Craving a Bahama adventure sprinkled in with some AHHHHHHH? Let us be your guides to an Exuma adventure…cuz we have been there done that and it was AHHHHHHHHHmazing!
First Step: Where To Stay
Some background on the peeps traveling: We are a family of 4; Moi, Big Papa ~ a 14-year-old boy, and a 13-year-old girl (don’t feel sorry for us, this IS all about the Bahamas even if we do have 2 teens!) AND we were traveling with another family of 3; Mom, Dad, and cute Lil, 8-year-old, peanut girl! So we knew we wanted a house with plenty of space to gather but to also chill out when needed! So our search began with AirBnB and VRBO (which I have always called V.R.B.O and my 2 teens corrected me as to its ‘proper pronunciation’ of VERBO…. still not sure on this one ~ feel free to comment below if you KNOW or even if you simply feel the need to chime in!)
Check out this video for some VALUABLE tips when choosing a vacation home plus other golden nuggets of travel goodness.
Valuable Tips For The Best Bahama Adventure
If you choose to go the resort route – I tend to start with TripAdvisor (regardless of who you ultimately book through) and use the filters to narrow down your wants/needs – then the next step is diving into reviews and traveler pics – don’t just trust the resort pics, I mean HELLO PHOTOSHOP!
Some larger resorts we saw while on the island of Exuma were Sandals and Grand Isle – both very pretty, but also very $$$$$! So budget is key – yes Big Papa, I do know how to spell the word BUDGUT….sort of….
The Peace and Plenty is an option right in Georgetown ( the biggest “city” where the airport is located )…. Jenny and fam stayed there one night and perhaps because it followed our week in the gorgeous Surf House, they were a bit disappointed as it was in need of a renovation and the meh food which was $$$$! BUT directly across the street was a FAB.U.LOUS cafe ~ the Driftwood Cafe, unbelievable fresh bread, croissants, coffee, and the ubiquitous and mucho loved by the chirrun – Goombay Punch!
OUR Exuma Home: The Surf House
The Surf House was nothing short of perfect: TOP TEN about the Surf House!
- The house is EXACTLY as the pictures suggested – GORGEOUS
- Super clean and well kept
- A bonus was Martin, the house manager who literally bent over backward to take care of us! He met us at the house upon arrival and let us wander and explore – then very quickly gave us a few tutorials and left us to relax! The next day we ran out of gas on the grill; a quick text and TEN MINUTES later, he walked up, replaced the gas tank, and left with a wave! We texted him a grocery list one afternoon and the next morning, while we were out on the boat, he delivered and put up all the groceries charging us only $50 and the cost of the groceries – worth EVERY penny of $50 as he had to go to 4 stores to get all we needed! He spoke Spanish as his primary language, so we used the Google Translate app to communicate with him via text! (the Google Translate App a must when traveling abroad ~ simply enter what you want to say in English and then choose what language you need to translate to – the app will then allow you to text the message or will even announce your words through the phone speaker – also super helpful when teens are taking Latin …. or so I have been told, I wouldn’t know personally!) He arranged for taxis to pick us up and answered all questions we had PROMPTLY! Gotta love a home that comes with a concierge!
- The Surf House is located on a bay with access on both sides to the Caribbean – this was perfect as the home comes with 3 kayaks and 2 paddleboards – the bay was unbelievable for the kids to take off by themselves on the ‘toys’ and was super calm for snorkeling!
- WE LOVED being able to rent a boat from the Surf House – for $250/day, we had a boat right at the dock to explore the beautiful waters – go to different beaches – and even take to restaurants right on the water ( more about this to come!)
- We wondered if we would even use the pool at the house with the beautiful bay only a few steps away – but we absolutely did every day! It was wonderful for the kids and super relaxing for the adults to have the convenience of a quick dip whenever!
- The kitchen was fully stocked with all utensils, dishes, etc – I am a wine glass SNOB – I love my fizzy water in a beautiful wine goblet – and even the wine glasses were perfect! The house had a soft side and hard-sided cooler – but no ice maker, you will need to buy ice ( HELLOOOOO Martin!) not sure if Captain Obvious, but we really appreciated Martin!
- The beds were a bit firm – well hard – but not uncomfortable and oh my goodness the air conditioner WORKED! I mean – bring a wrap or light sweater if you get easily chilled in air conditioning…. cuz it WORKS!
- No See Ums (if not familiar with what they are, you will KNOW at sunset every day ) and mosquitos can be pesky – but simply pack some Avon Skin So Soft and douse in it after 5:00 PM if you plan to be outside – I mean it IS an island!
- WiFi works great – Martin – ahhhhh Martin – will make sure you are connected before he leaves the first day! There is a TV, but honestly we never even turned it on until the last day when we seriously just wanted to see if it was even plugged in! No need for TV – pack a great book and step off!
Enjoy some of OUR pics of the house! I am ashamed to say I don’t have one of Martin, I guess we have to go back to get one!
Let Them Eat Cake – And Conch And Lobster…..
Restaurants on the island were a bit disappointing. We didn’t go to any of the big resorts and chose to eat local, but truly were not blown away by our 3 meals out, besides the Driftwood Cafe, it was GREAT – SEE ABOVE
We took the boat to the Chat and Chill – a restaurant on an island directly across from Exuma. The conch bar was closed and we each had something from the bar which we are 100% sure came from US Food Service! I had a grilled fish salad thinking the fish would have been line-caught off the beach – ummmm, no…..cool little island to see – but no need to stay for lunch!
Our next boating adventure to food was to the Splash Restaurant and Bar at the Hideaway Resort ( very cute little bungalows right on the beach, think a motel – nothing fancy.) We had conch fritters and conch sandwiches – seafood nachos – MEH at best…. let’s just say the drinks were great, the food MEH!
Groceries! TAKE YOUR GROCERIES!
Yes ~ you read that right, TAKE YOUR GROCERIES! * Why? Groceries on the island are brought in from either Miami or Nassau, making them super expensive. A bottle of ketchup was $6.50! We walked into a butcher shop and honestly, the smell was awful – AND one chicken breast cost $35.00!! You are reading that correctly, THIRTY FIVE DOLLARS FOR ONE CHICKEN BREAST THAT SMELLED FUNKY! Sooooooo…..
How do you pack groceries? A cooler! A hard cooler with wheels that you don’t mind leaving behind or watch the above video to see how Jenny traveled back! You can get it at Walmart, Family Dollar – anywhere cheap, and believe me it is worth it! We went to Costco and purchased; burgers, hotdogs, ‘heat and serve’ BBQ pork, microwaveable bacon, sandwich meat, cheese, butter, etc! Freeze all of it – then pack frozen in the cooler, duct tape it shut and check it at the airport! That is it! TSA will probably open and check it after you check it through – but it is fine! Don’t pack any dry ice but gel packs are fine! The food may defrost some, but will stay good and cold until you arrive! In a big, hard-sided suitcase pack the rest!
Here is my personal list:
- Coffee Creamer – buy at Walmart the small cups or any other brand you prefer that doesn’t require refrigeration
- Coffee
- Bread – yes BREAD! pack in boxes, or Tupperware-type containers so it doesn’t get smashed…. but pack what you need; sandwich bread, hot dog buns, hamburger buns, bagels, etc!
- Chips – *see above for bread packing tips
- Peanut Butter
- Mixed Nuts
- Foil
- Sandwich bags
- Microwaveable Popcorn
- Spices
- Salad Dressing (Martin picked up bags of lettuce etc for us)
- Sweets ( oreos, chips ahoy etc) boxed mixes
- Saltines and Ritz Crackers
- Individually wrapped peanut butter crackers
- Beef Jerky
- Mayo/Ketchup
More On Food
In the FABULOUS Welcome Packet you will receive via email once you reserve, you will see the contact info for a couple of local ladies who will prepare casseroles and leave in the fridge for you, desserts etc – we will do this next time as another family who traveled previously did and LOVED! The Chefs will also come and cook for you – again the family who recommended did this and highly recommended to do early in the week as the leftovers were divine – the ladies cooked, served and CLEANED! (they had us at CLEANED)
Also in the Welcome Email will be a grocery list you may submit prior to arriving and guess what – MARTIN will shop and will have them put away upon your arrival. Highly recommend soft drinks and perishables like bags of ice, fruit, and veggies (the fruit and veggies Martin brought were super fresh and not too, too expensive)!
There will be fresh water dispensers at the house, it is not recommended by Martin to drink the faucet water – we recommend you pack Hydros or similar so you can fill for the boat, etc from the water dispensers!
Getting Around!
We decided to NOT rent a car and instead chose to taxi from the airport to the house! You definitely do not need a car to create and enjoy the best Bahama adventure. I HIGHLY recommend – we found we didn’t need a car with Martin and the boat at the house!
Taxi: Big Noch is your MAN – he was born on Exuma and is wonderful, a local who knows everyone and everything about Exuma! It will cost you $60 to get from the airport to the house – but cars are super expensive to rent! He also took us to Georgetown so we could wander the ‘China-made goods’ in the straw market (whatever Christie, the story below ) and catch a bus to Exuma Water Sports for the pig excursion (the bus was included in our Exuma Water Sports booking).
We had the bus pick us up at the Driftwood Cafe which is directly across the street from the Peace and Plenty hotel; Big Noch can drop you off at the straw market – then simply walk around ending up at the Driftwood for yummy coffee and croissant sandwiches! After your day on the water with the pigs and Exuma Water Sports – simply ask the bus driver to take you back to the Driftwood and he will also call Big Noch to meet you there and get you back to the Surf House (remember everyone knows everyone on the island!)
When initially booking Big Noch before you arrive on the island – you may need to call a few times till he answers, island time is a real thing…. these people know how to relax! Don’t bother leaving him a voice mail – trust me on this one! BUT, he will be there to pick you up once you connect!
TEN THINGS You Must Do To Create The Best Bahamas Adventure
1 . Go to Cooper’s Bay to swim with wild turtles – this is unreal!!
2 . Drive or boat to Tropic of Cancer Beach – literally listed as one of the top 100 most beautiful beaches in the world – there are no restaurants or facilities, so pack food and drink, but gosh it is a pretty beach!
3 . Visit the swimming pigs – we rented through Exuma Water Sports and it was fantastic! We did the half day trip and it was amazing! Talk about creating the BEST Bahama Adventure!!
4 . Enjoy some local cuisine; Driftwood Cafe, Santanas, Shirley’s Fish Fry – we only did Driftwood but it was wonderful!
5 . Charter or rent a boat and explore! Rent from the Surf House – if nervous about navigating yourself, hire a captain for the Surf Houseboat – but get out on the water regardless!
6 . Go Fishing – either deep sea or even hand line off the beach! Great fishing under the bridge to Little Exuma (this is literally right around the corner from the Surf House and you could take the kayaks!!)
7 . Take the kayaks and paddleboards out and about – goat island is to the right from the surf house – yes, there are wild goats on the island!
8 . Visit the local straw market and walk about downtown. ( I have a friend – not mentioning names but her name is Christie – who says all things in the straw market are made in China, maybe so – but it is still FUN and I got a wonderful bangle made by the precious little Bahamian women… in China!)
9. Grab some snorkels and view the world from below – we brought snorkels from home – highly recommend these:
xoxoxo ~ Heidi and Jenny SHOP HERE
10. Most importantly: Rest, Relax and ENJOY your Bahama Adventure!
Living on Island Time: The Best Bahama Adventure
I love sharing travel tips and so much more with you! Wishing you the BEST Bahama Adventure!
