A Weekend In The Bahamas
My first flight since December 2020 and my first international flight since September 2020. I couldn’t be more excited to be back in the skies and headed to country number 41. Although it’s a pretty short flight from New York, I put The Bahamas lower on my list than I should have but better late than never. I had a the perfect weekend trip in the Bahamas and already planning my next visit. Here are a few things to know before going ..
You need a negative Covid19 PCR test no more than 5 days prior to departure.
After receiving your negative test, you must upload it in PDF format on the Bahamas website.
Once your application is approved (mine took 24 hours), you must purchase the Bahamas health visa for $40.
Keep your negative Covid test and health visa handy because you will need to show it quite a few times throughout your trip.
To return back into the United States you must have a negative Covid19 test. I took a rapid test in Nassau at Bay Street Medical and the retrieved my results in one hour. The cost was $22.50
The Bahamas accepts US dollars so there is no need to change money.
Now that we have the prerequisites out of the way, here are the details of my short and sweet trip to the Bahamas.
Getting Here: I landed a nonstop flight from JFK to Nassau, Bahamas for $225. Since I was only staying for the weekend and didn’t plan on being on a hotel property, I decided to stay at a budget property (The courtyard marriot) which cost $470 for 2 nights. Once I landed in Nassau, my temperature was taken and I had to show my health visa at immigration and customs. I also had to show the same health visa upon check in at my hotel as well as before I went into a restaurant.
Where to Eat:
Oh Andros and Skyjuice King: Both places serve authentic Caribbean food and are located in the fish fry area
Latitude: This high end restaurant has a great amount of options for everyone and even the convenience of getting a rapid Covid test upon entry.
Staniel Cay:
Swimming with nurse sharks was high on my bucket list and the reason why I came to the Bahamas. There wasn’t any clear info on how to exactly do this so I’m glad I was able to so it can possibly help others. I took a day trip the Exumas from Nassau via Flamingo Air. The round trip flight from Nassau to Staniel Cay was $180. The flight departure was 8am and the return flight was 5pm.
Once landed I was picked up by Staniel Cay Adventures and we began our island hopping tour.
We visited Pig Beach, The Sand Bar, Compass Cay to swim with nurse sharks and we finished it off with lunch at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Our tour guide Kieran made us feel safe and we had a great time with him. If you are planning to visit the Exumas please be sure to check out Staniel Cay Adventures.
A few things to know:
Nurse sharks are absolutely harmless and do not eat people.
The water is shallow so you don’t need to know how to swim. I am 5’5 and was able to stand comfortably in the water.
Unlike dolphins, nurse sharks skin feels rough like sandpaper. It’s not harmful but it came as a bit of a surprise to me.
There is a $10 docking fee at Compass Cay to swim with the sharks.
The pigs at pig beach were a little aggressive. Be sure to have your food ready and put your hands out with your palms open if you don’t have any.
Disclaimer: I collaborated at Staniel Cay Adventures and received a content creator discount on my tour.
The Bahamas has so much to offer that a weekend is definitely not enough time to visit. There are other beautiful islands like Bimini, Freeport, and Harbor Island just to name a few. Because Nassau is easily accessible from most U.S. cities, I will be planning a second visit in the future.