The Bahamas were never on my list of a country I wanted to visit. I perceived the country as being overrun with tourists, the coastline littered with hotels, and I truly felt that I would feel like I was in America and not in another country once there. In all honesty, I think this is because anytime I heard of the Bahamas, I thought of the Atlantis hotel. Atlantis is that massive pink hotel with the gigantic waterpark you see in all the photos. And while this would be a phenomenal place to stay for many families, it completely turned me off from ever wanting to travel there. So I never put this country on our travel list, simply because I had an image that the Atlantis hotel was the Bahamas. So far from the truth!
Last summer, my friend changed my mind with her images of the Bahamas. She had just returned from a trip to Exuma, and her photos blew me away. I had never even heard about Exuma before. Yet, her photos convinced me that this had to be our next destination. It’s amazing how one photograph can completely change your perception of a country, good or bad.
So we booked a trip to head there in the next few months!
Exuma, located just south of Nassau, is only a 2-hour flight from the US. It’s an archipelago of 365 cays and islands. Great Exuma is the largest and is connected by a small bridge to Little Exuma. Both these islands are so small that you can drive the entire length in about 1.5 hours.
There are only two larger-style resorts (one is adult only). The rest of the accommodations are boutique-style hotels or vacation rentals.
We spent most of our time in Exuma exploring the beaches, getting out on the water, and just taking time to be together as a family.
It was less crowded than we expected, even though we traveled over the Christmas holiday. The beaches were relatively empty. There were only two times we truly felt surrounded by other tourists: on our day trip to see the swimming pigs and at the ever-popular Chat ‘N’ Chill. We spent a week in Exuma and planned a fun activity each day. Some of our favorite activities were feeding the stingrays, swinging on the over-water swing sets, and of course, swimming with the pigs! Click HERE to see more about our favorites activities in Exuma.
And if you love fresh fish, you will love the fish fry, conch ceviches, and lobster rolls. The best part is that most of the “restaurants” are small stands or shacks on the beach, which lends to the local vibe. We did go to one “fancy” restaurant on our last night there, and it was fabulous. So I can safely say that all the food on the island is phenomenal!
Exuma has that small island feel. With a laid-back vibe, endless empty beaches, friendly people, fun activities, and delicious food, I can’t believe I hadn’t traveled there sooner.
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Sometimes it isn’t easy to look past a perception we had once assumed. If it hadn’t been for my friend’s photos of the Bahamas, I would have never booked a trip there. And I’m sure many other places in the world are not on my travel list simply because of an image that has clouded my mind. I learned not to judge a country by one photo because there are so many more images that make up the photo reel. Taking the time to research more about a country, rather than focusing on that one photo, will help me travel to places that might not have been on my list before. So the next time I see a picture of something that dissuades me from visiting that country, I’m going to explore it further because there is always another image on that reel.
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