Travel with Sabriena and learn how to save and spend six days in The Bahamas on your next vacation.
Day One: Take a sightseeing trip around Nassau. Using Trip Advisor, we booked a sightseeing trip and enjoyed an awesome tour of a few locations with tour company, Tyrone Wilson’s VIP Taxi and Tours. Our tour started in downtown Nassau, near the cruise pier, which saw us visiting The Bahamas Rum Cake Factory, The GrayCliff Chocolate Factory, John Watling’s Distillery and the Queen’s Staircase which leads from Fort Fincastle, the highest point in Nassau. We were also shown important buildings and landmarks in the town. The cost? US$35.
Day Two– Swim with Pigs and Sharks and Feed Iguanas on the islands of Exuma. It’s a little pricey, but was worth every dime! We booked this tour again through Trip Advisor and were guided by the courteous team from Hidden Beaches Bahamas. We fed iguanas on Leaf Cay; swam with sharks at Compass Cay; swam with and fed pigs on Big Major Cay, which is also called Pig Island; and ate an inclusive lunch at Black Point Cay and ended the day by hanging out at Saddleback Cay, where a portion of Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was filmed. The speedboat was also stocked with unlimited snacks, water and beer for all aboard.
Day Three– Visit The Fish Fry (also called Arawak Cay) for Authentic Bahamian Food– The Fish Fry has several restaurants which serve up the most delicious Bahamian Food such as conch- the national dish; peas and rice, mac and cheese and seafood. The conch salad and conch fritters are probably the most popular Bahamian dishes and are a must try.
During our stay, we ate at three different restaurants at The Fish Fry, Island Life Down Home Restaurant which is owned by a Jamaican, world-renowned Twin Brothers Seafood and Steakhouse and Frankie Gone Bananas.
Day Four– Visit the Ardastra Zoo– Go see the Caribbean Flamingos, (which is the Bahamas’ national bird), as they put on a show. I volunteered to be a part of the show and I really enjoyed that. Fun fact: It was first opened by a Jamaican!
After the zoo, visit the beach. Nassau has some of the most beautiful beaches with the most turquoise, yet crystal clear waters. All beaches, except the one at Atlantis, are free of cost and are very clean! Some popular beaches are Arawak Cay (same place as the Fish Fry) Goodman’s Bay Park, Jonkoonu, Saunder’s and Cabbage Beach.
Day Five- Bahamas Sub Adventure Tour– We did the very adventurous and exhilarating sub adventure tour with Stuart Cove’s Dive Bahamas. We were placed on underwater sub scooters and submerged at least 20 feet in the water! We had an oxygen tank attached to our scooters, so we breathed normally. We saw different fish, coral reefs and other marine life. It was literally our personal submarine. It lasted about 20 minutes. We also snorkelled afterwards. The excursion costs US$138.
Day 6- Visit Atlantis and the Nassau Straw Market– Atlantis, located on Paradise Island is a prime destination in The Bahamas. It is a big, luxurious hotel, which houses a dolphin cay, the largest open-air marine habitat in the world; waterpark and casino among other amenities.
End your day by taking the ferry from Paradise Island to downtown Nassau and walk to the Nassau Straw Market to purchase souvenirs, craft items and Bahamian T-shirts.
The entire trip including air fare, accommodations, spending money and excursions cost me about US$2,200. We stayed at a bed and breakfast accommodation, which cost us US$440 per person for the six days.
Opting to ‘live like a local’ can also save you some transportation costs by taking the bus (US$1.25), which is pretty efficient. However, be aware that the public bus system stops operation at 7:00 p.m. daily.
Open your JN Bank Vacation account and start saving towards your Caribbean adventure!
