Breezy Bahama Fun!

Where do you go for summer vacay when you have two teenagers? Why the beach of course! This year we went to Nassau, Bahamas for a relaxing week of sun and fun! We wanted to have a couple of activity days but leave plenty of time for relaxation and the beach, which was the star of the vacation!

I typically plan all our activities but this year, I threw caution to the wind and got input from Tony and the boys. I think they did pretty well. Here is what our week ended up looking like:

Week's Itinerary

Saturday - Arrival

Sunday - Beach day

Monday - Culinary/Food tour

Tuesday - Beach day

Wednesday - Pearl Island snorkel

Thursday - Atlantis waterpark

Friday - Island tour and beach

Saturday - return home

My personal treat was the private chef we hired to make many of our meals! It was the best decision and made MY life so much easier!!

Accommodations

We decided to leverage an Airbnb for our visit to the island. This gave us the ability to spread out a bit without having to pay for two hotel rooms. With the boys being teenagers, they really need their own space for a week's stay. We did have a slight issue with the first location we chose. We initially picked it due to it being right on the beach but soon determined it was not going to provide the experience we were looking for (I won't be posting pics of that location). So, on the third day we moved to another location which was perfect! It was beautifully decorated with Sandra being an amazing host! The boys loved it which means it was really nice! I would definitely recommend checking out this place on your next visit! Listing here

My splurge - private chef! #chefsweeting

Ok, my typical vacations involve us either eating out the entire time or me cooking (when we have a place with a kitchen). While I don't cook every meal, the majority I end up doing - especially breakfast. I normally don't mind but it reduces the amount of relaxation out of my vacay! In the past, I never considered a private chef - felt I couldn't afford it to be honest. This time I decided to explore the idea and found it wouldn't actually cost much more than us eating out but it would save me a ton of stress! So I went for it...it was the best decision!! I loved it! I mostly had them come in and do breakfast along with just 2 dinners. It was great to just get up and have breakfast made, not have to do dishes and the clean up! You have no idea how much more I enjoyed this week! #chefsweeting and his crew did a great job - the food was delicious and well presented. I won't be able to do this on every vacation but periodically I do expect to splurge on this treat! Here are some pics of the meals they prepared:

The Beautiful Island of #Nassaubahamas!

I loved all the colorful buildings. The blues, yellows, pinks and other bright colors added such character and charm to this beautiful island. We rented a car to get around and explore. Tony did great driving on the wrong side of the road! Luckily the rental car company helped by putting a large "keep left" sign on the windshield! There were a ton of round abouts which we got really good at navigating by the middle of the week. The island was flat with trees lining the streets on every turn. The coast was rocky in many places, but you could easily find some sand to soak up the sun. We found this cute pastry shop, #bakehouse, on our first day that had the best donuts and croissants. We also located a restaurant row which served a lot of conchs dishes! I felt a bit like Bubba in Forest Gump, but it was all delicious! The island population really swells when the cruise ships are docked, we tried to avoid downtown when there were a lot - one day I think we counted 6! Good business for the island though. The temperature was around 85 which was perfect if there were clouds or shade without those, you could really feel the sun! But a dip in the water and all was well in the world again! The boys got to jet ski for the first time, they really seemed to enjoy it!

#Nassau Food Tasting and Cultural Walking Tour

I was really surprised when Tony and the boys wanted to do the food tour. AJ said he wanted to expand his palate...lol. I wanted to hear a bit about the history of the island. I think Tony and Chris may have just been along for the ride but hey, I'll take it! We met our guide in the downtown area (where all the cruise ships dock). It was pretty crowded, but our group was about 10 so that was good. We went to five different restaurants to sample a variety of local dishes. I really liked the rice/beans and chicken at the first location. We then went to the #Grayeliff where Jay Z supposedly proposed to Beyonce but a local told us later that wasn't true...lol. The hotel made and sold specialty chocolates which we were able to sample. We also went to #Athenas, a Greek restaurant, where we got a soup that was absolutely delicious! We of course had to end the tour with a #Tortuga rum cake tasting (could have had a bit more of that)! We enjoyed the guide and learned a lot about the history and the connection/relationship to Britain. We were rained on at various times, but it was worth it.

#Atlantis and #PearlIsland!

We spent a day at the Atlantis waterpark. It had a huge aquarium which you experienced as you walked thru the hotel to the park entrance. It was absolutely amazing with the various aquatic animals housed in it. The park was huge, plenty of water slides for the kids and lounging areas for me and Tony. I enjoyed the rapid/lazy river, it had the right amount of current but slowed down so you would just drift and relax at times. I found it difficult to find a attendant to order a drink when sitting around the pool but other than that it was a typical water park experience. The boys had a great time while Tony and I just relaxed around the pool.

Pearl Island was a brief boat ride from the main island. It was really just a very small rocky island where you could snorkel and do minor water activities. The day we went, it wasn't very crowded so we were able to get good sitting under the shade. We did snorkel which was very enjoyable. They had a buffet lunch which was actually pretty good. A bar was open but not included in the package we choose. Chris took advantage of the included kayak - he was better than I thought! We lounged for a bit then headed back to the main island.

Ultimately, I would recommend the food walking tour and private chef. I felt the Atlantis visit makes sense if you are staying there but didn't add much value. The Pearl Island wasn't overly exciting for me. However, it was a wonderful family vacation! We did a little something for everyone!