Okay…this one took a minute. Not only is there a lot of information here, but I have SO many pictures! Whoops. BUT, I am excited to finally share my Graceful Guide to the Bahamas with you all! This trip was one that Jon Luke and I will NEVER forget. We decided to venture to the Bahamas to celebrate our five year anniversary and we LOVED it. From the people, to the hotels, to the excursions, this trip was EVERYTHING we wanted and more. I received a lot of questions about where we stayed, how we got there, food and more while we were on our trip to I have done my best to answer them all here!
Getting There
Okay first, the flights. This was actually SO easy. We flew on American Airlines from New Orleans to Miami, Miami to Eleuthera. Neither flight was too long (Miami to Eleuthera was like 20 minutes) which made it perfect. I have heard that you can fly to other islands and boat over, or fly private, but this was super easy and did not break the bank at all.
Where We Stayed
The Other Side – So this was the hotel that we were at majority of the time and it is on Eleuthera. I had a friend who stayed here on her honeymoon and I was obsessed with her pictures. What I loved most about this hotel was how at home they made us feel. First, there are only eight or nine rooms…three tents on the beach, three shacks up top and then they have these smaller cabins that can either be extra beds for the tents, or potentially be their own rooms. In addition to the rooms, there are four communal tents: the living room, dining room, bar/lounge and the office. You probably saw these on my stories (if not they are saved on the Bahamas highlight), but they had a super cool vibe. If you want a drink, you can make it yourself, then right it down in the book. Honor code style. You can see in my pictures that this place had amazing views, but the decor was amazing as well. Definitely my kind of vibe! AND, one of the best parts is that they have a boat that will take you back and forth to Harbour Island so if you want to go exploring it is super easy!
The Cove – This was the hotel we stayed at the first night and it is also BEAUTIFUL. This location is slightly bigger with 50-ish rooms but still has a small feel to it. Again, the rooms are perfect as far as decor goes and the pool/beach areas are amazing. We had drinks out at the cove bar on our first night where we could just relax and enjoy the sunset. It was pretty great, I won’t lie.
The Landing Hotel – This hotel is on Harbour Island. Just a short boat ride from Eleuthera, we actually ate dinner here one night and brunch later in the trip. It is a darling spot and the food is amazing! If you go for brunch you HAVE to get the Ricotta Hotcakes…holy cow.
The Ocean View Club – Also on Harbour Island, this hotel is actually owned by the same family as The Other Side. The owner of The Other Side bought the land from his mother, who owns The Ocean View Club, so you can imagine, they are both beautiful hotels!
The Coral House Harbour Island – This is actually an AirBnb that I have had a crush on for years. It is Instagram famous and so cute! If you are looking for a home to yourself, this might be perfect!
Things To Do
Beach Life – I mean duh…But seriously y’all, the beaches and the water is unlike anything I have ever seen before. So beautiful and relaxing.
Boat Day – So we actually did a full day charter and went to the Exumas with Da Salty Pig (see more below), but Bruce and his team do charters all around Eleuthera and Spanish Wells that are still amazing! Spanish Wells even have their own swimming pigs so you do not have to go all the way to the Exumas. I personally just wanted a boat day and have always wanted to see the Exumas so we splurged and did that!
Harbour Island – If you are staying on Eleuthera, hop over to Harbour Island for the day! We ventured over one morning for brunch and rode the golf cart around to see the sights. It is an adorable town!
The Queen’s Baths – This cool spot is just up the road from The Other Side and The Cove. It is super easy to get to and cool to see how the baths have formed! You can definitely get in for a swim, but I would suggest wearing comfortable hiking shoes because it is rocky going down there!
Sapphire Blue Hole – We did not make it here but everyone was talking about it. Also, not a far drive from either hotel so it is a sight to see if you have time!
The Exumas
So the Exumas get their own little section. I seriously had SO MUCH FUN on our boat day. If we went back, I would do it over again in a heartbeat. Bruce and Bentley with Da Salty Pig were the absolute best and it was nice to have our own little private boat day. To get from Eleuthera to the Exumas by boat it took about two hours but on a beautiful day you would barely notice to be honest. We had the music going, I was working on my tan…it was great.
Once you get to the Exumas, you pretty much weave in and out of islands the rest of the time. Our first stop was to see the iguanas and we had the beach to ourselves. That was one of the great things about Bruce is that he and Bentley knew all the secrets. We got out in CRYSTAL clear water and spent some time with the Iguanas before continuing on. They were actually very friendly!
After the Iguanas, we made our way to the sunken plane. Here we were able to get out and snorkel and it was such an awesome experience! We saw stingrays, fish and you can swim in and out of the plane. This entire trip, I was regretting not having a drone!
Once we got our swim on at the plane, we hopped back in the boat, opened a beer and made our way to lunch at Highborne Cay. They had a great restaurant right by the marina so we walked up there and enjoyed the views. The food and drinks were also amazing.
After lunch, we got back on the boat and made our way to the sharks. Like I said, we weaved in and out of islands the entire time, so the views were NEVER bad. I almost felt that the deeper into the Exumas we went, the prettier the water got. Anyways, the sharks are at Compass Cay so we docked the boat and things got serious. Just kidding…they were very friendly! They are a bunch of nurse sharks so really they are just kind of slimy! There is a cute dock at Compass so we hung out here for a bit before making our way to the swimming pigs.
And then, for our last stop of the day, we visited the swimming pigs. Now I will say, I loved it, but they are a little different than how Instagram makes them out to be. They are very focused on getting food so you have to watch your fingers. We were there later in the day so there were not a ton of people which was nice. We ran around the beach with them for a bit then hopped right back on the boat to make our way back to Eleuthera. We ended with a sunset that was unforgettable which made the day even more perfect!
What to Eat
If you decide to stay at The Other Side, I suggest eating there because it is really good and very easy. For breakfast and lunch they have a small menu you can order from, then dinner is what ever they are cooking is what you are going to eat. But don’t worry…it is DELICIOUS! It was so nice to watch the sunset and then go sit in the bar and have a glass of wine. Whenever we were ready we could just walk over to the dining room and enjoy!
Freedom Restaurant and Sushi Bar – The is the restaurant at The Cove and it was wonderful. The sushi is so fresh and the atmosphere is great! Go watch the sunset at The Point Bar and then walk up for dinner!
The Landing Hotel – Like I said above, we went here for dinner one night then went back for brunch. Dinner was amazing for sure, but the Ricotta Hotcakes at brunch might have been my favorite meal.
Sip Sip – We did not make it to Sip Sip for a meal, but we went to see it when we were out and about on Harbour Island! It sits on the water and we heard it is great for lunch and/or drinks!
The Dunmore – Also on Harbour Island, this little spot looked SO cute for lunch!
Like I said above, this trip was one we will never forget. I absolutely LOVED the Bahamas and would go back in a heartbeat. The water is unlike anything I have ever seen, the people were amazing and it was the most relaxing time. Hopefully this guide will be helpful for you if you are planning a trip to the Bahamas but let me know if you have any other questions!
