a 5,000 acre mainly undeveloped property that was once a
favoured playground of the Kennedys in the early 1970s.
Long deserted beaches with silky soft sand, crystal clear
water that feels like a warm bath, sand bars that magically rise from the dazzling
blue ocean – this is The Bahamas everyone dreams of. Being here feels like a
dream. But like some islands in the Caribbean, The Bahamas can be expensive.
The good news is you don’t have to spend a fortune to enjoy the natural beauty
the islands are known for.
Nassau
A trip to The Bahamas would not be complete without checking
out the country’s capital city of Nassau on the small island of New Providence.
Home to approximately 270,000 people, the city’s colourful streets lined with
pastel British colonial buildings can easily be explored on a self-guided walking
tour that takes you back to a time of rum smugglers, pirates and freed slaves.
In 1648, the first English settlers known as Eleutheran
Adventurers landed briefly in Nassau harbour during their search for a place to
establish a colony. They then sailed south to today’s Eleuthera Island, where a
reef wrecked their ship, choosing their new home for them. Nassau was
established around 1670 as a commercial port, but was overrun by pirates. Piracy
in The Bahamas began in the 1690s and lasted for about 30 years, with Nassau at
its heart.
The city has several historical sites to explore, including three
forts, the oldest site dating back to 1725. The 102-foot Queen’s Staircase,
built in the late 1700s by approximately 600 slaves for direct access to Fort
Fincastle, is another historic site, along with the distinctive pastel-pink
buildings of Parliament Square, built by British Loyalists in 1815.
Make a stop
at John Watlings Distillery for a complimentary tour at its historic Buena
Vista Estate. Named after the pirate John Watling, the quaint distillery has
perfected the pina colada and uses old recipes to make an assortment of mouth-watering
cocktails.
Tip: Eating out can be pricey in restaurants and resorts
around Nassau, but many accommodations have kitchens or kitchenettes. Purchase
groceries and make your own meals if you get tired of spending $16 US on a
hamburger.
Atlantis Paradise
Island
Boasting the world’s largest open-air marine habitat and a 63-acre
waterpark with slides that plummet through a shark aquarium, it’s easy to see
why Atlantis Paradise Island is the most popular resort in The Bahamas.
The
sprawling resort, with five distinct hotels, has 14 lagoons and eight million
gallons of ocean water, housing 50,000 sea creatures such as goliath grouper,
hammerhead sharks, smalltooth sawfish, manta rays and endangered green sea
turtles. There’s also a 14-acre dolphin habitat and education centre with 17
dolphins that were stranded when their home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina.
A full day can easily be spent enjoying more than 18 slides
in the waterpark that makes you feel like a kid again. Hop on a tube and float
down The Current – a mile-long river with rolling waves and extreme rapids that
will glue a permanent smile to your face. If you get tired of the excitement in
the waterpark, there’s a gorgeous beach a few steps away that goes on for
miles.
But staying at Atlantis, which also includes an extravagant
shopping mall and casino, isn’t exactly cheap. Prices range from $150 to $500 a
night. You can also get in on all the fun by staying at the neighbouring
Comfort Suites Paradise Island, where rooms can be less than $200 a night and
include complimentary day passes to Aquaventure and the marine habitat.
Tip: If you feel like splurging on a delicious meal at
Atlantis, try Fish by Jose Andres, which features fresh Bahamian seafood
bursting with flavour.
Eleuthera
With 700 islands sprinkled over 100,000 miles of brilliant
blue ocean, choosing which Out Island to visit can be difficult. Only a
30-minute flight from Nassau, Eleuthera is the fourth most populated island with
11,000 residents, making it the perfect place to unwind, get off the beaten
path and connect with the locals.
Stretching 110 miles in length and two miles
wide, the island is dotted with sleepy villages hugging spectacular turquoise
water. It’s also lined with secluded coves and miles of dreamy, deserted
beaches – some with pink sand caused from a microscopic organism with a
reddish-pink shell. Surfers can ride the waves on the Atlantic side of the
island while snorkeling enthusiasts can wade into the calm shallow waters on
the Caribbean side to access nearby reefs. Still relatively undeveloped, the
beaches are Eleuthera’s star attraction and you never have to go far to get one
all to yourself.
The island is also great for connecting with the friendly
locals, which can be done through The Bahamas complimentary People-to-People
Experience. The program pairs visitors with a volunteer Bahamaian ambassador to
experience the local culture and way of life.
“I have a passion for cooking, so I’ll introduce them to things
I make like conch and rice, crab and rice, some fried fish,” said Sheril
Gibson, who recently signed up as an ambassador. “I want to help visitors get a
better understanding of who we are as a people.”
Don’t leave Eleuthera without making a stop at Harbour
Island, which was once the capital of The Bahamas. Accessed by a 10-minute water
taxi from north Eleuthera, the island is home to less than 2,000 people who
mainly get around by golf cart. The main hub of Dunmore Town features a mix of boutique
shops, pastel cottages with white picket fences, small hotels and restaurants,
but the star attraction is the three-mile long pink sand beach. Staying on the
island is expensive, but day trips can be made from Eleuthera and Nassau.
Tip: Eleuthera has a few reasonably priced grocery stores if
you want to pick up your own food, but roadside food shacks offer burgers,
wraps and conch for under $10. If you want to splurge on a an unforgettable meal,
head to Valentine’s Resort & Marina on Harbour Island and try The Boathouse
Restaurant.
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| The star attraction on Harbour Island is the three-mile long pink sand beach. |
If you go: Accommodation in Nassau and Eleuthera ranges from
luxurious resorts like the new Baha Mar, (which has the largest casino in The
Bahamas), and water-front villas to quaint hotels priced under $200 a night.
For a reasonably priced and comfortable stay in a gorgeous suite perched on a
hill overlooking Eleuthera, check out the locally owned boutique hotel of Villa
Allamanda near Governor’s Harbour.
If your budget allows, spend a night at Cape
Eleuthera Resort or Valentine’s Resort & Marina in a spacious villa. For
more information about Nassau or Eleuthera visit https://www.nassauparadiseisland.com
or https://www.myoutislands.com.
- published by the Vancouver Sun in March 2019: https://vancouversun.com/travel/international-travel/bahamas-on-budget-how-to-enjoy-the-islands-without-spending-a-fortune