We are playing with the idea of going to the Bahamas with our kids this summer, ages 10, 13. &13. Looking for tips or recommendations. Would prefer to rent a condo, preferably not in a touristy area. Would like a lot of nature, snorkeling and great beaches. There are so many islands and it gets overwhelming researching it all. If we can't figure this out I'm going to the west coast. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

This is one of my favorites in Exuma and the beach is spectacular...
https://www.thesalthouseexuma.com

SoupNazi2001 said:

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$1K per night, great for Texags millionaires

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This forum constantly reminds me I am on a far different pay grade than many.

They would freak the hell out at my $30/night Cozumel Air BnBs

A little over a year ago, my wife and I were on a cruise that stopped in Nassau. We spent the day at the Atlantis.

https://www.atlantisbahamas.com/kids/forparents

Just got back from Little Exuma a few weeks ago. We rented a house on VRBO that was on Tropic of Cancer Beach. The house was amazing and had everything we needed. Kayaks, SUP Boards, snorkeling gear, pool. There were two smaller islands nearby that you could kayak to.

We did a guided boat tour one day to Sandy Cay, Pig Island, and Chat N Chill. It was a great time as well.

The only thing that was tough was that we brought most of our food with us. Not much of grocery stores on the island, and it's pretty pricey.

Breeze, do you feel the area around the Salt House is safe? Is their security?

Yes, absolutely! When we visited we ventured out to the Tropic of Cancer beach and also to a few local dive places including Santana's & Chat and Chill. They offer a driving service you can hire to take you places or some other clients have rented a car and said that was amazing also.

It is located in a private section with three other houses that you have to gain access to. I don't remember there being a security system in the actual house but if there was, I never felt the need to use it.

Wife and I rented a house in Governor's Harbour, Eleuthera last year. Beach across the road and about 100 more accessible by car, most without other people. Plenty of restaurants to eat at but not overrun with cruisers or megaresorts.

wow! this sounds really interesting - my wife and I have time from Monday-Friday in June to travel while the kids are at camp - went to Belize last year and want to go to Exuma this year.

can you share a link to the VRBO you got? We want a simple place - not luxury, but safe.

also - any links to the boat charter you found? Definitely want a snorkel tour, see the pigs, etc.

THANKS !!!

breezecustomtravel said:

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This is one of my favorites in Exuma and the beach is spectacular...
https://www.thesalthouseexuma.com

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Added this to my list. Been wanting to hit the Exumas for a while and go to Thunderball grotto.

Tumble Weed said:

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breezecustomtravel said:

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This is one of my favorites in Exuma and the beach is spectacular...
https://www.thesalthouseexuma.com

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Added this to my list. Been wanting to hit the Exumas for a while and go to Thunderball grotto.

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Did this last summer. Absolutely great water and beaches.

Several things: Almost no infrastructure on Exuma so don't expect to go the local branch of anything you are used to.

Also, get used to the "ya man" attitude. If you want snappy service this may not be the place for you.


We had a lot of conch dishes and fresh seafood. There is a Sandals at Emerald Bay.

nosoupforyou said:

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wow! this sounds really interesting - my wife and I have time from Monday-Friday in June to travel while the kids are at camp - went to Belize last year and want to go to Exuma this year.

can you share a link to the VRBO you got? We want a simple place - not luxury, but safe.

also - any links to the boat charter you found? Definitely want a snorkel tour, see the pigs, etc.

THANKS !!!

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www.sugaradventure.com

Captain Sugar will take care of the charter for you. We went all the way out to Compass Cay on his trip. Stopped at the pigs, Thunderball grotto and even a lizard infested island.

https://t.vrbo.io/qqfUevm7cU

This is the house we rented. Blue Point Villa.

The boat charter was something our "house mom" set up for us. I believe it was her brothers conpany. She was great. Manages a few properties on the island. She set up our airport transportation and did some shopping for us. Also cooked a really great meal for us one night.

so I'll be looking for a less pricey VRBO (looks like lots of options in the $150 per night range) since we won't be in it much...

in looking at the Island, I think this one you stayed in would be called Little Exuma? vs. just north is Exuma and has the airport on it?

there are VRBOs on the north side of the larger island, middle of the island and over on Little Exuma - any observations about different parts of the island? safety is #1, luxury living (on a cheaper budget) is #2 - we want to spend our time and money on all day excursions and on the beach instead of a pricey VRBO/hotel.

Appreciate the advice!

there are VRBOs on the north side of the larger island, middle of the island and over on Little Exuma - any observations about different parts of the island?

for us, safety is #1, luxury living (on a cheaper budget) is #2 - we want to spend our time and money on all day excursions and on the beach instead of a pricey VRBO/hotel.

nosoupforyou said:

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there are VRBOs on the north side of the larger island, middle of the island and over on Little Exuma - any observations about different parts of the island?

for us, safety is #1, luxury living (on a cheaper budget) is #2 - we want to spend our time and money on all day excursions and on the beach instead of a pricey VRBO/hotel.

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We stayed in these condos close to the airport area on Exuma proper. Beach was about as good as it gets. It is about 20 minutes into Georgetown from these units.

There are five units and each can be rented separately I think. Had to have a rental car. Use Thompson's as there are none of the traditional brands (i.e. Hertz, Budget, etc.) there IIRC.

http://exuma-casadelmar.com/

http://www.fox4news.com/news/state-department-warns-travelers-to-exercise-increased-caution-in-the-bahamas-due-to-crime

Yikes!

In reading this, I do not see the words Exuma come up Is this only referring to the main island where the city of Nassau is?

I'm guessing, like Mexico, there's places to go in places not to go But this is definitely something to look into and make sure Of

The tourist warning is not new - they just reissued it wit more updates. Exuma is not specifically called out.

Here is the one from the US Dept of State:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/the-bahamas-travel-advisory.html

I'm mostly mostly out of irony. I wouldn't postpone any Bahamas trips any more than a trip to Mexico.

Honestly, I'd probably worry less in Mexico because I have more experience there and know situations to avoid. I'd be way out of my element in the Bahamas. I'd definitely be more likely to stick to a resort property there and not leave. The opposite of how I visit Mexico.

I am revisiting the post from a few months ago. We are thinking about changing our vacation plans from the keys to Eleuthera after a quick trip to South Florida this week with my husband. Locals discouraged us a bit from the Keys with kids. We currently have the Marriott French Leave being held on points and flights into Fort Lauderdale. The last step is booking flights from Fort Lauderdale to Eleuthera via silver air. It flies into north Eleuthera and is about $100 ride to the resort. We couldn't find anything into governors Harbour. How did y'all get around once on the island and how did you actually get to the island. Also, looking at the resort, everything is expensive for a family of five for eating and drinking. Are there places to pick up food and drinks once in the island so we don't have to rely on the resort? My husband also saw where you can rent a boat for the week. Did you do anything like this or would a car be better? I know boat was better in Belize if you can rent there. Just not sure how Eleuthera would be as we have never been to the Bahamas. Any tips would be appreciated as we if we are going to make a change it needs to be quickly!

We rented a vehicle (small SUV, just the two of us) out of Governor's Harbour. We flew into ELH (North Eleuthera) and got picked up by the people we rented from (Edgar Gardiner) who took us to GH. The island is ~110 miles long so your own vehicle makes sense if you want to see a lot. If you plan on staying at the resort a lot and just venture out for groceries then you could probably just get taxis. There are several groceries from airport to GH (don't expect Whole Foods or HEB or Brookshire Brothers even).

We didn't look into a boat. French Leave Beach is on the Atlantic so probably limited to boats capable of large waves. The Cuba side (often referred as Caribbean side) is calmer and a smaller boat could be used.

We went to Eleuthera because the VI weren't really ready for visitors last year. We like the VI, on Virgin Gorda this week, but as I said previously, Eleutherans were the most friendly we've been around in the Caribbean.

Have fun.