Honeymooning in the Bahamas…

Four months after we got married, we finally found sometime to “honeymoon”. I’ve always wanted to go to Switzerland for my honeymoon. Being a crazy chocolate lover, I have always wished to take a photograph at the gates of Nestle` with my husband on one side and a big bar of chocolate in my other hand and caption it as “the Loves of my life”. Wishing for the photograph still remains, however I couldn’t make it to the Swiss for my honeymoon (Thanks to the limited vacation we lowly developers get!) Nonetheless we traveled to the Bahamas, the Grand Bahama Island in particular.

The 4^th of July and 2 vacation days along with the weekend gave us an opportunity for a wonderful 5 day getaway! We left in the wee hours of the morning and reached the Grand Bahama Island a little before noon, on the first day. The ride to the hotel (Port Lucaya Resort) took about 12 minutes from the Freeport airport (FPO) and cost us $20 (thanks to my bargaining skills we paid $5 lesser than what we were asked!) On reaching the hotel, check in took about 10 mins. After lunching on “ready to eat” meals, we compensated for the lost sleep and were ready to explore the new territory by 6pm.

Our first stop was at Le Mediterranean. Jag had the chicken penne' (special for the day) and I had the grilled snapper. Any entrée comes with a salad, some veggies (boiled carrots, broccoli and cucumber) and rice / French fries. I didn’t like the rice too much and would definitely suggest the “fries”. Dinner was great and filling. We walked around the Port Lucaya Market place and had a nice pleasant stroll on the white sandy beaches and witnessed the moon rise. It was nice to just sit back and enjoy the cool breeze and look out to the sea. On our way back we had a great time at the Count Basie Square with all the live dancing and entertainment by local bands.

We were a little late waking up the next morning, and that was when I had a good look at our room and the view from the deck. We had a “standard room” with a king size bed and a wonderful view of the yacht club. There were brown clay tiles on the floor, a small fridge, coffee maker and microwave in the room. The only disadvantage is that no shampoo/ conditioner are provided as part of the toiletries. Also, if u plan to cook / heat stuff with the microwave, remember to pack some utensils, spoons and plates as you only get two coffee cups with the room.

The hotel has a tour desk in their lobby (Executive Tours) and offer wonderful tour options. We were right on time for the SeaWorld Explorer – launch boat with a glass bottom on the lower deck. The captain and his aide took us to about a mile into the sea and gave us a tour of the coral reefs. Jag had his first snorkeling experience here! (I was too sea sick and couldn’t even hold my head up long enough to take a picture of him! Poor me!) I was so glad to be back on land when the tour was over. We lunched at Zorba’s (a Greek restaurant – Jag loved it for the white walls, tables and as he says “the clean look” – as for me I found the food and price good but didn’t care much about the ambiance). Later that day, went to the beach and had a nice time swimming – Ok Ok trying to swim - in the water.

On the third day, we arrived at the “Pine tree stables” in style! Yes, our taxi turned out to be a limo!! It was a day of firsts for us - a ride in a limo and later horse back riding! I felt a little squirmy when I first sat on the horse (Apollo) but started relaxing after a bit. We were taken on a tour of the nearby woodlands. Our guides pointed out the native trees and shrubs and some other land marks. We were also taken to the “Silver Pointe Beach” where the horses wade into the water. The tour as a whole was a new experience and we enjoyed every bit of it except for the sore backs!

We then went to UNEXCO and signed up for the Dolphin Experience. Here we were taken to a Dolphin enclosure and we touched the smooth backs of the Dolphin. It was a one of a kind experience but after a while I just got a little repulsive – Thanks to Jag touching the dolphin’s tongue! It was an eventful day and we were tired out by the time we reached our room. We floated in the big swimming pool in the hotel premises, had a sumptuous dinner and were asleep even before we wished each other “Good Night!”

On the last “whole” day of our vacation, we went on a tour of the Lucayan National Park. First we went kayaking through the mangrove. While setting out, our guide took us on a small detour so we could take pictures of the remains of the “Black Pearl” used in the Pirates of the Caribbean series. The ocean current was a little bit too strong for us and we tried to opt out. But our guide (Ben) towed us all thru’ the rest of the way! We were provided a light lunch and sometime on a deserted beach (Golden rock beach). I’ve never seen such clear sea water ever before in my life! It was amazing. We were then taken on a guided walking tour of the nature park and visited some clear water caves which the Lucayan Indians considered sacred.

That night (last night of our vacation) we dined at The Pisces - a very famous and extremely busy restaurant at the Marketplace. The food was nice but I felt it was way overpriced. Armed with a pizza for breakfast the next morning, we headed back to our room to pack and get ready for our flight home the next day.

The best thing about visiting the Grand Bahama Island is that immigration is done even before we leave Bahamas! On arrival at the airport, we checked in to get our boarding passes, crossed security clearance and completed immigration even before we boarded the plane. So when we got to the US, we could just walk out to baggage claim without the hassle of standing in line for clearance. I wish this could be made the norm for all international travels. I always find it difficult to keep awake and be coherent after a 22 hour trot around half the globe!

This was our first visit to the Caribbean and definitely not our last!

Points to Ponder:

1. Visa – US citizens and Green card holders do not need a visa to enter the Bahamas. Indian nationals on a H1B visa definitely need an entry visa. It takes less than a week to get one and costs around $55. You would need to fill out an application and mail it out to them with your passport and copies of some other documents.
2. Nassau is considered to be a little busy, Abacos very deserted and Grand Bahama Island a right mix of the two. There are totally 700 islands in the Bahamas…so have a pick!
3. Bahamian dollar is equivalent to the US Dollar and can be used interchangeably.
4. Being a vacation spot, everything is a little expensive on the island when compared to the US. So try to stock up on the necessities.