Escape reality and visit paradise!!

The Bahamas is known for its crystal clear waters and white sandy beaches which attract many to this hot

Spot travel location. If you have never been to Bahamas then this is the perfect blog for you. The Bahamas can be over whelming with things to do as well as pricing so in this article I am going to cover some tips and recommendations for your ideal trip to this tropical paradise. I hope this helps you plan your dream vacation!

Tip #1

Passport Information: Have you ever been through the process of obtaining a passport? It was one of the most confusing things in my opinion. To get a passport you will go to your local drug store and get your head shot taken. Simply ask the clerk and they will set it up for you. It cost about 50$ for the picture. Next you will take the picture, your ID and birth certificate to the court house to apply for the passport. They will have you fill out an application with a CASH or CHECK fee payment. They will keep your birth certificate and mail it back to you so make sure you give them your correct address. Once all this is complete you will receive your passport in the mail within 2 months so apply ahead of time!

Tip #2

Pick the right Flight: When picking the right flight look at where you are departing and arriving from. When traveling to the Bahamas we looked at Tampa International airport as well as Fort Lauderdale International Airport and the price was almost a 200$ difference per person. We decided to take the 3.5 hour drive the night before and fly out from Fort Lauderdale instead which was totally worth the save, not to mention the flight only took a total of 30 minutes! Also check the times! This can be a HUGE role in your entire trip. We picked a flight that left Fort Lauderdale at 6am so we arrived to Bahamas at 7am and had the entire day. When returning to Florida we picked a flight that left at 7pm so we had another entire day! This added 2 full days to our trip!

Tip #3

The Bahamas consist of 700 islands with a total of 2,400 Cays which spread over the area of 5,358 sq. miles. Only 30 of these islands are actually inhabited! When choosing an island this can get tricky. Bahamas has a fancy way of advertising by choosing pictures from each island to represent! Some of your more common islands to choose from are Nassau, Freeport, Grand Bahama, Abacos and Exumas. When we traveled to the Bahamas we knew we wanted to visit Exumas but the Exumas is made up of many little islands. With this being said, transport is difficult as well as where to stay is limited. We decided that our home base would be Nassau, the Bahamas capital.

When arriving to Nassau we did not have a rental car or vehicle set up for our stay but this is not a big deal! At the airport there are many cabs waiting outside for tourist. Most of these cab rides will cost around 20$ to get around the island but there is a cheaper way to travel.

Here in America the city bus isnt used as much as it is in the Bahamas! I was a little nervous at first since I have never been on a city bus but it is an excellent way to travel when being in Nassau. No matter where you go across the island it is US $1.25 each way. This can be a major way to budget your money while traveling. Not to mention we did hitch hike quiet a few times…. Probably not the preferred method for others but there were many times when we would be at the bus stop and a local would pull over and ask if we wanted a ride instead. One night even our server at the local restaurant gave us a ride back to our AIRBNB after we got our bill. Between cabs and the city bus you will never need to stress renting a vehicle while in the Nassau, no matter where your trying to go!

We’ll we have applied for a passport, booked a flight and figured out transportation. Now let’s find where we are wanting to stay while in Nassau. This can also be a tricky thing if you have never been to Nassau and do not know where and where not to stay. When looking for an Airbnb or hotel make sure to ask plenty of questions about the location. Once I found the perfect home I even googled the location to check it out. Hotels in Bahamas can be very pricey so I would definitely check AIRBNB. If you have never used this app for your vacations then I have a link below that will walk you through the process of finding a great stay using AIRBNB.

The Garden Cottage, Nassau

We landed in Nassau around 7am and the view was breathing taking. The water was a crystal clear blue like a swimming pool with the most rich green palm trees you have ever seen. After going through customs and security we flagged a taxi down in front of the airport and headed for our AIRBNB. The “Garden Cottage.”

The garden cottage was a one bedroom, one bathroom tiny home with a personal kitchen in it as well. It was small but it was the perfect beach escape for the two of us. On the property located a few other homes owned by the same people which were much larger and able to be occupied by 11-12 people. The property sat on top of a hill leading down straight to the beach. Of course when arriving the first thing we did was drop off our luggage and race to our personal beach access. The beach was covered in pure white sand with many large limestone rocks and mangroves! Let’s not forget all the coconut palms! This house was pure paradise!

Picture was taken in our back yard of the garden cottage

TAKE A TOUR OF THE “Garden Cottage”

Short video touring the inside of the garden cottage!

Garden Cottage back yard!

We got very lucky with this find. The tiny home was such a hidden gem, located in such a beautiful area. Also the owner Elena-Bianca was extremely helpful. Traveling from outside the country, trying to find travel plans, restaurants and things to do, she was always so quick to get back to us with recommendations! She even rushed to get my wife a blow dryer when the one provided stopped working!! I can’t thank them enough for our stay!

We’ll we have received our passport, Booked a flight and flew in, Found a AirBNB, figured out how were going to travel the island and now we have made it successfully to Nassau and even unloaded at the Carden Cottage. Now the fun begins! There is SO much to do in Bahamas so the rest of this blog will run you through excursions, pricing and reviews! I’ll also include links for you to book your reservations!

For day one we kept it easy! After unloaded our luggage and exploring the property we were starting to get hungry! We decided to take the city bus to senior frogs for lunch and some drinks! This is located near the port where the cruise ships pull in so their is a lot of restaurants, bars, stores and places to explore for the tourists. At senior frogs we got the quesadillas which were amazing as well as the Miami Vice! The service was great, food was actually delicious and the vibe was very fun!

Senior Frogs

We actually came here probably 3x during our stay for lunch!

After lunch we were walking down the sidewalk to the bus stop and came across a local street parade. It was so fun to watch and many gathered around during it!

Once the parade was over we caught the city bus to the local grocery store where we got some food and drinks to stock the Airbnb. I’m going to be honest, groceries in Nassau are about double the price as they are here in Fl. So make sure you spend wisely!

The rest of the day and evening we relaxed at the beach in our back yard while watching sunset. Bahamian sunsets are to die for!! Seeing the sun sink under the bluest waters! We even did some yoga on the beach to end the night! Day one was relaxing! Flying in, unpacking, exploring the cruise ship port, getting lunch, getting groceries for the week and watching sunset!

The cool salty breeze seeped through the cracks of the window causing the shear curtains to sway, revealing the flares of the morning sun. After throwing on our bathing suits and scarfing down some breakfast it was time to make our way down the hill to wait for the bus. Not the city bus this morning but the dive tour bus that made its way around the island picking up the guest from where they were staying.

Today we were going on a snorkel trip to the reefs where we would swim the underwater statues, coral reefs as well as dive with the hungry reef sharks. Since the charter boat was located on the far side of the island they supplied their own transportation that pick you up from your stay as well as drop you back off after the dive. It was an early morning to already be on the move but it was going to he totally worth it.

The bus ride wasn’t bad. There were about 15 other excited tourist all ready to hit the water! It took about 30 minutes to get to the far side of the island where the marina was located! As we walked up, many signs hung on the wooden shack advertising the sharks we would see during our trip which had my adrenaline pumping!

After checking in and signing the release waivers it was time to board the boat. We each were handed a pair of googles, snorkel and fins as we climbed aboard. The ship was pretty large, 2 stories and held everyone comfortably. It also has a bathroom for everyone if needed during the trip. The drive out of the canal was very peaceful. The waters were translucent blue with palms lining the entire way of the sea walls. The tour guides were very welcoming. They started by introducing themselves as well as going over what we would do and see for the day. The excursion was a half day tour so informed us that they would provide lunch for us once we got back!

Photo taken on the boat ride out of the canal. Representing @IslandBum SPF shirt and @OceanAddictBrand “Salty” hat. Check out my influencer blog to find links to products

Our first stop was not to snorkel but just part of the tour. We arrived to a massive sandbar with a large uninhabited structure lost in tropical palms. This sandbar was actually not abandoned at all. It was actually owned by Johnny Depp and was where “Scooby doo, Spooky island was filmed.”

After a nice pass by it was off to our destination. Most of the day was spent at Clifton Heritage National Park. This underwater reef is known for its statues “The Ocean Atlas.” This statue was constructed to symbolize and spread the awareness to protect the local reefs. The Ocean Atlas was created by Jason DeCaires Taylor and measures 5 meters high from the ocean floor. This is a must see while in Nassau. Many smaller statues surround the area as well as a sunken place which was used in the Jaws 5 Revenge movie. This is an incredible reef with many fish and sea life that call this place home!

Once we finished snorkeling Clifton Heritage it was time to head to the deeper waters. After a 30 minute boat ride to our new location they told us to not use the restroom anymore while they lowered the bait blocks. Within just a minutes it was time to jump into the water. As they raised the food blocks out of the cloudy blue depths the sharks became visible. Before we knew it there were more than a dozen swarming below us. For about twenty minutes we fought the strong current swimming above these large reefs sharks before returning to the boat and heading back to land.

When arriving back to the boat dock we were greeted with chicken and burgers fresh off the grill. After changing out of our wet bathing suits we enjoyed our lunch before we boarded the bus to head back to our Airbnb.

Book your tour with Stuart’s Cove Using link below

After a long nap we then spent the rest of the evening hanging at the beach and watching sunset before walking down to a local Italian pub for dinner. We then rented a movie at the cottage before calling it a day!

Day three we kept as a relaxing one. We started the morning off by laying out at the beach before going and exploring Nassaus Caves. Our Airbnb owner recommended the caves to us so we decided to give the short 15 minute walk from our Airbnb a go to check out this destination on W Bay Street, Nassau. Nassau’s caves were created by the sea, millions of years ago. The area that is now the caves was originally at sea level, and ocean waves gradually wore away the softer parts of the sedimentary rock, leaving what are now large hollows.

The Lucayans, the original inhabitants of The Bahamas, used the caves for various purposes, including food storage and to protect themselves during hurricanes.

It’s also believed that The Caves were used by pirates in the 16th and 17th centuries. The passages would have been used to hide weaponry or treasure, as well as a hiding spot for the pirates themselves to prevent attacks from rival pirates or various European navies.

This evening was when I popped the big question of asking Skyla to marry me. We got ready for a nice dinner at Blue Sail Restaurant which is an AMAZING place. Located on one of the nicest beaches with a huge board walk, this delicious restaurant sits surrounded by tropical plants hiding it from the main roads. I won’t go into details because this night is a separate blog but you can read more about by clicking the tab below!!

Day 4 was the most incredible day of the entire trip. It was mostly the reason we even came to Bahamas. It was time for Exumas. We woke up at the crack of dawn and loaded up to head to paradise island (Downtown Nassau). Our excursion consisted of four islands: Allen’s Cay to feed the wild Bahamian Iguanas, Staniel Cay to see the worlds famous swimming pigs, Compass cay for lunch and to snorkel with the nurse sharks as well as a deserted sandbar on the way home! This excursion ran about 350$ per person but when I say it was worth every penny I mean it one hundred percent. We used the company Exuma Escapes which I’ll attach the website at the bottom to book.

Once again this trip included transportation to and from your stay. The bus they included picked us up at about 6:30 A.M. from our Airbnb as well as 6 other individuals. We then we’re loaded into boat and set off for the first island. From Nassau to Allen’s Cay it was about a hour boat ride through the magnificent waters of Bahamas. When arriving to Allen’s cay we were given bread balls as well as long sticks to feed the hungry iguanas. This was so much fun. These wild lizards are defiantly not scared of humans a single bit.

Next stop Staniel Cay. This is one of the best stops in everyone’s opinion! Pulling up to the island you can’t help but laugh at all the massive bigs running out of the mangroves to the sandy beaches to greet you. These pigs are very use to humans feeding them so they told us to make sure we always show them that we’re are not holding food when we run out and to never turn our backs to the pigs!! These pigs are super friendly but they are on the constant go of wanting food! If the tour didn’t have to go on we could have spent the entire with them!

It was time for lunch! After five hours being on the water and island hopping you will be starving! We stopped at a local mom and pop restaurant where we received Bahamian style food. The hospitality was great and the food was even better. After lunch we took a short ride down to the next island where Compass Cay was. When cruising into Compass cay you will see many yachts surround the docks! It’s a beautiful sight! Make your way down to the docks where the fishermen are tossing in cut up fish and don’t forget your mask. I was one of the very first to jump into the chummed up waters. The nurse sharks are super friendly, each having a name from the owners of the marina. Don’t chicken out like many others will. It’s a great time!!!!

Well it’s now time to head back to Nassau. It’s a long ride back consisting of about an hour and half ride. They try to break up the ride by stopping at a large sandbar for everyone to swim one last time as well as explore! By the time you arrive back in Nassau and take the excursion bus home you are exhausted. The entire excursion is about an twelve hour day. As soon as we arrived at the Garden Cottage we showered and were out for the night!

It’s sadly our last full day in the Bahamas. We spent the day by sleeping in after our long day the day before and then getting lunch at a local restaurant in town. After lunch we caught a cab to the stables to go horse back riding through the Bahamian Marsh. Tour was amazing and even cheap in price!

I am a huge animal lover as well as explorer so this was a lot of excitement to me. Not only did we enjoy a relaxing ride through the marsh but we even rode the horses into the ocean where they made sure to get great photos for us!

And just like that… five amazing full days in Bahamas have came to an end and it was time to head to the airport and fly home! This was a trip of an lifetime and I hope This blog helps you plan your dream trip to the Bahamas! You will not regret it!