Bahamian Rhapsody (Bahamas)

Member Name: salem_witch

Product:	Bahamas
Date:	30/12/05 (793 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful place, friendly people, gorgeous weather

Disadvantages: Long flight to get there. Not suitable for those who can't stand heat!

The Bahamas conjures up thoughts of tropical beaches. Before actually going this was all I actually knew about the place itself. I wasn't even sure where it was if I'm honest. It wasn't my place of choice for a holiday. My brother and his girlfriend decided to get married here so it would have been rude not to go wouldn't it?!?!


***THE ISLANDS***

The Bahamas is made up of over 700 islands and cays scattered in the Atlantic. They stretch across 100, 000 square miles from Florida to Cuba and Haiti. Bimini is only 50 miles off the East Coast of Florida. Some of these islands are tiny so its not surprising that only 100 of the islands are inhabited. Some of these are owned my rich and famous people (Johnny Depp is one of these and he bought a private 35 acre island in the Exumas last year). Only 37 of these have settlements on them. So this leaves hundreds of islands left untouched. It would be nice if the uninhabited islands stay this way. The largest of the islands is Andros and it is one of the least explored islands. So if you're after somewhere idyllic then there are plenty of islands worth exploring. I did notice when we were looking for hotels online that you can actually do island hopping and there are some packages that you can see a few of the islands rather than being stuck on one.

***HISTORY***

The Bahamas got its name when a Spanish explorer called it "baja mar". This means shallow water or sea. This warning wasn't taken very seriously and as a result a lot of ships ran aground. Well know pirates, like Blackbeard, used this to their advantage and lured ships into shallow waters and then took anything of value. The location was ideal as many Spanish ships, along with their precious cargo would have to pass on their way back from South America back to Europe. It's reported that not all lost treasure has been found.

The majority of the Bahamian population is of African heritage. This is because in the 1790s slaves were brought over from Africa for the cotton trade. When the British abolished slavery in 1834 they turned their hands at farming and fishing. During Prohibition the Bahamas was the base for rum running. When Prohibition was over in 1934 it was financially devastating for the islands.

It wasn't until the sixties that tourism had a boom. In an attempt to attract more visitors they dredged Nassau's harbour so it could hold 6 cruise ships at one time and they also built a bridge connecting Nassau to Paradise Island.


In 1973 Britain granted the Bahamas independence which is hugely celebrated. This ended 325 years of British rule. They still remain part of the Commonwealth and have kept some British systems such judiciary and the government.


***HOW TO GET THERE***

The Bahamas are over 4000 miles from the UK so as you can imagine it's a long flight. We flew with Virgin Atlantic from Gatwick to Nassau International Airport. This was a 9-hour flight so if you don't like flying then it could seem like longer. I won't go into details about the flight, as I'm sure there are plenty of reviews on Virgin Atlantic. If you're travelling to another island other than New Providence then you will more than likely have to fly to Nassau and then have another flight to the island or a boat trip.


***CLIMATE***

The temperature stays more or less the same all year round. In the summer the temperature ranges from 80 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit and in the winter a cooler (!) 70 to 80 degrees. It's worth pointing out that from June to November its hurricane season. We went in mid November so this was at the end of the hurricane season and it was fine. There were no strong winds and no rain at all. In fact it was too hot for me. That's only because I can't handle heat at the moment though. Think of a hot day here in the UK, that's what it was like everyday there. So if you like the sun and want to top your tan up then this is a perfect place for you.

The sea was very nice as well. It was warm enough to swim in. However, you have to remember that you are on an island in the Atlantic. The current can be quite strong so if you're not a very good swimmer then it might be best to stick to the swimming pool!


***NEW PROVIDENCE***

As mentioned earlier there are loads of islands in the Bahamas. Nassau, the capital is on New Providence Island. It's not the largest of the islands but it has roughly two thirds of the Bahamian population. Nassau is a busy port and there are many large cruise ships docked. One of the locals said it can hold more cruise ships than anywhere else in the Caribbean.

Paradise Island (or Hog Island as it was called) is connected to Nassau with two huge bridges. It initially acted as a barrier from bad weather and pirates. It is only 4 miles long and a half a mile wide but it is now it is home of several hotels. One being the 14 acre Atlantis (http://www.atlantis.com/flash.aspx) which is probably the best known hotel in the whole of the Bahamas. It takes its name from the lost city of Atlantis. It has an enormous Aquarium, which is supposed to look like how it would look if Atlantis were being excavated. It has been filled with seawater and lots of sea life including fish, crustaceans and sharks.

A few miles from Nassau is Cable Beach. This is home to many hotels, restaurants, pubs and the largest casino on the island. The sandy beach is two and a half miles long and it is an ideal place to relax or participate in water sports. Cable Beach got its name when transatlantic cables were laid to link then to the rest of the world as they were isolated up until then.



***THINGS TO DO***

You can't visit Nassau without going to its famous Straw Market. In fact you can't miss it if you get the bus into town. It drops you off across the road from it. Here you can but hats, dolls, baskets as well as other souvenirs such as t-shirts and towels. Its really packed and all the women selling their goods are sat nattering looking for potential customers. I must admit I found it rather claustrophobic but that was due to my health. They are all friendly and say hello to you. I never stayed in it to look at anything but it's the kind of place if you were interested then you could barter for a good price. The Straw Market fronts on to Bay Street. Here you can find many duty free shops. You can find perfumes, leather goods, jewellery and many other goods at bargain price.

One thing I had already booked before leaving the UK was swimming with dolphins. Dolphin Encounters are based on Blue Lagoon Island, which is a short boat ride from Nassau. You can swim with them or if you're not confident in water then you can do what they call the Close Encounter. We decided to go for the Swim apart from my Mum who did the Encounter. You have to get to Paradise Island, which was easily done, on the ferry. From there they take you on another boat to Blue Lagoon Island, which is roughly 3 miles from Paradise Island. When you get there you are given a talk about dolphins and where not to touch them. We were then given a life jacket and taken down to the water. Our dolphins were called Fatman and Jake, both were in the feature film Flipper with another dolphin. They are amazing creatures and I would recommend it to anyone. The swim we got to interact with the dolphins. We got to feed them fish, give them a kiss and lots of other things. The highlight would be the footpush. You have to lie face down with your feet flat out and then Fatman and Jake would come along and push your feet. As they did this you would push up. They can reach up to 25mph so it is fun. I didn't do it because of health reasons but my Dad and sisters boyfriend did and they said it was fantastic. For more information visit www.dolphinencounters.com


We also went on a Booze Cruise. We were approached on the beach by someone telling us about it and we were given a discount so we agreed. They pick up on Cable Beach, Paradise Island and from Nassau so it's easily accessible for everyone. It's very relaxed and they play Bahamian music. You get unlimited drink on the boat so for all those that like a tipple then this is ideal. You have the opportunity to snorkel and you have to agree not to drink before this if you want to participate. I gave it a try but I have never been able to get the hang of it so I think I was the first one out the water. You also get lunch (to soak up some of that alcohol). We were given rice, sweetcorn, bbq ribs and chicken. My sister is a vegetarian and she just got the rice and sweetcorn but double helpings. We were then taken to a secluded beach. The water is shallow so you can't really swim. I went on a similar trip in Corfu years ago and the water was deep so we got to swim loads. Most people just stood around and splashed in the water. On the way back the party really gets started. The music is even louder than on the way back and they encourage everyone to dance and take part in a limbo competition.

The sea is very clear so is an ideal opportunity for any keen divers. In fact it's the clearest in the world with visibility of over 200 feet. There are several companies that you can go scuba diving with all around the Bahamas. You can dive in wrecks or if you're brave enough with sharks.

There are many other things to do. You can visit Fort Charlotte, climb the Queens Staircase, which has 65 steps, and visit the Pirates of Nassau and many more.

***WHERE TO STAY***

We stayed at Nassau Beach Hotel, which is on Cable Beach. My brother and his girlfriend were staying at the Radisson, which was next door, but one from us. We decided not to stay in the same hotel so they could have a bit of space and have time alone together after the wedding. The Radisson is a top-notch hotel and can be expensive but it is all-inclusive. There were no complaints from my brother on it. The wedding was held there and it was done very professionally. They could have had the wedding on the beach, outside near the pool or inside. They chose outside near the pool and it was probably the best choice. We didn't want sand in our shoes! They had a saxophonist playing before the service. It was all over in 20 minutes but its just what they wanted. The men did look rather silly in their suits, waistcoats and long shirts but its what the bride wanted!

Nassau Beach Hotel isn't as grand as the Radisson but then it wasn't as expensive either. We weren't all inclusive either, which suited us. I wasn't drinking so wouldn't have got value for money. The rooms were large. I was sharing with my Auntie and I was surprised when we got a nice big double bed to ourselves. We were lucky as we were on the ground floor so we had patio doors so we could go in and out from the beach much easier. The décor wasn't much to be desired but it was clean and ample for us. We had a bath and shower and there was plenty of hot water. I won't go into anymore details on the hotel so if anyone is interested in knowing more then do let me know.

***FOOD***

There are plenty of places to eat in Nassau itself. However, on Cable Beach there wasn't much choice. We ended up eating at Café Johnny Canoe a lot as it was right next to our hotel. (go to http://www.bahamasgo.com/johnnycanoe.htm for the menu). One evening when having our meal there was a live band there. They were good but the music was so loud we had trouble ordering our food. Luckily our waitress was excellent and she got everything right. The first time we went there the waitress we had then had trouble understanding us for some reason. She had to get someone else to take my Aunts drink order. She didn't understand what she meant when she asked for vodka! Obviously they have it out there. I think she had trouble understanding us because of our accent. This I found strange but they are used to a lot of Americans I suppose.

Anyway back to the food. Most of the restaurants are Americanised so expect things like burgers and chips. There wasn't much variety in the places we went to and not a lot of choice for vegetarians. My sister is a vegetarian and ended up eating a lot of chips and side orders.

Seafood is widely available. The conch is the local dish. It's a shellfish, which is supposed to be an aphrodisiac. I'm sad to say that I never tried it, as I do love seafood.

The Bahamas also produces its own beer called Kalik, which is a lot cheaper than the imported beers. I don't like beer so I didn't sample it myself. My Dad, brother and sisters boyfriend all said it was very nice.

Rum is the drink of the island. Wherever you go you'll be able to sample some kind of rum or even their famous daiquiris (cocktails). There is a Bacardi distillery in Nassau. I'm not entirely sure if you can visit it but I didn't notice anything about it whilst I was out there. You can buy rum cakes in tins, which make very good presents. I didn't sample any of these, as I couldn't drink alcohol at the time, which is a shame.



***MONEY***

The currency is the Bahamian dollar, which is on par with the American dollar. American dollars are widely accepted and to be honest I saw more American money than I did Bahamian. Before leaving it's worth changing any of the local money into American as it's easier to exchange when you get home.

Credit cards are widely accepted. I only used mine at the airport as I wanted to go home a week early. There are plenty of cash machines but I never used one myself. I got my money from the Bank of Mum and Dad!

***GETTING AROUND***

You can hire a car but to be honest on some of the islands it's not worth it as they are so small. The local buses are called jitneys and are the best way of getting about. They are small buses (they look like one of our mini buses) and are frequent enough as well. They do have bus stops but I never saw anyone use one. You just wave them down and the bus driver stops for you. They go out of there way as well. On one occasion someone missed it so the driver turned around for them and picked them up. The fare is $1 and you have to pay the exact amount when you get off. All the buses take you to Bay Street, which is where you can find it to get back to wherever you came from.

The jitneys do not go to the airport. For this you will have to take a taxi. Taxi fares are posted on boards outside most hotels. They have fixed fares so you know you aren't getting ripped off.

It's easy to get from island to island as well. We got a ferry from Nassau to Paradise Island. I can't remember how much it cost but it was cheap. The ferry we took there was a local man giving the history of what we passed. This isn't part of the fare and he asks for donations at the end. This is how some of them make their money.

***HEALTH***

Do take insect repellent with you. I didn't bother and on my last day I was bitten really badly. Admittedly its because we had the patio door open that night and the mosquitoes are supposed to come out at night. So it was my own fault really. They were worse a few days later (back in the good old UK) and they scratched and I itched them and they seemed to grow! So I got some cream and they weren't so bad after that. But remember prevention is better. I never bothered with insect repellent, as I had never done so before when I'd been to other foreign countries. I'd never been bitten anywhere else so I assumed I wouldn't get bitten here either!

There are no compulsory vaccinations but they do recommend that you have your polio and tetanus up to date. I was also given a vaccination for hepatitis A, diphtheria and typhoid that was recommended by the nurse I saw. Its not a high risk area as such but its better to be safe than sorry.

***WORD OF WARNING***

One thing I would say against the Bahamas is their so-called promotions. When we got to our hotel there were 2 ladies at a desk and they grabbed us straight after we checked in. So as you can imagine we were tired and before we realised what we were agreeing to we had already agreed. They explained to us that if we joined them for lunch the very next day it would be free and we would just have to listen to someone. So the next morning we trotted off to the hotel next door (The Wyndham) for our free lunch. A man introduced himself to us and sat us down in this room where other mugs had been roped into the same thing. We were offered a drink and then he basically told us what it was all about. They were a company, which guaranteed you a holiday each year. It wasn't quite like a time-share but you had to have a lot of money to sign up to it. So we had our free lunch and then tried to escape (we were there for well over an hour). This company had its own desk in our hotel and it wasn't the only one from the sounds of it. We were approached on the street for similar things. You just have to be firm and say no unless you really are interested.

***CONCLUSION***

No matter what kind of holiday you want the Bahamas has something to offer you. If you're after somewhere off the beaten track then you can visit one of the numerous untouched islands. In Nassau there is plenty to do as well as relaxing on the beach. The people are so laid back and friendly they make the holiday even more relaxing. I didn't encounter anyone who was rude or wasn't happy to help. I just wish we had gone when I wasn't suffering with dizziness and then I could have enjoyed the heat!

Summary: An ideal place to relax.