Bahamas Vacation: Things to Do, Where to Stay - 2

Lost in Atlantis

But who can go to Nassau without crossing the bridge to Atlantis on Paradise Island? Atlantis is an enormous hotel/water park/entertainment complex featuring amazing water rides, aquarium tanks lining hotel hallways, dolphin encounters, a pool casino and more. Be prepared for crowds. My Bahamian guide, Romeo, says first-time visitors to Atlantis are always enamored but often tell him once is enough. Yet Atlantis is a must-see; I just prefer to return to the tranquility of Cable Beach to sleep. But on my way back to my hotel, I stop to eat the freshest seafood in existence at Poop Deck on the west end of New Providence where waiters will bring your meal out to a private table along the beach. Now that’s tranquility, or at least I thought, until I got to Exuma. [Read more about family-friendly Atlantis and the gorgeous island of Exuma.]

Resort Games on Grand Bahama

Grand Bahama lies just 55 miles east of Florida and is one of the most-visited Bahamian islands, spurred on by resort development that began in the 1950s. And that’s what a visit to this island is usually about—resorts and casino in the Freeport City/Lucaya area. The island doesn’t have the charm and variety of Nassau, but for those that like resort destination holidays, it fits the bill.

Not to be missed on a visit to the island is Count Basie Square at the Port Lucaya Marketplace. The square rocks and rolls almost every night with live entertainment ranging from Bahamian music and karaoke to fire dancing and limbo with audience participation. It’s quite likely the liveliest nightspot in the Bahamas, that is, unless you’re at the new Isle of Capri Casino Our Lucaya.

 

• Red snapper at the Poop Deck restaurant.

djrue

The casino is situated on the Sheraton Grand Bahama and Westin Grand Bahama Island properties, which are terrific resorts for families with children. In addition to Camp Lucaya for kids, there’s a water slide, sand playground and babysitting services to name a few. For those into a more tranquil vacation, head to Old Bahama Bay, also a family-friendly resort, in the historic fishing village of West End at the tip of Grand Bahama. West End is also known for some of the best sport fishing in the world.

Bimini and Other Bahamian Highlights

Some say the Lost City of Atlantis is buried at sea beneath the waves of the island of Bimini, the smallest of the Bahamas islands. I met a couple in Bimini that traveled thousands of miles to heed Atlantis’ calling, the mystique is that compelling to some. But if the tale of Atlantis doesn’t suit your fancy, follow the wake of Bimini’s dolphins instead, with Bill and Nowdla Keefe's Wild Dolphin Adventures. The couple were the first team to pioneer dolphin interaction in the wild, bringing visitors to dolphin grounds to snorkel and skin dive with dolphins “in their environment, and on their terms.” No visitor is too young, though it helps to know how to swim. www.wilddolphins.com.

 

• The beaches on Andros Island are known for the crabs you’ll see scurrying across the sand.

Scott Clark

Andros Crab-Chasers

Andros is the largest but least-explored island in the Bahamas, but that means there’s plenty of room for its native land crabs. Yes, that’s right, crabs. And in crab-walking season from June through August, the locals make torches out of wrapped-up dried grass in an all-out effort to capture as many as possible. “In Nassau, we run from crabs,” says Romeo Farrington with a laugh, “but in Andros, [people] catch them with both hands, even young kids.” Adults like the crabs as ingredients for tasty dishes; children like to have their own form of derbies by racing the critters. Time a visit to Andros right and catch the crab fun.

Read more about the Bahamas: Marching Flamingos of Nassau, Bahamas Junkanoo Festival, Atlantis, Exuma and its People-to-People Program.