That’s also the idea behind the Bahamas People to People Program. Visitors are paired with locals of similar interests who might take them to church, running in Nassau, on a boat ride or a kayak in Grand Bahama Island or to dinner at their home. There is no charge.
Welcome to the Abacos Islands in the Bahamas —a chain of some 120 tiny islands, home to just 14,000 people and a mecca for boaters, fisherman, snorkelers and divers. Today we’re at Munjack Cay about 40 miles by boat from the town of Marsh Harbor with Lincoln and Marcus Jones who have brought us and some other guests here to cook the fish we’ve just caught.
What began with programs for school kids in the Bahamas in 2000, now attracts cruise ship passengers and other visitors for workshops in Junkanoo costume making. And what amazing costumes they are, put together with thousands and thousands of strips of brightly colored crepe paper adorned with feathers and gold and silver buttons.
There’s certainly plenty of that here in Nassau, the Bahamas capitol just 179 miles east of the Florida Coast. It is just 21 miles long and seven miles wide and a bridge links Paradise Island to New Providence Island—Nassau’s other name.
Sail racing is the island of Anguilla’s national sport dating back to the early days of the 20th century when Anguillan men on their way back from working in sugar cane fields in the Dominican Republic would race their schooners home. In fact, the unique design of the racing boats here evolved from fishing boats that would fish as much as 40 miles off shoe
Ava Thompson is the chief family officer for the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism—that means she helps families decide which island best suits them and what to do when they arrive. She explains that Grand Bahama Island, home to about 55,000 people, is a nice mixture of city (Freeport) and laid-back island feel.
Talk about kid vacation heaven — Caribbean style. “They really cater to the kids here at Curtain Bluff observes Dr. Tania Spenlinhauer, here in Antigua from Maine with her husband and three kids, including Brady, for her sister’s wedding at the resort. That the small (just 72 rooms) all-inclusive resort offered so much for the six young grandchildren was a big factor in why the family opted to gather here, they said.
Today we’re back at Curtain Bluff and I’ve decided to take the 6:30 a.m. deep sea fishing charter. The best thing about Curtain Bluff, other than the beauty and just about every other thing, is that it is all-inclusive, so the fishing (along with Scuba, snorkeling, water-skiing and other activities) is part of the price.
Kids who visit Los Angeles, especially tweens and teens, want to hit the beach and the beach towns are guaranteed to please — no town more so than Santa Monica with its world-famous pier, which has been drawing visitors since it was built in 1908 — the first pleasure pier on the West Coast.
Rod McCrea likes that Curtain Bluff is not only considerably less expensive in summer but that the all inclusive nature of the property means he not only knows exactly what he is spending but that all of his kids and grandkids can do what they like–tennis and sailing, deep sea fishing and snorkel trips, not to mention all the fruit smoothies the kids can drink—or that their parents will allow them to mix up with the bartenders.