Bahamas 1st Flight Trip Report

We started our journey from Canada (Kingston - CYGK) which was starting to go in the deep freeze, so we were looking forward to sand and sandles.

We stopped in North Carolina for fuel, and made it to St. Simmons (KSSI) for an overnight stay (there is a Hilton right on the field).  

With a good night's rest, we we ready to head to Freeport (MYGF). The flight was unbelievable.

Freeport, Grand Bahama is perfect spot to dip your toes into Bahamas' turquoise waters.  Grand Bahama is for the first time Bahamas flier (even if you are regular you are in for a surprise).

It's the closest airport to Florida that has diverse activities, and general aviation friendly with cheap fuel - a combination hard to beat.  At Freeport, fuel is cheaper than many US destinations, there is a towered airport, customs is straight forward, lots of tie downs, car rental is easy and lots of reasonably priced AirBnBs (if AirBnBs aren’t your thing there are a ton of hotels and resorts to choose from).

Head straight to Banana Bay for lunch - a must for not only authentic Bahamian food and cold beer, but for an amazing beach. You will get the island vibes and Bahamas hospitality the minute you walk through those doors.

After Banana Bay lunch, check into your AirBnB, and if it’s a Wednesday, go to Fish Fry at Smith’s Point. If it's not a Wednesday, head to Port Lucia for shopping, food and drinks - it is packed with plenty of restaurants and bars (the Greek food place is reasonable, and there’s an ice cream place there as well.)

Head to Gold Rock Beach the next day, which is accessed through Lucyan National Park. There is a small entry fee - which is worth every cent; and the fee includes the park. Walk the park to explore some caves, return to the car to grab your beach gear (and cooler) and head to the beach across the road.

Go during low tide (Google it) for sand bars. When you've had your fill of sand (stay the day), drive to Bishops bar at High Rock for cracked conch.

Paradise Cove is a good spot to snorkel, see stingrays, turtles - but I’d avoid it as it’s a cruise ship itinerary that can get crowded if not timed right. Instead call Keith Cooper and do a half day Sting Ray tour - it is a once in a life time experience. Actually, spurge and book him for the entire day for a unforgettable snorkelling or fishing trip. This is at Old Bahama Bay (fewer options to stay in that area, but Freeport to Grand Bahama Bay isn’t far, and the drive is interesting.)

Another experience that will make you want to come back to Freeport is Tony Macaroni's. Restaurant isn't quite the word for it, it's a beach hut setting with very reasonably priced food and lots of cold beer. Conch salad is something that I can't get enough of. Beer is cheap, and the vibe is awesome. It can be very slow as everything is cooked to order with traditional coal based cooking, so don’t go there hungry. They have burgers for those who don't like sea food. However, even if you don't like fish, you'll love it as Tony's preparation is unlike any other.

If you want to do a swim with the pigs, head to Crystal Beach (right next to Paradise Cove), and thee are also ATV tours and horse riding available but we avoided anything touristy. (Exumas are better for the Bahamas swim-with-the-pigs experience, and more authentic in the sense that it's is where the swim-with-the-pigs began.)

We didn’t end up doing these - but there is a nice reasonably priced Dolphin Experience at Sanctuary $85/adult ($50/child) connected to a dive center. There is also a Coral Vita tour where you learn about how corals are grown 50 times faster and replenished artificially; they won a Prince William prize and have a perfect score on Trust Advisor.

There are lots of beaches to choose from - Tanio beach / Smith's point beach (where the Tony Macaronis and Fish Fry is), Old Bahama beach (when you head to Keith Cooper Sting Ray expeirence), Gold Rock beach (out of this world), Lucaya beach, Fortune beach, Xanadu beach, and many, many more. We heard that Pier One has shark feeding twice a day, and also that there is dinner there - but didn’t end up doing it. Another restaurant was Stoned Crab restaurant, albeit pricey, has great food.

After you’ve had your first taste of the Bahamas, you’d want to hit up every one of the islands after this (returning to many). Every island has its own vibe, and apart from Nassau, it gets more remote and authentic after Grand Bahama island. You are close to Abaco, Andros and Eleuthera - can’t go wrong wherever you chose to go; we did Eleuthera next.

After Eleuthera we flew to KFLL to clear customs before making our way back to Canada.