Good morning, friends!!!
I finally sat down and put together the details from our Exuma Trip for you guys! And I won’t lie… posting and looking through these pictures again, gave me the itch to get back there soon ASAP!
It was truly the most relaxing trip we have ever taken. The blue water is just indescribable!
Anyways, I’m SO excited to FINALLY share with you all about the trip! I have gotten soooooo many messages asking where we stayed and what we did so I am sharing every single detail RIGHT HERE!
First off, visiting the Exumas is a MUST. There I said it! I loved it so much I just want everyone to know about this beautiful little hidden gem. I actually found out about Exumas from seeing an acquaintance post her vacation pictures on social media. Instantly, when I saw that clear blue water, I started Googling and added it to my bucket list.
The only other tropical place I’ve visited was Cancun years ago and it didn’t even compare to the Exumas' beautiful beaches and water to me. It truly did not even look REAL it was so blue!
PACKING
I tried to not over do it and pack too much. But, I do it every single time! Is it just me? Please tell me you do it too! Tyler and I managed to only carry one suitcase and backpack each!
We saved a little space in our suitcase to bring along some snacks to save a little on groceries but it’s definitely not a have to. I knew things would be a little pricier being on an island, so I wanted to save where I could.
We packed things like: Kind bars, oatmeal, nuts, Pringle’s, Dots pretzels, peanut butter, hard candy, etc. just to have to snack on.
If you have been following me here long, you know I packed my favorite travel bag that literally holds all my skincare, makeup, hair styling tools and products and jewelry all in ONE bag!
The Trip
Just 6 short weeks ago Tyler and I boarded a plane to PARADISE! A flight direct from Atlanta to Exuma, Bahamas! It was an easy 2-hour flight with beautiful views.
The biggest question you guys asked??
Did you need a COVID test?
Yes, we were required to take a COVID test prior to entry and apply for a health visa to enter the Bahamas. It is an added hassle, yes. But, it honestly was not that hard and SO worth it!
I am truly just so so thankful we were able to go and travel was still an option!
Where We Stayed
Booking this trip was a little stressful because I felt like I read one million reviews, endless Airbnb searches, resorts and pricing...so many options! But, finally it came down to the fact that the best decision for us was staying somewhere in the middle of the road price-wise so that we could save more money to use for excursions and extend our stay. There is a Sandals Resort on the island that looks amazing but it would have cost double the price and we wouldn't have even been able to stay the full week.
I stumbled up on a small boutique resort that is individually owned called The Hideaways. What I loved most about it was our cottage was literally right on the water with a screened in porch! No staying half across a property dragging all your stuff to the beach. Just step off your porch and there you are, right on the beach! That was worth so much to me.
The room was clean and modest with 2 bedrooms, 2 bath and a full kitchen. It was everything we needed and saved us a ton of money.
Another perk staying at The Hideaways is they have a restaurant on site and our room came with free breakfast everyday. It was so convenient to not have to worry about cooking or driving somewhere. We just walked next door!
The first 2 days...
Honestly, we just stayed at the beach all day, rested, relaxed and enjoyed the views in front of us—which where beautiful! The thing that blew me away is that we were the only people on the beach most days.
Note: we went the first week of December, right before their peak season started.
At most, there were 6 people at a time. So, aside from the beautiful waters (that make me want to go back), it felt like we were on a secluded beach! Talk about feeling all fancy!
The temperature that week was 85 during the day and 75 at night. Pretty much heaven! We never even broke a sweat, y'all!
The water looked like glass!
The other amazing part about where we stayed was that the water was like glass. You could literally just float for hours with no waves and that’s just what I did! LOL
Tip: we packed a float to carry with us so we didn’t have to buy one when we got there!
Day 3
We did an all-day excursion tour and I highly suggest it! We had the absolute best time and got to see and so much in one day! Exuma Water Sports did a fantastic job and were so nice and helpful.
Our tour came with lunch at the Staniel Kay Yacht Club, snorkeling, visiting the Pig Island, and Iguana island. PLUS swimming with the sharks (my favorite). AND, they added on so many other stops and details along the way for us to see that made it so much fun.
The food was SO good at the Yacht Club and we had great service there as well. Definitely try the conch fritters and tacos, if you go!
Rent a Boat
My next suggestion... (if you know how to drive a boat) is to RENT A BOAT! We rented from Minns Water Sports on Grand Exuma Island. We rented a fairly small boat for a full day and it was truly one of the best days of my life.
We stopped at so many secluded islands and had the beaches to ourself! It was crazy to literally be in the middle of the ocean on this island with no one else. It was SOOOOOOOO fun. And my gosh, the water and sandbars are AMAZING!
We also found so many shells and brain corals that were gorgeous.
After visiting several islands and just hanging out, we stopped at Chat ‘N’ Chill. A MUST!!!! It is a little beachfront restaurant only accessible by boat. They have so many cute little areas around the restaurant to hang out and relax plus the water there is CRYSTAL CLEAR! We pulled the boat right up front onto the sand and anchored it. SOOOOO FUN! They have sand volleyball, swings, cornhole boards and it just a laid back low key atmosphere to hang out.
Grocery Store
The best place we found to buy groceries for the week was right in town at the Exuma Market in GeorgeTown off Queens Highway. They had everything you could need from produce, meats, snacks and the prices weren’t near as bad as I expected. We stocked up on plenty of waters, drinks, and sandwich stuff.
Restaurants
If you’re wanting to eat lunch or dinner out, I'll share a few of our suggestions that we tried and a few that was recommended to us that we didn’t make it to. There were a lot of days where we just stayed on the beach till dark and didn’t want to get ready. So, we just ate at the restaurant at our resort.
Blu on the Water was probably the best restaurant that we ate at. The views and atmosphere is just perfect! It’s on a bluff overlooking the water so a sunset dinner reservation is ideal. They have fire pits down below on the sand to sit and enjoy the views.
The food was more American-style. My husband had the filet and it was so good. I had mahi-mahi with risotto and was fantastic. It is pricey, but the quality was great and it was the perfect place for a romantic night out if your looking to go somewhere nice.
You can check out Blue on the Water on Instagram HERE
Santanna’s came highly recommended and we wanted to go there, but didn’t make it. But everyone raved about it that we talked to! They are also on Instagram HERE
After our Excursion day, we wanted a quick, local bite. So, I took a recommendation from a friend on Instagram and we stopped at Shirley’s at the Fish Fry Shack! It is located at the Fish Fry which has all kinds of local Bahamian food. The food was great, good service and atmosphere too!
Note: Bahamian food is not the same as your typical states seafood. So, know that if you go there. I’m always up for trying new things, so it didn’t bother me. But, if you or your spouse are a picky eater, you might want to keep that in mind. Everywhere you go conch is on the menu. It’s what they are known for and I really liked it.
We truly enjoyed this vacation and how laid back it was. The people were so kind and friendly and the beautiful scenery is like no other.
I hope you've enjoyed me sharing about this trip and maybe it will help you decide how/where you'd would like to spend a relaxing vacation in the Bahamas.
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out! The best way is on Instagram @vintagepickin
xOxO,
April
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