Armadillo near Cape Canaveral, Florida
Ferry spent a few weeks in Florida and The Bahamas for work. An enjoyable change of circumstances if you're from cold and rainy Holland. Emmy and Mirjam joined him in Nassau on New Providence Island for a well deserved one and a half week of holiday, partly spent on Andros Island as well.
Armadillo near Cape Canaveral, Florida
The Bahamas is a funny place: English and American influences combined, so drive on the left side of the road and pay in dollars. New Providence Island of course has white sandy beaches, palm trees and clear blue water as you might expect. But the island is also full of people, cars, junk and speedboats. We rented a car and drove around the island a bit. The scenery inland is not much worth. There are a few locations of interest: The Government House (link: changing of the guards), The Queen's Staircase and some forts. The Bacardi Rum distillery is worth visiting if you want a free drink. Tours can also be arranged, but there's a minimum of 10 and you have to book in advance.
We took a daytrip to Blue Lagoon Island, where there is actually a very nice shallow lagoon and decent snorkelling on the northern side of the island. They also feature dolphin and stingray encounters in enclosures. Coral Cay (or Coral Gardens or Crystal Cay) is a short way away from downtown Nassau. It features underwater observatories, a stingray pool, a turtle pool, a shark pool, a snorkelling trail and a beach. Nothing special, but a fun place to kill some time if you're not a beach fan. It can get quite busy if a tour from one of the cruise ships lands on this tourist attraction.
Beach on New Providence Island
Andros Island is a completely different story. Very few people on this biggest island of The Bahamas and therefore lots of nature. Little wildlife however on the island itself. Birds of course, lizards, crabs, but not much else for as far as we could detect. Lots of water and therefore our visit was geared to exploring that water and its inhabitants. An ideal place for diving and snorkelling, dolphin search and fishing. The latter we did not do, but it's a popular activity on The Bahamas in general. But if you're just interested in a beach, Andros is the place to be too. We stayed at Small Hope Bay Lodge.
The dock at Small Hope Bay Lodge
Small Hope is a paradise without air conditioning, night club or swimming pool (it's a somewhat like Lady Elliot Island for those familiar with our Australia travel reports). Ideal for children and their parents, not just because they offer baby-sitting, but also because of the shallow sea, the beach, the food and more in general the atmosphere.
Emmy on the beach in front of our cottage at Small Hope Bay
Lodge
Nice diving too of course and Mirjam took the resort course. Chances are she'll get hooked on diving sometime soon.
Queen Angel fish under the dock
Radisson Orlando Airport, Florida, USA
Nice, but nothing fancy. Only stayed for one night.
Radisson Resort at the Port, Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA
Very nice accomodation.
Islander Breezes Motel, Marsh Harbor, Abaco, The Bahamas
A bit shabby, no telephone in room, no facilities.
Astoria Hotel, Nassau, The Bahamas
Hallways are not very neat, room pretty big and a nice view. Bathroom with old equipment.
Sun Fun Resort, New Providence, The Bahamas
Was in the middle of a renovation, and it needed one. Big rooms, not very tidy. Resort is a long way from downtown Nassau. Pretty cheap though.
Small Hope Bay Lodge, Andros, The Bahamas
This truly is a great place. Spacious cabins right on the beach (therefore there is some sand in the cabin now and then). All-inclusive concept, great food, even better cocktails and very friendly staff. Definitely not cheap.
Kennedy Space Center, Florida, USA
Very entertaining and educational day out.
Coral World or Crystal Cay, Nassau, The Bahamas
Nice underwater observatory, stingray and shark pools and more. Snorkelling trail was a bit disappointing.
Blue Lagoon Island, Nassau, The Bahamas
Nice boatride to a beautiful island with pretty good snorkelling and great frozen daiquiries.
Atlantis on Paradise Island, Nassau, The Bahamas
Nice hotel where you can just walk in and admire the park that's been build surrounding it. Shark pool, underwater tunnel, things like that.
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