With airfares and hotels doing amazing deals, dreamy holiday locations are not just for the rich and famous anymore – you can even visit New York on a budget. The Bahamas are one of the most highly wished places of travel and unfortunately I am going to push you even harder in to why you MUST go. And you can visit the Bahamas on a budget!
The Bahamas are made up of 700 islands, perfect for a trip of a lifetime in your retirement. I am going to sweet talk about Nassau. This is the hub of the Bahamas and with English being the main language on the Island, this makes life a whole lot easier. The island comes alive in the day with the arrival of several cruise ships, but come 5pm a sense of calm blankets the island and most people shut shop. The best place to aim for is The Fish Fry, which is 50 shades of OMG !
You must visit the Fish fry as this is the main evening spot on the Island, beach hut bars, live music and local delicacies are served, but Honestly, the food has got to be seen to be believed ! Pork, Snapper fish, chicken anything delicious is on the menu and even Hulk Hogan couldn’t finish a plate of food as the portions are HUGE ! We settled for the fried chicken tenders, macaroni and fresh coleslaw served with a mammoth portion of rice and peas. For $12 each, this was a frugal treat and I can honestly say, it has to be in my top ten of best meals !
A must do when you go to Nassau is to visit Atlantis on Paradise Island. A taxi boat will take you across to the island for a small charge of $4 and these run all day. What about getting home? The last ferry home is at 6pm, however there is a bridge that links the island to the mainland and a local taxi will only cost you around $10 to return. This is a great tip for visiting the Bahamas on a budget.
You catch the taxi boat outside the Straw market in Nassau and this is a great place to pick up local handcrafts and holiday gifts, but don’t forget to haggle. If they tell you $10 then you offer $5, all in the name of visiting the Bahamas on a budget ! It is all done in a friendly manner and don’t forget to pick up your Beef patty which is a local spicy pasty at the side of the Market. These are great for a cheap snack, as the island is generally expensive so little tips like this can help keep costs down !
Now Atlantis has to be seen to be believed as not only is it huge but it is also very grand. Every little aspect is incorporated into the Atlantis theme from coral printed paving slabs to Huge breath taking aquariums which host a whole rainbow of fish from the tiny variety to the huge and elegant mantaray. It can all be viewed for free as well as using the Casino and restaurant areas.
Aquaventure at Atlantis is a great day out and not just for the young. Stewart and I spent a full day here and kind of reverted back to giggly teenagers ! We went on everything from the Power Tower slides to the scary Leap of Faith slide that propels you on a near vertical drop through a clear acrylic tunnel into a shark filled lagoon. I did reward myself with a pina colada after I slid off this mind, so maybe not so ‘Bahamas on a budget’ ! The lazy river was a great though, as you got to watch many people unexpectedly get catapulted off the safety of their rubber ring, when a wave was pumped down the river…comedy gold !
The absolute highlight for us though, was our early morning serenity swim with the dolphins at Dolphin Cay.
Rescued dolphins are housed in a large lagoon type of area and you can swim with them, do paddle board yoga and even canoe among them. We chose to snorkel with them and watch them play under the water while swimming with them, we were not aloud to touch them but just watching them was tummy tingling enough. It is not a cheap experience by any means but it was a priceless happy memory that I will always revisit.
You might also enjoy this post about visiting Sydney all year round!