Planning Your Trip to The Bahamas

Irrespective of the type of Bahamas trip you are planning on, it is paramount to make your bookings in advance. The reason is not that you won’t find a place to stay, a restaurant to eat, or a tour or other activity to try, rather than to get the best prices for whatever it is you wish to partake in. During the high season, meaning the months between mid-December and mid-April, the country is packed full of tourists and travellers wishing to escape the snowy and wintry landscape and weather of their country. This gives local businesses the chance to add a higher price tag to their services and products. At the same time, expect long lines and a significant amount of time waiting to be seated at a restaurant or join a tour. Planning everything in advance will get you ahead of every line, with the best rates for whatever you choose to experience, taste, see, visit, or do.

Tipping & Money

The Bahamian Dollar ($B) is the official currency in The Bahamas, which, most of the time, bears the same value as the US dollar. At The Bahamas, you may use either the US dollar or the Bahamian dollar, which usually makes no difference. However, do come prepared and bring some local currency with you as some key tourist areas, all-inclusive resorts, and smaller hotels on the Out Islands may not accept major debit or credit cards. In these islands, withdrawing currency from the ATM may not be an available option either.

As for tipping, hotel workers and the service staff both expect a tip from visitors. The service charge is usually added to the bill at the majority of restaurants and hotels and refers to around 15% of the total of your bill. In any other case, it is customary to leave a tip in the 15-20% range, always based on your overall experience and the service quality provided to you.

Regarding other professions and services, a guided private tour with a chauffeur is tipped $12-15 for a full-day tour and around $8-10 for a half-day tour (the tip amount refers to a couple). A long-trip driver should be tipped around $6 per couple, while a driver from the airport is best to be tipped a couple of dollars per couple. The same applies to taxi drivers, be it a long journey or a short trip. Finally, service workers like the cleaning staff are usually tipped $2 per room (daily tip) and porters get about the same per bag.

How to Get Around The Bahamas

You can easily walk or use the beach shuttle (usually) offered by your hotel to reach stretches of sand not near your resort or a local dining venue or attraction. This is particularly true for larger islands. As for the main airport in The Bahamas, the Nassau airport, it is a 30-minute drive from the main city hotels. You may even request concierge services that include private airport transfer and skip the driving.

To head to The Out Islands, such as Harbour Island and Eleuthera Island, you simply hop on the first flight available and you will be at your destination within 30 minutes. From there, you may hail a taxi to take you to wherever it is you want to go.

To transfer between smaller islands, you will probably find the water taxis very handy and even romantic! The same applies to the golf buggies that you can hire at most of the hotels located on Harbour Island!

Telephone & Internet

Before coming to The Bahamas, check with your local phone provider that they offer international packages at decent rates.

+242 is the telephone code for The Bahamas, while you will find ample Wi-Fi spots across the main Bahamas islands.

High-speed internet is also available on a massive scale. However, smaller islands may not be able to provide great coverage. In any case, though, your hotel will have good Wi-Fi capabilities no matter what.

Public Holidays in The Bahamas

During the following public holidays, the businesses are usually closed, perhaps except some restaurants and entertainment venues.

Local Festivals and Events

The Junkanoo festival is a major event in The Bahamas that starts on Boxing Day and lasts until New Year’s Day. The lively parade includes competing groups of dancers in colourful, lavish costumes swinging to the rhythms of a local band. Junkanoo parades also take place in June and August. Other than that, The Bahamas are brimming with music festivals, regattas, and other events year-round, with something happening every single month!

As for Easter Monday, it is a religious holiday and the day when the beach picnic season starts in The Bahamas! From that point onward, you will be seeing more and more locals enjoying family picnics (and not only) in public parks and other major local attractions.

The Bahamas Dining Scene

The local gastronomy pleases with a delicate mix of traditional Bahamian food stalls and fine dining restaurants, with the menus featuring everything from local tastes and flavours to international and fusion cuisine. As for the most popular local ingredient, that would definitely be conch – a shellfish whose size is nothing like the typical shellfish we all know. You will see conch served in myriad ways with numerous recipes that either want it deep fried and pounded thin or cooked ceviche-style with lime. Some alternatives include conch prepared with rice, pigeon peas, and rich curry.

In general, fried fish is a major player in The Bahamas served in almost every snack shack and small cafe, as well as souse, rock lobster, and Johnny cakes. Of course, the official drink is rum and the main ingredient in many Bahamian cocktails, such as Goombay Smash and Bahama Mama, with John Watling’s Distillery in Nassau being the most historical rum distillery which organises cultural tours that can teach you about the history and process of rum.