BAHAMA BEACH CLUB BLOG

Caribbean Beach Destination Weddings

Destination weddings used to be only for celebrities and the very rich, but times have changed… now, one in five couples opt for a destination wedding. They’re more intimate and, often, less expensive than traditional weddings.

And, more and more, couples are choosing exotic weddings in the picturesque Caribbean. Hawaii was once the leading choice for destination weddings, but not any more… now the Caribbean is the #1 destination wedding locale in the world! With our stunning white sand beaches, crystal-clear water and abundant sunshine, the Caribbean has much to offer as a magical wedding destination.

The Caribbean provides the perfect setting for a romantic wedding ceremony. If you’re looking for a dream wedding on a pristine tropical beach overlooking a brilliant turquoise sea, with lush tropical greenery and golden sunsets, the Bahamas has it all. And outdoor activities abound: kayaking, scuba diving, snorkeling, beachcombing, bonefishing, island-hopping, tennis and more can help ensure that guests have plenty of extra adventure options to enjoy during their stay.

Apart from the breathtaking paradise setting and many amenities offered at the Bahama Beach Club, another reason for the increased popularity of Caribbean weddings is that with our assortment of Wedding Packages, money can go a long way compared to many other wedding options. Costs can be surprisingly reasonable relative to many venues in Europe and the US, and still provide an incredibly picturesque wedding experience.

At the Bahama Beach Club, your personal wedding planner will make the planning and execution of your whole experience simple. She will take care of every detail, leaving you with more time to just enjoy. And unlike other “wedding factory” Caribbean wedding venues, Bahama Beach Club guarantees that your wedding will be the only wedding on your special day!

For a wedding in your home town, the pressure of inviting everyone from friends, family, distant cousins, colleagues and neighbors can take a toll on you. A Caribbean wedding not only allows you to save on the venue costs but can also help slim down the wedding invitation list! This way, you get an opportunity to spend time with the people who really count and have travelled just to be a part of your special day.Your dream wedding at Bahama Beach Club on “the Best Beach in the Caribbean” (Caribbean Travel and Life Magazine), shared with your loved ones, will provide beautiful memories to cherish for many years to come.

Visit the Swimming Pigs of Abaco

The image most of us conjure up when we hear the word “pig” usually involves a swine wallowing in gallons of mud. However, in the tropical paradise of The Bahamas, pigs have a different approach to life.

Here, feral pigs roam free on some of our sugar-sand beaches with their sparkling waters, and enjoy an endless stream of fans coming to visit. They’re far from snobbish, though: These pigs are friendly, extroverted creatures who happily swim and pose for photos with their human admirers.

Where to find them?
Located almost directly to the north of Nassau are the Abaco Islands. Our Abacos, are blessed with plentiful brilliant turquoise bays and some of the Caribbean’s most stunning beaches.And we have swimming pigs! They live just across the bay from Bahama Beach Club on No Name Cay, endearingly nicknamed “Piggyville” by local residents.

Why visit the pigs?
How often do you see and irresistibly-cute pig, seeming to smile, paddling through the ocean towards you? Being able to get up close and personal with the not-so-wild life is one of our islands’ most beloved oddities.

Even for tourists who aren’t animal mad, visiting the swimming pigs is a special experience. You can see and feed the adorable and friendly Pigville swimming pigs on a 2.5 hour excursion, or enjoy it as part of our Island-Hopping Sunday Day Tour.

These unique animals make for a fantastic photo opportunity! Though the pigs are stars on Instagram (see them here) and Facebook (see them here), nothing beats the opportunity to snap some shots in person, and a fun and unusual thing to take home to show the family.
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The pig populations are supplied with fresh water, fruits and vegetables by the local guides who visit, and visitors are often given the opportunity to feed them as well. After all, the cute pigs have become a vital tourist attraction, and maintaining their health benefits both the pigs and the people who visit them. Regardless of the food supply, pigs are pigs and will delightedly accept any offerings of food. Many tourists find it to be an exciting experience, and it can be very rewarding when the pigs show affection in return. Just keep your hands a safe distance away from eager piggy mouths.

How did the pigs get there?
The humble pig is not native to the Caribbean, let alone any tropical climates. The modern day domestic pig is thought to have descended from various species of wild boars, which originated in Europe and Asia. Pigs naturally live worlds away from the Caribbean, yet they still managed to establish small but successful populations in The Bahamas.

As with most misplaced species, the pigs were introduced to The Bahamas by migrating humans. Pork is a much-loved staple of a classic European diet, so where the English went, the pigs went with them. However, the exact way the pigs reached No Name Cay is unknown.

One of the theories is that a group of sailors placed them here to provide a food source later, but never returned. Similar theories replace the sailors with concerned residents of the nearby Staniel Cay, planning a livestock farm in case of a lack of food supplies hit The Bahamas. The most exciting theory is that the original pigs were survivors of a shipwreck and managed to swim to the shore and continue their lives on the island.

No matter where they came from, the pigs have shown great resilience and adaptability. The pigs have populated this small island for generations now, surviving from the nutrition the land provides and the generosity of locals and the tourists who visit them. It’s an impressive effort which emphasises the pigs’ determination and will to survive.

Sailing to the pigs
Want to get your own adorable dose of swimming pigs? Bahama Beach Club’s activities partner Brendal’s Dive Center can introduce you.

So what are you waiting for? The swimming pigs can’t wait to meet you!

A Daytrip to New Plymouth

A Daytrip to New Plymouth
Our daytrip begins with a 15 minute taxi ride from the Bahama Beach Club in Treasure Cay to the Airport Ferry Dock. Once aboard the “Bolo” (the Treasure Cay/New Plymouth ferry), for another 15 minutes we glide across calm, brilliant turquoise Bahamian waters to Green Turtle Cay, a small island just 3 miles long and 1/2 mile wide, with around 450 residents.

From the Ferry dock at Green Turtle Cay, we begin to explore the town of New Plymouth. It’s a small, sleepy, 18th century village by the sea, with several restaurants, galleries and giftshops, a museum and several historic sites. The architecture of the older homes that make up much of the village is largely unique in the Bahamas. Its steep-pitched gabled roofs are a style brought by early settlers from New England.

In may ways, visiting New Plymouth is like taking a trip back in time, when the pace of life was slower and more relaxed. We explore the town on foot, but golf carts and bicycles are available for rent by visitors if you want to see more of the island.
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Miss Emily’s
Stopping for lunch at Miss Emily’s Blue Bee Bar, we’re greeted with a warm smile by Miss Emily’s daughter, Violet, who makes you feel like an old friend (Miss Emily passed away in 1997). It’s a funky, friendly little restaurant where you’re invited to sign the wall, or leave some memorabilia to be hung from the rafters. And Miss Emily’s is the birthplace of the famous Goombay Smash, a delicious rum punch now popular throughout the Caribbean. We enjoyed a delicious lunch of Blue Bee Special Grouper… and, of course, a Goombay Smash!
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Ye Olde Jail
Around the corner from Miss Emily’s is one of the historic landmarks of old New Plymouth: Ye Olde Jail. Though it’s now painted pink, the jail was originally bare coral rock and stucco, and profoundly austere. As you wander the grounds and visit a cell, it’s easy to imagine the hardship and suffering that occurred here.
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Around Town
Up the street a little, the Albert Lowe Museum displays the fascinating history of New Plymouth with photographs and antique artifacts dating back to the turn of the century as well as ship models of the Abaco sailing vessels, some of which were used as blockade runners during the Civil War. See our post on the museum soon.

New Plymouth has small shops for visitors to browse: The Golden Reef sells beautiful gold jewelry made in Abaco and Native Creations offers Bahamian art work and jewelry. Local restaurants in town, such as McIntosh’s, The Wrecking Tree, and Harvey’s offer a variety of home-cooked, Bahamian-island style meals. Pineapples is a popular destination for enjoying the beautiful Caribbean sunset and happy hour specials. For breakfast, try the Plymouth Rock Liquor Store & Cafe. For nightlife, visit Sundowner’s Bar & Grill, perched on the shoreline.

Looking Back
In the heart of town, the Loyalist Memorial Sculpture Garden features 24 bronze busts of prominent early Loyalist settlers, arranged around a central pair of life-sized bronze figures of both black and white loyalist women. The garden is a tribute to those who played a significant role in the history of The Abacos: the Revolutionary War Loyalists and their slaves.

Beginning in the 1770’s, the Loyalists — American colonists who remained loyal to the British Crown during the American Revolutionary War — began settling in Green Turtle Cay and nearby islands. Some later left for England or elsewhere, but despite hard times, many survived and made a new life here.

Before the Loyalists, the Lucayan people were the original known inhabitants of the Bahamas. A branch of the Taínos, who inhabited most of the other Caribbean islands at the time, they began settling these islands around 500 to 800 AD. Their population had grown to approximately 40,000 when the islands were encountered by Christopher Columbus in 1492. The Spanish began enslaving the Lucayans within a few years of Columbus’s arrival, and nearly all had been removed from the Bahamas within 25 years.

Getting Back
It’s easy to lose your sense of time here… Just make sure you get back to the dock before the last ferry!

Island Hopping Through the Abacos

Our day trip adventure begins with a drive to Marsh Harbour, just 26 miles east of Bahama Beach Club, our beautiful resort hotel in Treasure Cay. From the dock in Marsh Harbour, we catch a ferry across to Hope Town on Elbow Cay ( “Cay” comes from the Spanish word for “island” and is pronounced as “key”).

Gliding over deep cobalt-colored sea, we pass long islands outlined with miles of white sand beaches and occasional stretches of charcoal-grey volcanic rock ledges.The island’s famous candy-striped red-and-white Elbow Reef Lighthouse comes into view… The best-know landmark in the Abacos, the kerosene-fueled lighthouse is one of the last three manual lighthouses in the world.

‍Elbow Reef Lighthouse
Approaching Hope Town’s scenic harbor, the island’s famous candy-striped red-and-white Elbow Reef Lighthouse comes into view… The best-know landmark in the Abacos, the kerosene-fueled lighthouse is one of the last three manual lighthouses in the world. We’ll describe more about this iconic lighthouse and how you can climb its 101 steps to enjoy an unforgettable panorama from the top in a future post!

Around Hope Town The Placid Harbor is studded with sailboats at anchor. Along the shore, and through the shallow hills above, historic clapboard buildings are nestled among graceful palms and other tropical trees.From the ferry dock, you can begin to explore this quaint, picturesque historic 18th-century settlement.

Hope Town is a tropical storybook town, a world rendered in crayon with sugary pastels, vibrant hues and white picket fences. The whole town is a garden, adorned with brilliant flowers.

History
Hope Town was settled by British Loyalists who sought refuge after the American Revolution. Many of the settlers came from the Carolinas, through East Florida, after that area was turned over to Spain in the Peace of Paris (1783). The same treaty called for the evacuation of New York by the loyalists. While many people moved to England or Canada, some headed south to the British Caribbean. The settlement at Hope Town was founded in 1785, in part, by a widow from South Carolina named Wyannie Malone, who had moved to Elbow Cay with her children. By that time, there were more than 1,000 refugees in the Abacos, distributed in five or six settlements.

You can learn more about the history of the settlement and Elbow Cay at the Wyannie Malone Museum, located near the upper public dock. museum exhibits and preserves much of the settlement’s rich and diverse history through memorabilia, artifacts, old photos and documents.

Exploring the Town
In Hope Town, the frenzied pace of the modern world slows to the relaxed pace of a bygone age. In the main part of town cars and even golf carts are banned… walking and bicycles are the only means of transportation.

Over the years, Hope Town has become a popular day-trip because of its quaint picturesque appearance and its historic Loyalist houses, monuments, and cemeteries. There are several gift shops and restaurants along the town’s narrow streets. Have lunch and a Kalik (the Bahamas local beer) at the Hopetown Harbour Lodge, Captain Jack’s or Harbour’s Edge…

Just make sure you get back to the dock before the last ferry!

Christmas Vacation in Treasure Cay, Bahamas

Treasure Cay in The Bahamas boasts some of the most picturesque white sand and crystal blue waters on the planet. It’s a radiant and incredibly beautiful place… not just in the summertime, but during Christmas and New Year’s as well.

Welcome to a tropical paradise, holiday-style! Imagine waking on a December morning and stepping out your back door to stroll along a warm, sunny, velvety beach overlooking an endless horizon. Away from all the responsibilities of everyday life that wear you down, The Bahamas are the perfect place to enjoy a merry and relaxing Christmas season. Santa Claus arrives on Christmas Day at Bahama Beach Club, kicking off the holidays with a party that lasts from sunrise to sunset — right on the beach! From your spacious luxury condo, call loved ones at home in the US and Canada for free while baking your favorite holiday cookies.

As for celebrating New Year’s Eve: Picture an evening of dancing, laughing, and delicious food and drinks, all to a local Junkanoo band’s island rhythms. If there are any young children in your group, they’re sure to love how vibrant and fun this tradition is. In years past, guests have formed a Conga line, dancing the night away and snapping photographs with new friends. And to welcome the New Year, the Bahama Beach Club hosts a spectacular beach firework show!

There is truly no better location to spend a relaxing holiday season than at one of our Bahamas archipelago’s hidden gems. It is entirely up to you what you would like to do, with everything at your fingertips! Even if you’re simply looking to get away, winter allows for incredible sights snorkeling over barrier reefs, playing your best round of golf under swaying palms, or creating memories while exploring the islands via boat.

It’s said that experiences make the best gifts. Join us for our 17th Annual Christmas and New Year’s Eve Celebration… you’re sure to have the holiday vacation of a lifetime at Bahama Beach Club!