Selena Jones
Activities we took part in:
Grand Bahama Island / Freeport:
- Kayaking with G.B Nature Tours – We spent the afternoon kayaking in pairs as a group through the mangroves with trained professionals. Taking in the beautiful scenery and exploring the home of many native birds and fish. This ended just off ‘Gold Rock Beach’ which is the beach where the Pirates of the Caribbean 2 & 3 was filmed!
- Shark Feeding at dinner - The Grand Bahama Island Tourism Board took us to the Pier 1 restaurant which was located at Freeport Harbour for dinner on our final evening on Grand Bahama Island. This is a casual relaxed restaurant offering stunning ocean views. Every evening at the restaurant they offer two nightly shark feeds (7pm & 9pm) which we were lucky enough to get involved in and what an experience it was! – this is complimentary.
Nassau:
- Dinner at Sandals Royal Bahamian Private Island – Whilst we were in Nassau, we were kindly invited for dinner at the Sandals Royal Bahamian Hotel – it was not until we arrived that we were whisked off on a boat to their own private island for the dinner reception. The island was gorgeous, surrounded by white sand and gorgeous blue sea. This is open to guests every day and the ferry starts at 10am and last ferry back to the hotel is 4:50pm. The island has its own bar / restaurant, swimming pool, whirlpool, swim up bar along with private areas with hammocks, private cabanas, and a fire pit with seating. Perfect for a relaxing day from the hotel or even perfect for exploring and snorkelling!
- Junkanoo – This is the largest celebration that takes place every year in downtown Nassau along with everywhere else in Bahamas. It is a festival that was celebrated as far back as during Slavery times and is a street parade with music, dance and costumes. Mainly a celebration that takes place on Boxing Day every year however often takes place throughout the summer on Saturdays. Locals plan and prepare their outfits all year round and is celebrated by all. We experienced a live performance/parade along with learning how to make the costumes and play the instruments.
Atlantis Paradise Island:
Swim in Wonder at the Atlantis - We were lucky enough to all be offered an optional excursion when we were staying at the Atlantis Hotel, myself & Laura (from the Plymouth branch) opted to take part in this excursion which took place at the Atlantis Dolphin Cay & Marine Habitat. A short demo and briefing whilst we got dressed in our wetsuits and snorkels then out on to a private man-made beach in the ‘Dolphin Cay’ area to meet the bottle nose dolphins themselves. We then had 3 activities with these dolphins; the first was a dolphin push from your toes whilst laying on a surfboard, the next was a swim whilst holding onto the dolphins’ fins and then the final activities was a snorkel swim with the dolphins – It was absolutely incredible!!
Some of these incredible dolphins battled out hurricane Katrina & hurricane Dorian. They could no longer stay where they were, so now they call the Atlantis home.
They were rescued by Atlantis and have a team of 90 people who help rehabilitate them so they can hopefully one day go back into the wild! Sadly, some didn’t cope in the wild so have come to Atlantis to stay. Atlantis only allow the Dolphins to interact with people for 2 hours a day and are loved by all of the Atlantis family, our instructor mentioned to us that even when the dolphin cay is shut, they always check in on them like they are family and ensure they have time to bond. Every penny spent at Dolphin Cay helps Atlantis Blue project foundation save and rescue more marine life.
Grand Bahama Island – Freeport
Lighthouse Pointe Hotel
- 4* Hotel – All-Inclusive Board Basis
- 3 Eateries; 1 Buffet restaurant, 1 cafe & 1 a la carte
- Overlooks a 7.5-acre white sand beach
- Large infinity swimming pool overlooking the ocean and a hot tub
- 2-minute walk to the shops, bars, restaurants (Market Place)
- 7-minute walk to the marina harbour
- Childrens playground
- Easily accessible for all island activities
Pelican Bay Hotel
- Quiet, laid back modern hotel
- 3 swimming pools – 1 with swim up pool bar
- Water taxi which takes you to Taino Beach 5-7 mins
- Colourful 3 storey buildings
- Bed & Breakfast basis
Taino Beach Hotel
- On the beach
- Hotel has 1 large swimming pool
- Swim up pool bar in a cave
- Lazy river
- Ice machine on every floor
- Beachfront restaurant
- Great for groups of friends, families, or couples
Viva Fortuna Hotel
- 3 restaurants
- Only 2 room types; Garden view or Ocean view (both have a max of 4 occupancy)
- Kids club and playground
- Spa
- On a powdery white sandy beach
- Entertainment programme (daytime & evening)
- Large family friendly hotel
- All Inclusive
Nassau
Grand Hyatt Baha Mar Hotel
- 4* Hotel – Family friendly resort hotel
- Room Only board basis
- On-site oceanfront waterpark across 15 acres
- 100,000 square feet Casino
- 18-hole golf course
- Ultimate spa
- 7 swimming pools with private cabanas to rent
- All rooms have floor to ceiling windows
- More than 40 dining and drink options including a la carte restaurants, on beach food trucks, cafes etc
- on-site hotel Flamingos!! – Hotel offers Flamingo yoga and walk abouts throughout the day
- Perfect for couples, families, or groups of friends
Goldwyn Hotel
- Small property – Hotel residences & condo Resort
- Opened in February 2023
- Infinity pool & tiered pool overlooking the sea
- Situated right on the beach
- 2 restaurants & 2 bars
- 6 private butler cabanas available to rent
- Room Only board basis
- Great for couples or mature families
Graycliff Hotel
- Small & friendly colonial hotel – only 16 rooms
- 5-minute walk to Nassau straw market & 10-minute walk to Nassau cruise port
- Hotel has its own wine cellar – 3rd largest wine cellar in the world, holding over 275,000 bottles of wine from 21 countries and 2000 variations of wine including the most expensive wine costing £200,000 from 1727. (Jay-Z / Beyonce / Sylvester Stallone and many other celebrities visit this wine cellar!)
- Hotel also has its own chocolate factory on site which opened in 2012 – you can book chocolate making classes when you arrive or just have a look at the chocolate shop. All of the cocoa beans imported from Costa Rica, Trinidad & Jamaica.
- Hotel has its own Cigar factory – Cigars are made on site, classes and tours can be booked too.
- Wine cellar/Wine tasting, Chocolate Factory & Cigar factory can be used by non-hotel guests – great for those customers docking into Nassau for the day from their cruise!
Paradise Island
Paradise Island Beach Club Hotel
- 44 villas on site
- 2 heated swimming pools & 1 restaurant
- Situated right on Beach – private section for the hotel, moments from the well-known cabbage beach!
- On-site shop
- Small & Friendly, great for groups of friends or families looking for a self-catering base
Ocean Club by Four Seasons
- The James Bond Casino Royale film was filmed at this hotel!
- Large luxurious 5* hotel
- Approx $1700 a night for a standard room
- Room only board basis
- Great for couples / special occasions
- Direct beach access to a white sand beach
- 3 swimming pools & 3 restaurants
- 18-hole golf course over 7100 yards
- on-site boutique shop
- Room sizes up to 4-bedroom villas (approx. $23,000 a night)
Comfort Suites
- Bed & Breakfast board basis – Free breakfast!
- Free access to the Atlantis – Waterpark & Aquarian which is a less than a 5-minute walk away
- Kids under 7 eat, sleep, and stay free!
- Approx $250 per room per night
- Small affordable accommodation
- 1 swimming pool
- Steps from the beach of Paradise Island Beach
RIU Palace Paradise Island
- 24hr All-Inclusive board basis
- 2 swimming pools – 1 being an infinity pool looking out on to Cabbage beach with a swim up bar
- Direct access to a reserved beach area
- Renovated in 2017
- 4 a la carte restaurants; Steakhouse, Japanese, Bahamian & Mediterranean – guests can dine in these as many times as they like throughout their stay – they just need to pre book on the app once they arrive.
- Buffet restaurant; breakfast, lunch & dinner
- 24hr sports bar
- 24hr Gym
- Pool bar open 10am – 6pm
- Coffee Station open 10am – 11pm
- Live entertainment
- Very modern medium sized hotel
Atlantis Paradise Island
- 5* Luxury resort on Paradise Island
- Own private beach on Paradise beach -5 miles of pure white sand!
- On-site waterpark, Aquarium & Casino
- 5 buildings make up this hotel; The Cove (Adults Only), The Reef (Family Focused), The Coral (For all ages), Harborside Resort (Short distance from the main Atlantis property across the Marina – best for large groups/large families) & The Royal (Right in the centre of all the action, would suit those looking to be in the heart of everything).
- Over 42 dining options available; from grab & go to romantic meals to a late-night snack.
- 5* Service throughout
- Private beach & pool cabanas to rent
- More than 14 unique swimming pools & 20 swimming pool areas across the hotel complex
- Dolphin Cay – encounter & marine habitat on site; opportunities to swim and play with the dolphins, marine life camping, paddle board/kayak with the dolphins, snorkelling and much more!
- Nightclub and evening entertainment throughout all the property and a kids entertainment programme.
- Atlantis Marina, just outside of the property which is gorgeous full of shops / bars / restaurants.
