What Are The Exumas?

Ever been to a place where you thought… Nothing compares to this?? That is pretty much the exact feeling we have every time we visit the Exuma Islands in the Bahamas. Don’t get us wrong, there are plenty of amazingly beautiful beaches and perfectly turquoise waters throughout the Bahamas and down through the Caribbean. However, nothing compares to the freedom and exclusiveness that the Exumas provides. It’s literally the epitome of “No Worries” island life.

In this post, we will give you the exact itinerary of what we think you should do to make this trip one you will never forget and want to come back to again and again.

First things first… You will probably need to know a little about what makes up the Bahamas and where the The Exumas are located. We can not tell you how many times people have looked at us with that questioning stare when we tell them where we are going. We usually get… “Oh, your going to Nassau!”…. Actually quite the opposite. Travel agencies have done an amazing job of immortalizing this city as the only place to visit when going to the Bahama's. While they have some great resorts, they are extremely large and ever so crowded with cruise ship crowds… Certainly not our cup of tea. And if you are one of our amazing followers.. Probably not yours as well.

Well……We are going to let you all in on a little secret, some of the best most secluded beaches are under an hour south of Nassau by plane. This string of beaches is called the Exumas. The location is perfect for visiting all of the famous Instagram locations like Compass Cay to swim with the Nurse Sharks and Big Major Cay to wiggle your little booty with the only inhabitants there.. the pigs! So many private beaches and some of the bluest water you have ever seen! There are even direct flights from Miami straight to Georgetown on Great Exuma Island…. Does not get any better. To be honest, we have traveled to both places Nassau and The Exumas and hands down The Exumas wins every time!

Below is a map that we created to simplify the travel process….. If there are any questions, Please feel free to reach out!

Now…. Where to stay??

The beauty of this place is that there are really no large scale resorts that cater to the extremely large amounts of tourist like you would find in Nassau. Here, you will find the smaller, more private resorts and Airbnb rentals that are 10x better in our opinion. Our favorite one the islands has got to be The Grand Isle Resort. This place is hands down the best place to stay in Georgetown. Full disclosure, we were working in a paid partnership with the Grand Isle Resort during this trip. However, we stand by the above opinion that this place is the real deal. We stayed in an Airbnb on a separate trip and it was great and all but nothing compares to this little gem on the island. The resort is a collection of privately owned townhomes that are managed by the resort and come with some amazing amenities. You even get your own golf cart to cruise around the property…… And down to the local liquor store if need be…..Mind. Blown. You basically get the best of both worlds, luxury and seclusion, all without having to travel halfway across the world. For reference, here are just some of the amenities that the resort has to offer -

Multiple Restaurants Including Poolside Dining and Asian Bahamian Infusion Dishes
Heated Infinity Pool Overlooking The White Sand Beaches and Blue Bay Waters
30,000 SF Beach Club Equipped with Poolside Cabanas And Daybeds
Seastar Spa That Includes Everything From Massages to Seawater-Infused Body Treatments
18-Hole Emerald Reef Golf Course Designed by Hall Of Fame Legend Greg Norman
Mile Long Beach w/ ALL The Toys Including Paddle Boards, Wind Surfing And Snorkeling
24 Hour Fitness Center To Keep Up With That Beach Body….. Or Sweat Out The Drinks From The Night Before
One, Two , Three, And Four Bedroom Fully Equipped Villas Complete With Your Own Golf Cart

See the The Grand Isla Resort Map to explore all of the amenities the resort has to offer.

Below are some of our favorite pics from the resort. For more information, please check out www.grandisleresort.com

Sunset flight over The Grand Isle Resort

Early Morning Beauty from the Pool at the 23 North Pool

Soak It All In and have the Concierge blow up that float!

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INSTA-WORTHY AND MEMORY MAKING ADVENTURES

SOLO CRUISING THROUGH ELIZABETH HARBOUR

Aside from all of the day trips that you can also book from all of the other islands, one adventure that you can only book while on Great Exuma is renting your own Boston Whaler or Power Cat from Minns Water Sports in George Town. It’s basically like renting a car that you can use to island hop throughout the cays that surround the harbor. With the shallow waters and the islands blocking the current (think of it like a salt water lake) from the ocean, you can effortlessly move about the waters and even catch an amazing sand bar at low tide just off of Man-O-War Cay. This has to be one of the most unique and one of our favorite things to do here. Please trust us on this… EPIC!! You can take your pick of the many beaches that you can pull your boat up to and have your own space for the day! You can find the boat options and reserve at www.mwsboats.com . Just be sure to ask the them what time is low tide when you pick up the boat. You will not want to miss out on this!

Oh!….. And please make sure you swing by Chat ‘N Cill for some amazing mango margaritas, good company, and make sure to play with the stingrays. (Tip: They eat our of your hand bring some lunch meat.) While you are there, make sure to leave your mark at the bar!

When No One Else Is Around…. I Do What I Want.

We Always Find Our Way to Chat ‘N’ Chill

I have Everything I Need… Just Leave Me Here.

Oh…. You Can Leave Him Here With Me Too!

ISLAND HOPPING TOURS

After you have had the chance to experience the island all by yourselves, its time to venture out and have fun with what the rest of the Bahamas has to offer. Now there are plenty of options for tours throughout the islands. A shared tour is probably the most cost effective and probably just as good if there are just the 2 of you but if you are traveling with at least 4 or more people, a private tour is the way to go. We have done both ways and the freedom of being able to create your own trip is worth the few extra bucks.

This time around we were able to connect and book with Triple A Adventures and they did not disappoint. From the very beginning, they let us pick and choose what we wanted to do and then tailored the trip around that based of time and distance between the islands. We were able to snorkel through Thunderball Grotto at low tide, got perfect timing to catch a sandbar, swung by Compass Cay and Big Major Cay to swim with the SHARKS and play with the PIGS and even caught the PINK iguanas at Allen’s Cay on the way home. Check out the amazing time we had and make sure to reach out to Captain Mal to get your tour set up at tripleaadventuresexuma@gmail.com.

The Sum Up

This should give you the set up for a pretty perfect trip that you can actually do in an extended weekend if you plan it right. With all of the traveling we do, that’s usually all the time we have so we do our best to make it count. However, if you have the time, you could spend weeks traveling throughout the Bahamas an still not see everything or just chilling on the beach and taking in the view. If you are in need of some help booking the perfect vacation, please do not hesitate to reach out to us and we would be more than happy to point you in the right direction and answer any questions you have. We live for comments so please drop us a line! Have you been to the Exumas? Would you swim with the sharks?

Off To The Next Adventure!

- The Blondies

Just Leave Us in the Exumas.... Forever!!

What Are The Exumas?

Now…. Where to stay??