Staniel Cay, Bahamas

This 'hot date' trip was taken in June '08. We left our son with his grandparents and off we went to Staniel Cay, one of the many Out Islands in the Bahamas. We just wanted total relaxation on this trip: sun, sand and sea.

GETTING THERE: We flew Newark to Ft. Lauderdale and planned to catch a Watermakers Air flight to Staniel Cay that same day. A week before our trip, Watermakers Air canceled our flight. The only option that worked for us was to spend the night in Ft. Lauderdale and catch the 7am flight to Staniel Cay the next day. So that's what we did. We were a little annoyed but there could be worst things in life.

THE CHARTER SERVICE: Taking Watermakers Air to and from Staniel Cay is definitely worth the extra money. We avoided Nassau! The shared charter service leaves out of Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport which is about 15-20 minutes away from Ft. Lauderdale International Airport. Both flights went smoothly. The flight to Staniel Cay lasted about 2 1/2 hours. We stopped in Congo Town (Andros Island, Bahamas) for immigration and customs. The return flight lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes with no stops. We went through U.S. Customs at the Executive Airport. It's a little room with 2 agents and just us and the 6 other passengers. We've never been through U.S. Customs so quickly! It was GREAT!

FT. LAUDERDALE HOTEL: I love Priceline. I bid for a hotel for our one night there and won the Il Lugano in the Ft. Lauderdale beach area for $95/night. Cheapest room on hotel site was $159/night. My heart stopped when I won this hotel as I had never heard of it, but once I looked at the hotel web site and the reviews on Trip Advisor, all was right with the world again :-) . This modern hotel is new and REALLY BEAUTIFUL.

 

Il Lugano's staff was very professional and did not mention Priceline. We were given a lovely suite (#1019 - top floor) with a view of the Intracoastal Waterway. It was spacious with 2 queen-size beds, a kitchenette, a balcony, etc... There is a safe which is big enough to hold a laptop or portable dvd player. I don't think the hotel restaurant is open yet, but they do offer in-room dining. We did not order any food. I would be VERY HAPPY to stay at this hotel again, especially on a Priceline win.

The hotel is next to the Intracoastal Waterway and a 3-block walk to the beach. There is a 24-hour Walgreens and several restaurants within walking distance. We had lunch at Pepe's by the Sea and dinner at 33rd & Dine French Cafe. Both places had good food. The taxi ride from the Ft. Lauderdale International airport to the Il Lugano was about 20-25 minutes and cost $30 (before tip). The taxi ride from the Il Lugano to the Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport was about 10-15 minutes and cost $21 (before tip).

STANIEL CAY HOTEL: We stayed at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club and LOVED it. We did the all-inclusive plan which included the food, non-alcoholic drinks, a 13 ft boston whaler with fuel, bikes and snorkeling gear. All the details are on the hotel site.

~~ COTTAGE: We were in the Orange cottage which was tiny! I couldn't even take a picture of the bathroom because it was so tiny! To be perfectly honest, the accommodations are basic. One doesn't go there to spend time in a cottage anyway. The GREAT feature of the cottage is the porch. OMG. It is HEAVEN. It's almost over the water and you can lay on your lounge chair for hours and stare at the unbelievably beautiful water, watch the boats go by, the nurse sharks and rays swim by while a constant breeze is being felt. Bring a good book and your iPod. PARADISE.

Tiny pool - Brian is acting as a ruler :)

~~ FOOD: We tried quite a few things on the menu: beef, mahi mahi, ribs, pork, chicken. Except for the ribs, everything was very good. The breakfast and lunch offers were good as well.

~~ STAFF/ISLAND FOLKS: Everyone was so friendly. Just to name a few: David (the bartender), Ruth (the waitress), Shelby (who rescued us - I'll get into that one later) and David (the owner). They were all great people. One evening, we took a walk around town and everyone we'd encounter would say hello.

~~ WHAT SURPRISED US ABOUT SCYC: How busy it is at night. The clubhouse bar is hopping with cool music and lots of boaters who are there for dinner. We met some really nice people (with some really nice yachts). The owner told us that June and July are the busiest months for SCYC.

COMPASS CAY: Home of tame nurse sharks and of a picture perfect beach... one of the most beautiful beaches we've ever seen. We packed a lunch and an umbrella and spent half a day there. It cost us $8/person to dock there.

 

SANDY CAY: A Robinson Crusoe fantasy with a great sandbar. It's not a snorkeling spot but we did spot a baby stingray there.

THUNDERBALL GROTTO: Very cool. Lots of colorful fish from sergeant majors to parrotfish. Go at low tide. The bar staff at SCYC can tell you when that is.

 

BIG MAJOR SPOT: Home of the swimming pigs. The 2 we saw were HUGE!

BOSTON WHALER ADVENTURES: We had never used one before, so we were understandably nervous. We were given a quick lesson (and I mean quick) and left to our own devices. Yikes! That whaler, by the way, is tough on the bum!

~ ADVENTURE #1: You are told that your whaler has enough gas to get you all the way to and from Compass Cay. If you want to go further (like to the Exuma Land and Sea Park), you need to tell them that and they'll put more gas in your whaler. Well, we missed the entry to Compass Cay and were probably by the Land and Sea Park when we decided to turn back. On the way back, we found Compass Cay and enjoyed our day there. But as you've already guessed, we ran out of gas on our way back to base!! Thank goodness we were on a fairly busy stretch of water and not far from the Yacht Club. We dropped anchor and called for help on the radio. A yacht also went by and called for us as well. Shelby (great guy), another employee and Jet the dog (he's a sweetie) came to rescue us and towed us back to the resort. It was all kind of fun.

~ ADVENTURE #2: This one happened the next day and it was not fun at all. We decided to check out the other side of Staniel Cay where the snorkeling was reportedly good. It had suddenly gotten cloudy and the waves were pretty strong. While we tried to get onto the beach, a wave pushed the boat onto the sand before my husband had time to pull the engine up. I also happened to be almost out of the boat and the boat slammed into one of my legs and I fell backwards into the boat. The leg hurt (it hurt for days) but overall I was okay. So we tried to get the boat back into the water and we couldn't. My husband was yelling. I was yelling. It was not pretty. I didn't think we'd make it to our 9th wedding anniversary ;-) . Anyway, the waves seemed to be getting worse and before we knew it, the whaler was filled with water and firmly into the sand. So yes, we had to call for help again. And yes, big L on our foreheads :-( .

OTHER STUFF:

MOSQUITOES & OTHER CRITTERS: The mosquitoes were not loving me on this trip. Yes! I protected myself anyway, just in case. I did end up with 4 bites which is unbelievably good for me. They must be tiny mosquitoes because I never saw them. We also saw a few daddy long legs in our cottage. Love those. Not really. :-)

WEATHER/WATER TEMP: We had great weather and it was HOT! It rained one night and it looked like it was going to pour during 'Adventure #2' but it didn't. The water temperature was perfect.

FINAL THOUGHTS: It was such a relaxing getaway. We definitely see ourselves going back to SCYC one day. This trip reinforced our belief that the Out Islands are just fantastic. It really is better in the Bahamas. We were really sad to leave.