I wanted to share the details of my trip to the Bahamas! This trip was definitely a trip where we did tons of exploring vs. a trip where we just relaxed beachside all day. I tend to be more of the explorer type so it was definitely memorable. I’ll organize the post by day and give a summary at the end for easy reference. Something important to note is that I went on this trip in July of 2021 and lockdown restrictions from 2020 were easing up so it was the perfect time to go as I believe it made things less pricey.
Check out my Instagram posts on my Bahamas Trip as well 🇧🇸
Overview
Who went: Two adult females
When we went: Tuesday – Saturday, July 2021 (5 days, 4 nights)
Where we Stayed: The Coral at Atlantis in Nassau
What we did/Excursions: Explore resort, Exumas (swimming with pigs), Downtown Nassau, Blue Lagoon
Transportation we Used: Smiley’s Taxi and Tour Services, Jovahn Taxi Service, Jitney Buses, and other taxis
Where we Ate: Resort, Food included in Excursions, Arawak Cay Fish Fry (Oh Andros and Twin Brothers ), Margaritaville
What luggage we brought: One carry-on and one personal item per person
The currency we Used: the Bahamian Dollar and U.S. Dollar (most places take the U.S. dollar, so there was no need for us to exchange our money)
DAY 1: ARRIVAL + EXPLORE RESORT
Transportation: We flew in and out of NAS airport. For ground transportation, we used Smiley’s Taxi and Tour Services for airport pick-ups and drop-offs. We initially found the company through Trip Advisor and then communicated via email prior to arrival and then on WhatsApp while on the island. Prior to the trip, we sent them our flight information for our arrival and departure to NAS airport as well as our excursion to Exumas (more on that later). The drivers were very professional and prompt and had no issues or concerns with his service! I would definitely recommend this company!
Lodging/Where we Stayed: We were fortunate enough to stay at The Coral which is a part of the Atlantis resort which is on Paradise Island in Nassau and I’m so glad we did! Atlantis has 5 different hotels on the resort that have various amenities, restaurants, etc. When you stay at one, you have access to all the other hotels on site such as their pools, restaurants…etc (with some exceptions, for example, the Cove has a private pool only for their guests and I believe one or more of the restaurants as well). So one resort, but 5 hotels and they are all within walking distance. (They do have shuttles that go between them as well). At the time of writing this, the different hotels are the Cove, the Coral, the Royal, the Reef, and Harborside Resort. Each one has its own vibe and based on your needs and budget, you can choose whichever is best for you. The Coral was absolutely beautiful, updated, and spacious. We balanced our choice with cost whilst considering that on this trip we’d be away from our room a majority of the time. The other thing I liked about staying at a resort vs a stand-alone hotel is that in the evening there was always something to do. When you check in/get in your room, you’ll be able to find a schedule of activities they have during the day and in the evening – you may be able to find it online prior to arrival as well. This was nice because after day excursions, there was still something to do in the evening and you didn’t need to leave the resort. I have absolutely no complaints about the stay here!
Photo of the 5 hotels in relation to one another. Be sure to grab a resort map at check-in and/or on the Atlantis website.
What we Did on Day 1: Fortunately, we were flying from the east coast, so there was no jet lag to beat. We checked out our room, unpacked, freshened up, got dressed in our swimsuits, made up our beach bags, and went to explore the resort grounds.
We started at the Dig Aquarium which is a must and then started exploring the resort and all the hotels, went in the lagoons, and had a ton of photo-ops. This was a nice way to get to know the resort. We grabbed a bite to eat at one of the grills on-site and ate it beachside to hold us over before dinner. We, of course, swam in the beaches and enjoyed Aquaventure and all the slides (I felt like a kid, but *shoulder shrug* it was fun lol).
Dinner on Day 1: For dinner, it got a little hairy. As with most resorts, there are tons of restaurants, but also a lot of guests. They recommend making reservations beforehand and you kinda have to wait until you’ve checked in to make them because you need a room number. We didn’t make a reservation for dinner so it was a little hard to find a place to eat at the time we wanted, so definitely book your food places ASAP if you plan on eating at the resort a lot throughout the trip. We ate at one of the resort restaurants called Chopstix. The atmosphere and service were great, however, the food fell flat in our opinion, especially for the cost of the food. From then on we basically made a vow to not eat at a restaurant on the resort property (dramatic, I know! But we’re foodies and were let down).
Afterward, we were tired and ready to hit the bed for our early wake-up the next morning.
DAY 2: EXUMAS
What we Did on Day 2: This was by far my FAVORITE day! It was insanely beautiful, adventurous, and relaxing. We went island hopping in Exuma! Exuma is a district of The Bahamas that has over 365 islands aka “cays.” This was a day trip and was definitely a splurge but was worth it for us (when we went in 2021, it was $500 per person + $10 per person conservation fee). We went with an excursion company which was a great option because it included airfare, transportation on the boat, food, a tour guide, and all the excursions that day, all we had to do was show up.
Company: 3Ns Excursion via the Bahamas air tours website
Logistics: There was an option to upgrade the package and get picked up by the company at your hotel, but it wasn’t worth it to us when we compared the price of using Smiley’s Taxi round trip (see above, Day 1). The upgraded package charged per person whereas Smiley’s price didn’t change based on the number of people we had. After getting to the airport and waiting for our check-in time, we took the very short 40 min flight to Staniel Cay Airport in Exuma which was so scenic and beautiful – grab a window seat if you can! The Flamingo Air flight to Exuma left around 7:30-8:00 am and we returned to NAS airport around 6:00 pm. Definitely Bring a sweater to the NAS airport because it was freezing (my fault as I had a beach dress on LOL). The Staniel Cay airport is open-air/essentially a large gazebo so no worries there.
Once we arrived at Staniel Cay Airport, we met the excursion coordinators and took a short 5-minute walk to our boat where we would spend the rest of the excursion. Of note, when we arrived at Staniel Cay Aiport, there was a building with bathrooms which was really convenient to change, if you needed to, and re-apply sunscreen, etc. In terms of the size of our excursion, it was a small group which was a major plus ~10 people. Everyone came from Nassau in our group so we were all on the same flight. With that company, there is an option to meet in Exuma which makes sense for those already staying in Exuma.
What We Did on the Excursion
Although Exumas has 365 islands, on this tour you don’t go to all, of course. Rather, you go to several jaw-dropping spots which include things to do and plenty of views to see. The boat ride was relaxing in and of itself and it was fun to see from afar all the homes, mansions, and private islands in between our stops.
- Swimming with pigs was the first stop and was honestly amazing. I still look back at those photos and smile. The tour provided food for the pigs which was good so we didn’t have to worry about that. We got off the boat and literally swam with them and there were also pigs onshore as well. Remember to ALWAYS listen to your guide about how to navigate when around the pigs as they are wild animals.
- Swimming with Nurse Sharks at Compass Cay. This was really exciting! We were able to take a ladder down into the ocean and swim with the sharks and take photos. There is a little food shop here if you want to grab something to drink or a small snack. There were also massive yachts there too so it was fun to be so up close and daydream about yachting in the Caribbean — haha one day!
- Next up was the Sand Bar. This was a beautiful sand bar (basically it’s just an area of exposed sand that is almost like a mini-island). The boat was anchored here, we swam in the crystal clear water, took photos, jumped off the boat, and just had a good time in the sun!
- Bitter Guana Cay was next! This is the Cay with the Iguanas. It was really cool seeing the Iguanas, but I honestly was blown away by the landscape of the island. A few of us trekked along the coast and found starfish and conch shells which were cool.
- Thunderball Grotto was next and was my FAVORITE part of the trip. It’s a cave that you swim into and there’s marine life everywhere so use those snorkel goggles! It was beautiful. Then, you swim through a narrow passageway and enter the cave. It’s just stunning. No words or pictures can explain it. I wish I had more time here to explore a little more and go deeper into the cave but the tide was up and there were a ton of other tour groups here so we had to monitor the time closer on this one.
Food: After all that adventure, we stopped at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club for lunch! The food is included in the tour. The spot was really cute and there were options for indoor and deck dining. It started to drizzle a little bit so we went inside (so thankful it drizzled during lunch rather than when we were on the boat!). The food was really good and if you wanted, you could purchase extra food/drinks (on your own dime, of course!).
- Sunken Plane Wreck – We then went back on the boat to our LAST STOP which was the Sunken Plane Wreck. It was really cool to see the sunken plane and explore it, but I was most excited about snorkeling in the open ocean and looking at all the marine life.
After that, we enjoyed a nice calm boat ride back to the airport and waited for our plane which took us back to NAS airport where we were picked up by Smiley taxi and headed to the hotel.
Some takeaways from the Exuma excursion: We brought our own snorkels that we bought before we came to the Bahamas, towels from the resort, water, snacks, and some other miscellaneous beach necessities like sun hats and sunscreen. Feel free to bring your own snacks as well. I honestly couldn’t say enough good things about this tour. We spent a good amount of time at each stop and I never felt rushed. The tour guide/captain of the boat was funny, kind, and gave the history of the islands as well. The only ‘con’ I have for this tour is we waited for a really long time for the plane to come on our way back to NAS, but that was all. They offered us snacks and drinks in the meantime so it was fine. In the end, we honestly thought the experience was worth WAY more than we paid. If you want to swim with pigs but not pay this much money, there are plenty of ‘swimming with pigs’ excursions which are way less expensive but of course, you don’t get the other experiences. One company we were looking at was this one.
All the swimming wiped our energy out so we showered, napped, relaxed on the balcony, and then ventured out for some food.
Dinner on Day 2: Since we were determined not to pay for overpriced resort food, we took the ~6 min walk to Margaritaville which is basically on the Atlantis property, and enjoyed dinner there. It was of course still pricey, but the food was GOOD, so it was worth it!
DAY 3: EXPLORING DOWNTOWN NASSAU
This day we explored the city of Nassau! We had a slow morning, got our PCR test, and ate. Whenever I travel to a new country, I always try to make sure I have a day to learn more about the history and get around the locals. This entire day was a self-tour. We didn’t see the need to pay for a tour. We walked most places and also took taxis and the jitney. There are plenty of food tours and guided tours to choose from though, so take a look at Tripadvisor for help!
Where we stopped:
We started off exploring The Cloisters and Versailles Gardens. The hotel was close to these two sites we wanted to see, so we walked there! You can also take a taxi or ask if the hotel shuttle stops near there. Cloisters and Versailles Gardens are DIRECTLY across from one another and are worth the visit. It’s absolutely beautiful to walk around and see the structure of the Cloisters and the Gardens of Versailles.
From there, we went to downtown Nassau. You can take a ferry (which we wanted to do) or a taxi which is what we ended up doing because the ferries weren’t operating that summer. The taxi company we used was “Jovahn Taxi Service.” If you’re taking the Ferry, while on Paradise Island, the boats are located underneath the ‘incoming (to PI) bridge’. Walk behind the toll building and it will lead you onto a dock where you can purchase a ticket near the boat/ferry.
We had our taxi drop us off at Queens Staircase which was a beautiful garden and waterfall with interesting history about the Queen’s Stairs. Taking the stairs up will lead you up to Fort Fincastle which we saw as well. Our next stop was the Rum Cake factory. This is a great place to stop for some gifts or if you want to try rum cake out! It was really good of course, and you can see the cakes being made in real-time through the clear glass in the factory.
We continued our walk downtown and stopped in front of Parliament Square and walked along Bay Street and snapped a few photos. It’s a beautiful building. We didn’t go inside, however. There’s quite a number of souvenir shops in the area so we did some browsing and shopping. We wanted to stop by the Straw Market, but it was closed. If you’re looking to eat on Bay Street, there are tons of options, so you won’t go hungry!
Next, we stumbled upon Graycliff, we didn’t have this on our list, but the outside caught our attention, so we went in! This place was really interesting and nothing like we expected. When you enter, there’s a really fancy restaurant and when you walk through that, you’ll get to the grounds and we were just able to explore it, like a museum. We met someone who helped with the grounds that gave us a mini-tour which was nice! There was a cigar-making factory there as well, and although I don’t smoke it was pretty interesting to see how cigars are made by hand as it is a pretty complex process. By the time you make your way through, at the end you’ll end up at the Graycliff chocolatier shop. This is a FANCY chocolate shop and you can buy chocolates and/or pay for a tour of the chocolate factory if you would like but we didn’t. Afterward, we went to the National Art Gallery of the Bahamas (NAGB)! It was a REALLY good museum and I would highly recommend going. There is a $10 entrance fee and you can find more info about the museum here as well.
Dinner on Day 3: Afterwards, we took public transport (Jitney, about $1.25 per person) to Arawak Cay to get some authentic Bahamian food and we were SOO excited about it! At Arawak Cay, there are lots of restaurants side by side and beach huts that sell Bahamian food so you’ll have options! Also, Junakoo Beach is right beside it. We ate at Twin Brothers, browsed some of the shops for souvenirs, and then went and relaxed on Junkanoo beach. Twin Brothers was REALLY good, we got conch salad to share, a platter to share which had rice, shrimp, conch fritters, lobster, macaroni & cheese, and got a couple of their fancy non-alcoholic drinks. We’re Caribbean ourselves, so a lot of the food was familiar to us but still AMAZING!
After that, we went back to the resort for some much-needed rest! In the evening we explored the resort some more, people-watched, and relaxed.
DAY 4: BLUE LAGOON ISLAND + MARINA VILLAGE
Blue Lagoon is a day excursion (reviews here) to an island that has tons of activities to do. First off, I will say, this was an ok excursion, but looking back, we probably should have skipped this excursion and just used it as a relaxing day at the resort.
Logistics: The Blue Lagoon office/where you meet to get on the boat is right outside of the Atlantis property, so we were able to walk there. Their port is right by Margaritaville, so we grabbed an appetizer there before heading on the boat. The boat ride was so nice and beautiful. You arrive at blue lagoon cay and there’s a beach as well as activities you can pay for prior to going (you can also buy activities while there, but I recommend doing it beforehand).
What we did at Blue Lagoon: We swam/snorkeled with sting rays (the Stingray beach Combo which was $89 per person when we went) which was pretty cool and then just chilled on the island and swam in the water. Food was included which was nice, they had a grill and a HUGE indoor/outdoor eating area. Overall, a chill day relaxing by the beach. It did drizzle for a little bit there but no heavy rains.
While this is an option for an excursion, again, I think we should’ve just used it to chill by the beach at the resort.
Dinner for Day 4: Since we loved the Bahamian food so much, we had to go back! We ended up going into town to Arawak Cay again. We flagged down a Taxi straight from the Blue Lagoon port to get some food from Oh Andros. Our taxi was kind enough to wait for us to get the food to go and we ate it back at the resort. This food was AMAZING! I liked it even more than Twin Brothers, the rice was really good and I could tell there was some Haitian influence in the food so that was a plus.
Marina Village: That night, we went to the Marina Village which is on the resort property and it was so cute and fun! There are a lot of restaurants and shops and these huge yachts which was fun to walk along the ‘boardwalk’ and look at them all. Normally, there are shows and parades here along Marina village too each night so there was always something to do/see. We grabbed some ice cream, relaxed, and people-watched.
DAY 5: DEPARTURE DAY
This was sadly our last day in Nassau! We had a later flight so we requested late checkout, went to chill by the beach, then packed up and headed home!
We LOVED our trip and were so grateful for our experience. Overall thoughts on the Bahamas are that it’s amazing!! I loved it! I think the amount of time we went for 5 days and 4 nights was perfect! Not too long and not too short. One thing I was NOT prepared for was how expensive the food and taxis were especially when you consider VAT tax + tip. Besides that, the Bahamas owes me nothing! While we were able to snag a good deal on the hotel, if you’re an explorer like us and don’t plan to stay in your hotel all day you may not need the resort experience.
In terms of things I’m happy I brought with me to the Bahamas was a waterproof pouch to put my phone in, a beach bag, and snorkels!
Bahamas Itinerary Overview
Day 1: Arrive, explore the hotel and resort grounds, Relax by the beach, grab lunch at the resort, and have fun at Aquaventure. Dinner at a Resort Restaurant.
Day 2: Excursion to Exumas using 3N’s (lunch included in excursion). Dinner at Margaritaville. Explored resort.
Day 3: Explored Nassau (The Cloisters, Versailles Gardens, Queens Staircase, Fort Fincastle, Rum Cake Factory, Parliament Square and bay Street, Graycliff, National Art Gallery of the Bahamas (NAGB). Dinner at Arawak Cay from Twin Brothers, Explored the hotel at night (take a look at the show schedule for the week).
Day 4: Lunch at Margaritaville. Excursion to Blue Lagoon. Dinner at Arawak Cay from Oh Andros. Marina Village in the evening.
Day 5: Relaxed at the beach, headed to the airport for departure
