Bahamas Honeymoon

AAugust, 2009

Little San Salvador Island is also called Half Moon Cay and is one of the hundreds of islands of the Bahamas. This is a private Island owned by Holland America Line. This company is part of the Carnival Corporation. Carnival cruises will stop on little San Salvador Island as a one-day port of call. There are no docks on the island as it can only be reached by taking a tender.

Little San Salvador is one of the first stops that Christopher Columbus made when trying to sail around the world. This island was the headquarters for the famous buccaneer George Watling. Today this island is an island escape used for tourists. There are many secluded beaches and plenty of reefs and wrecks that provide excellent diving experiences.

This island was purchased in 1997 and only a small section, about 45 acres can be visited as the rest of it is preserved for the wildlife. Much of the island is used as a nesting area for waterfowl. The island is completely protected by the Wild birds protection Act. It is possible to view many flamingos, egrets, herons, petrels and shearwaters. These are but a few of the birds that can be viewed.

There are many water activities to participate on the island that includes snorkeling, jet skiing, scuba diving, sunning, swimming, parasailing, seep sea fishing, nature walks and glass bottom boat rides. There are many sailing and you can enjoy a ride on a catamaran, kayak, windsurfing, sailboards, sunfish sailboats and more.

Some of the attractions that should not be missed include the Farquharson Plantation, which also goes by Blackbeard’s Castle. This plantation has the most famous ruins in the Bahamas. Dixon hill Lighthouse is one of the last kerosene lighthouses in the world. Long Bay has a monument to Columbus and there is a monument to the 1968 Olympics.

When it comes Nassau Bahamas snorkeling you’re going to find a very wide assortment of different types of adventure. You can find group tours that take you all out on a boat and allow you to snorkel in offshore areas, and you can also find on the beach snorkeling and private tours.

In fact there are so many different types of snorkeling tours that it can be difficult to decide. You can look for snorkeling with the sharks via Stuart Cove’s, Paradise Island snorkeling, try Clifton Peer, or perhaps go on one of the many boat tours and snorkel off the island aways.

Whether you’re coming in on a cruise liner or staying at one of the great resorts, you’ll find that all of the tour operators are very experienced about getting you to where it’s a beautiful underwater adventure.

And the best part about snorkeling is any child that knows how to swim can do it, and any adult can enjoy it whether they can swim or not. There are many areas where you do not go over your head so if you can’t swim, throw on a life jacket and learn to snorkel.

Your tour guide operator will give you all of the equipment as well as teach you how to snorkel. It only takes a few minutes of your time to understand exactly how to hold your breath, and how to breathe through snorkel tube. Often, your gear will include a set of fins, a snorkel, and a mask so that you can see.

Once you’re comfortable, you’ll be surprised how fast the time flies. You can actually have fish come right up to your mask, see sharks, see salt water fish that you usually only see in an aquarium, and of course, enjoy the habitat of these fish known as a reef.

It’s usually not that expensive to rent snorkel gear or go on a snorkel tour while you’re in the Bahamas, enjoy snorkeling, an adventure you will won’t ever forget.

If you are thinking about getting away from it all, you should check out some of the best hotels in Grand Bahama Island. Whether you want to lie around in the lap of luxury or you are looking for a secluded spot to hide out for awhile on the beach, check out these hotels.

The Pelican Bay at Lucaya Hotel is one of the newest boutique hotels in the Grand Bahamas. Considered “charming and intimate, ” this romantic getaway received the “Small Treasures of the Bahamas” award from the ministry of tourism.

Pelican Bay has state rooms available and waterside rooms. To create a feeling of being a home away from home, they give their extended guests a gold fish in a gold fish bowl.

The Sheraton Grand Bahama Island Lucaya Resort is across the street from the marketplace. It covers almost eight miles of beachfront and has four pools, a spa and fitness center and plenty of restaurants to choose from.

Another major luxury resort is The Westin Grand Bahama Island Lucaya Resort. The Westin has 740 guest rooms and highlights include three pools, a couple of golf courses and a casino on the Isle of Capri.

If you’re looking for something a little bit more laid back, you may want to check out the Sunrise Resort and Marina. Relax and enjoy the sunset from one of 31 island inspired rooms. There is a pool, restaurant and room service – everything you need to get away from it all.

Old Bahama Bay is the place for you if you are into fishing, snorkeling or boating. Old Bahama Bay has 73 beachfront suites and a 72 slip marina. It is the perfect combination of luxury and tranquil getaway.

You can’t go wrong with any of these accommodations. Check them out on the internet and once you start seeing visions of the beautiful beaches in the Grand Bahamas, you’re going to want to leave tomorrow.

Andros Island Bonefishing provides the angler with some of the best possible salt-water sports fishing in the world. There is a wadabe flat where these fish are posted frequently, and this is fishable places of any other place in the Caribbean. There is even a Bonefish Club on this Island with is the biggest in the Bahamas chain, but also the least populated.

The waters around Andros Island are world renowned for the sheer numbers of Bonefish which inhabit the area. In the Caribbean pidgin “tousands of dem”! This offers the angler the potential to fly fish for trophy-size, or if you prefer “double-digit” Bonefish. They swim the surrounding seas in large schools with average weights of 3 – 5lbs, but obviously the trophy sized fish are much larger.

Spectacular fly-fishing from Andros, in the Fresh Creek area, you may even find Bonefish Bradley – reputedly the most famous Bone-fisher man on the Island, and a certified fly fishing guide. If you have never fished off these shores previously, you will need to inform yourself about the kind of tackle you need. This has to be able to accommodate sharks, jacks and barracuda too!

More often than not the fishing takes place from 16 foot “flats boats”. This is a boat which has a poling platform and it allows both the angler and the guide the ability to spot and cast on the flats. The Bonefish here are affectionately called the “ghost of the flats”.

Casts may be very short, as little as 20 foot, but they also on occasion reach as far as 50 – 60 foot. Fish in large quantities are available all throughout the year, so anglers can expect a good catch no matter what time of year they visit.

Specific flies need to be used to land Bonefish, however they also respond well to spins. Spin fishing for shark, barracuda, tarpon, jacks and snapper is very popular and most anglers are successful in their quest to land the one, that might have been “the one that got away” in any other area but Andros Island.

Two words that say it all with no elaboration required – Paradise Island! I have to confess that I am curious about who named it and was the name in the public domain, so it couldn’t be copyrighted? That having been said, as much as I would like and answer to this question what you want to know is about the resorts in Paradise Island, so I better stick to the point.

There are so many resorts available it is difficult to know where to begin, let it be said you can find:

* Resorts on the beachfront
* Hot deals on resorts
* Family deals
* Resorts on the quieter side of the island
* Smaller villas and hotels

These are only of small sample of the resorts and deals to be found on Paradise Island. But let us just take a look at resorts on the beachfront for now, because there is nothing quite like waking up to the sound of the waves of the oceans beating upon their sandy shores. No matter where in the world you are!

Because of the British Colonial history of the Island, what about the aptly named British Colonial Hilton, Nassau? Built in the early 1900’s this resort hotel is a landmark of style in the Bahamas. It is considered to be the grand Dame of hotels in Nassau, and has recently undergone a $70 million upgrade. They even have a double “O” suite available in honor of the indomitable James Bond.

As far as resorts in the Bahamas go, history to me always goes hand in hand with style, so take a look at the Marley Resort and Spa. This is a historic hotel which was once the Governors mansion; one can only imagine what kind of soirees took place here! However today this is the ultimate place to stay for boutique luxury of an African-Caribbean cross-over genre resort.

If isolation, but not total isolation is your style, what about the Paradise Island Beach Club? This resort offers the seclusion of a private escape (at a price), but still manages to keep the attractions close at hand.

If you are planning a trip to the Grand Bahamas, you have several options when it comes to rentals in Paradise Island. There are luxury condos as well as beachfront hotel rooms, the choice is yours. There are a number of ways to locate great rentals in Paradise Island, here are a few.

o www. Greatrentals. Com has a comprehensive list of rentals for you to choose from. Townhomes, cottages, private homes are all listed with complete details and even reviews from vacationers who have stayed in theses rentals in the past.

o www. Myresortnetwork. Com is a company that matches timeshare owners with vacationers. If you are looking for a timeshare unit to rent, or if you have one to sell, this is the site that can handle all the details.

o www. Vrbo. Com is a site where you can find vacation rentals by owners. There are photos of the locations and a complete list of all the amenities. Besides how many people the rental can accommodate you will know ahead of time if it is kid friendly, has WiFi and if the kitchen is fully equipped.

o www. Paradisebahamas. Com part of the ReMax real estate group, lists available rentals in the newest edition to Paradise Island, Ocean Club Estates. This exclusive security gated community is the place to rent if you are a golfer. Professional golfer Tom Weiskopf designed this 18-hole championship course.

You can also find rental information at this site on other properties as well, including townhomes at Casa del Sol, Yolanda condo rentals, and townhouses at Miramar.

o www. Bahamaswaterfront. Com lists condo rentals from Harbour Breeze, Havenview and Yolanda on Paradise Island as well as Ocean View.

When it comes to selecting a rental in Paradise Island, you can choose from a second floor villa or a 2-story townhouse. With the beautiful oceanfront views, sandy beaches and proximity to the Atlantis, you are sure to enjoy yourself no matter where you stay on Paradise Island.