Shopping & Dining

If it’s duty free shopping you are after you will have a good choice of shops at Crystal Court in the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island or Port Lucaya Marketplace in Freeport where you will find a range of boutique outlets, local craft vendors. And if you’ve built up an appetite after a hard days shopping then stay at Port Lucaya. Because you’ll find nearly a dozen restaurants and a number of bars. The market comes to life in the evenings when performers play live Bahamian music. Other places to shop include Festival Place, Bay Street and Doongalik Studios Art Gallery to mention a few.

Conch, pronounced “konk”, a large mollusc, is very popular in the Bahamas and in fact is the national dish and is prepares in several ways. There are many eating options a lot of them include fresh seafood, from street food dishes to gourmet cuisine it’s all here!

Culture & history

Christopher Columbus landed here in 1492 on San Salvador but like much of the other Caribbean Islands the original occupants were Amerindians, in this case the Taino People. The Spanish, looking for El Dorado,  lost interest when they realised this was not “El Dorado”, the English arrive around 1648, settled the island, The Bahamas gained independence in 1973.

The Bahamian culture is a colourful mix of African with a splash of European and American influences. Jankanoo is a street event which occurs on the 26^th of December and 1^st of January, it is a spectacle of spectacular costumes the music is traditional and local and is  provided by drums, brass instruments including cow bells!

Water & sports

The Bahamas have an abundance of water sports available to visitors, The Bahamas are one on the best sailing destinations in the world, December to April is the best time to sail. Other popular water sports include  windsurfing, diving and fishing. Beaches are everywhere, if you want to get away from the crowd you won’t have to go far to get a stretch of beach to yourself.

Golf is a popular sport in The Bahamas and there are many good golf courses catering from beginners to professionals. Hiking in the national park is another activity visitors to the Islands can enjoy.

Nature & wildlife

The third largest Barrier Reef in the world

Being tropical Islands, palm trees would be what you’d expect, but surprisingly some Islands have Pine forests, if you think of Florida then may be not so surprising!

Many of species of flora and fauna can be found at the Exuma Cays Land and Sea Park, it is renowned for it’s beauty and diversity of species. You can explore coral reefs, mangroves and beaches, there are hiking trails and wildlife including iguanas, turtles, birds and fish.

The Inagua National Park in Great Inagua is home to the West Indian Flamingo. Generally taller and larger than other species, their plumage is crimson or bright pink. They are perhaps one of the more majestic species of flamingos.