My Exuma Islands Bahamas Adventure

Looking out the airplane window, I spot the first sign. My heart starts to beat a little faster. I see the first swirls of the most beautiful blue water. I’m almost there, just a half-hour more, and I’ll be back in the Exuma Islands of the Bahamas, a group of three hundred sixty-five islands south of Nassau. It’s been six years since my last visit, and it feels like coming home, even though this is my first time on the island of Great Exuma.

The stress starts to melt away. I feel instantly relaxed as the warm, salty breeze kisses my face. I step off the plane and onto the tarmac, hearing the rustling of the palms of my favorite trees. It brings an instant smile to my face. I’m traveling with my twin sister and our Mom, and I’m overjoyed sharing the beautiful islands with them.

No problem, though; we’re in the Bahamas, and I’m thrilled. Since Queens Highway is the only main road that runs the length of Great Exuma and Little Exuma, we quickly found our rental home. It was in a small development of rental cottages and permanent residences that shared a pool, a small beach, and a gazebo where locals and visitors met to admire the sunset most evenings. We chose a coral-colored four-bed, three-bath house on the water with an outdoor shower and swings under the home. It was better than I imagined.

Five minutes down the road was Prime Island Meats, Deli, and Grocery. They had everything we needed to stock the house for our stay. We’re on Great Exuma for five nights, and I plan on seeing as much as possible.

First up, a tour with Coastline Adventures

They took us to some of the Exuma Islands, which resemble a chain north of Great Exuma. Their air-conditioned bus picked us up at our rental home and drove the hour-long ride to Barreterre dock on the northeastern tip of Great Exuma. The tour took us past several celebrity-owned islands, including Tim and Faith Mcgraw’s and Musha Cay, owned by David Copperfield.

They also stopped in the middle of the ocean. A crew member dove into the water to retrieve a conch shell and then made conch ceviche. It was delicious. You can’t get any fresher than that. Wow.

We continued to Big Majors Cay to swim with the pigs, which was my third time visiting this island. Eleven years before, my sister and I were the only ones there. Six years later, there were about ten people, but today was insane.

We were one of about twenty tour boats docked near the beach, with at least one hundred people vying for the ten or so pig’s attention. The pigs didn’t know which way to turn for food, and new to this visit was shit floating everywhere in the water. Yuck! I recommend booking a private tour or waiting to visit when you can stay closer to the island. Allowing small groups to see will help protect the well-being of the beautiful pigs, but this is my opinion.

After the “pig stop,” we headed to Thunderball Grotto, a must-see. It’s like snorkeling in a private aquarium. You might recognize the name from the movie Thunderball (a James Bond film), also featured in Into The Blue.

Then, off to Compass Cay to swim with nurse sharks. The island’s owner charged an additional $10 fee to swim with the sharks. Don’t bring a camera that looks too professional; otherwise, you’ll have employees following you around to stop taking photos. I speak from experience. It wasn’t enjoyable. On our way back, we stopped at Allen’s Cay to meet the resident iguanas and had the opportunity to snorkel a sunken plane nearby. I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Great Exuma. The captain and staff were a delight.

At the tip of Great Exuma is Little Exuma, attached by a bridge. The bridge can only accommodate one car at a time going one way, so watch for the light. We drove down Queens Highway to Little Exuma. Look carefully for a small sign that indicates when to turn left toward the shore to Tropic of Cancer Beach. The road turning down toward the beach was dirt-covered and filled with potholes; take it slow. You’ll make a right, and the beach will be on your left. Tropic of Cancer Beach, also known as Pelican Bay, is named after the meridian line that defines the northern extent of the tropics and crosses right through it. It is a stunning crescent of white-powder sand, the longest beach on Little Exuma. Tropic of Cancer Beach gave me goosebumps; it was gorgeous. We practically had the beach to ourselves. I dove into the warm blue water, up to my neck, and spent hours jumping waves with my sister. We felt like kids again. Being here gave me that all-over happy, tranquil feeling. I never wanted to leave.

If you continued past the beach, seven minutes further down Queens Highway, you would find Santana’s Bar & Grill on your left.

This Little Exuma gem sits on a small ocean cliff with access to the beach. Try the lobster; it’s what they are known for. Yes, it’s pricey, but so worth it! All of the food here has been very good. I also loved the cracked chicken and cracked conch.

Some of the few places we visited are:

Shirley’s Seafood: This place has a homey feel, with seating inside or on the back screened-in porch. They offer delicious, unique Bahamian seafood dishes, such as garlic or coconut grouper.

The Hideaways at Palm Bay has a cute beachside cafe with swings instead of bar stools and outdoor seating. They also have adorable cottages you can rent and stay in.

Next door to Santana’s was Mom’s bakery. They sell tasty Bahamian and non-Bahamian treats and pastries. The banana bread was delicious!

Our time here on Great Exuma has been fantastic. Fortunately, we have five more days on our vacation.

Up next, Long Island. No, not New York. We headed to the airport for our flight to Long Island, Bahamas. It is east of Great Exuma. It is about 80 miles long and 4 miles at its widest point. We’re headed to the northern tip to stay at Cape Santa Maria Beach Resort, a luxury property. We chose to fly with Stella Maris Air and were surprised when our captain personally escorted the three of us onto the tarmac to board our four-seater plane. Having never flown in this small of an airplane, my Mom had trepidation, but it soon disappeared once we drew her attention to those stunning blue swirls of water below us. Our confident pilot made us all feel safe. Fifteen minutes later, we landed at Stella Maris airport. We were whisked away to the waiting taxi; our driver, Devitt, was terrific and attentive. We took his card for an island tour we booked later during our five-night stay.

The resort was a short 15-minute ride. Lining the beach south of the centered Beach House are five two-story villas and five small bungalows numbered 11-21. The Beach House is a three-story building with a lobby, a small gym, and an activities center on the lower level as you enter from the driveway. The bar is beach-level, and the restaurant that offers meal plans is on the third level. There is no elevator, but rampways lead up to the beach with only two steps into the bar, and approximately ten steps take you up to the restaurant. My Mom could not take the stairs to the restaurant, and the staff was accommodating by letting us dine in the bar area during our stay. Five additional bungalows line the beach to the north, numbered 1-10. We chose room #1, the northernmost room, for the most privacy. A palm tree-lined wooden boardwalk that sat over the sand led us to our room and made it an easy walk.

Over the following days, all we did was eat, swim, snorkel, kayak, and take afternoon naps on the beach. Oh, the beach. The sand was so soft it felt like walking on velvet, and the water was shallow as far as you could see. My afternoon ritual would be to get my cocktail of choice, walk to a different spot out in the ocean, sit, and enjoy. It was pure bliss.

To the right side of the resort was a small reef where my sister and I snorkeled. While snorkeling, I found two plastic shopping bags containing three to four dead crabs in separate locations. It made me sad and reinforced the importance of less plastic consumption plus more recycling and reusing.

One morning, we took the tour offered by our taxi driver, Devitt. He seemed to be the island king, waving and honking his horn to everyone walking or driving by. He even introduced us to one of his twin sons, who, as contractors, helped to build a home for Johnny Depp on one of the nearby cays. The friendliness wasn’t unique to Devitt and Long Island because that’s how all Bahamian people are; they are genuine and kind. The Bahamian people are so welcoming to visitors that you feel you have known them for years. It’s one of the reasons why I love it here.

Devitt took us to Saint Peter’s & Saint Paul’s Catholic Church in Clarence Town, a beautiful white concrete church with twin towers on a high hill overlooking the harbor. It is where half of the residents took shelter during Hurricane Irene in 2011. The thick walls of the church helped to save them.

Our final stop was Dean’s Blue Hole the second deepest in the world at 663ft. It is about 100ft wide at the surface, and you access the blue hole from the beach to snorkel, swim, or dive, all at your own risk. There was not a lifeguard. If you want to view it from above, follow the small path to the right of the beach, next to the extensive coral rock. The path starts by stepping onto a high, flattish rock.

It’s one of the best-known spots for free diving and has had numerous yearly competitions. I chose to snorkel, and there was a large variety of tropical fish. There is even a resident turtle that you may get lucky to see and swim with.

Throughout our tour, Devitt was a wealth of information and very entertaining.

Cape Santa Maria Resort was a little slice of heaven. The location, luxurious accommodations, privacy, food, and gracious, friendly staff made this one of my favorite resorts. I will be visiting again.

Tip to remember when you visit:

• Shuffle your feet when walking into the ocean, especially in The Bahamas. It’s called the stingray shuffle, and it protects you from stepping on stingrays buried in the sand. If you tap the stingray while shuffling, it will swim away.
  
• Get out on the water any way you can! It will blow your mind how clear the water is, and it’s genuinely like an ideally kept swimming pool.
  
• Get under the water to snorkel, dive, or do a free dive. The wildlife is abundant and remarkable.

Deep Breathe in and out. You’ve made it to one of the most beautiful places on earth. Have fun and relax.