Bahamas

[SueJ]

OK, I need some advise here. I'm thinking about going to go the Bahamas in July for a week. We've never been there and don't know much about it. Here's what I'd like to know - where's the best place to stay? Best dive shop to use? Is there shore diving? Any good wrecks?
Any information would be greatly appreciated so I could make up my mind!
Thanks,

Sue

 

[herman]

Hi Sue,

Do you have a specific island in mind or are you open to suggestions? The reason I am asking is that there are 700 islands that make up "the Bahamas". I have some suggestions on Grand Bahama (Freeport/Port Lucaya) if that's the island you are interested in. If you can narrow it down a little we can be of more help. Also, what type of accomidations you interested in, just any room that's cheap, a condo or a 5 star all inclusive?

 

[SueJ]

Hi Herman,
I am definately open for suggestions. I want to spend most of my time in the water and not traveling to get to the water. As far as accomodations - I'm not picky, but do prefer something on the beach where the dive shop is within walking distance if that is possible. Of course, I'd take the 5 star all inclusive if the price was right!

 

[Ber Rabbit]

While Grand Turk isn't part of the Bahamas politically it is part of them geologically. My fiance and I went there a couple of years ago and dove with Oasis Divers, they were great! There are hotels near the shop but we stayed at the Arawak Inn, an apartment building on the southern tip of the island that has recently been re-modeled. It was really nice when we were there, your room was literally an apartment and now they look even nicer than they were when we were there. We literally had the beach to ourselves the entire week! (we went in June) Arawak isn't close to the dive shop but the island is only 6 miles long and 1 mile wide so nothing is far from anything. Oasis Divers came out every morning and picked us up. If we wanted to do shore dives they would bring tanks out for us. None of the boat rides to the sites were over 20 minutes, most were only 10. Your SI was spent back on the island so you could grab lunch at a restaurant nearby if you wanted then hop back on the boat (a Carolina skiff) and go to the next site. The Columbus Trench is there, it's a great wall dive and 3,000 feet deep if I remember correctly. All of the dives were guided and the DM's knew where to find all the really cool stuff.
The locals say the island is the way the Bahamas used to be before they were commercialized. If you're looking for something off the beaten path with some awesome diving I recommend Grand Turk.
Ber

 

[scubaleg]

My wife and I have made one trip to the Bahamas -- Freeport.
We were only there for a couple of days, so we only had the chance to do one dive. We dove with Xanadu -- they were great and I would highly recommend them (they do have a website). We did a shark feeding dive and then a reef dive. The shark feeding dive was an awesome experience, and Xanadu did a very good job of orientation, briefing, and sent 3 DM's down with us to ensure a safe dive. The reef dive was also nice -- there was a single-engine plane wreck in the area, but that was pretty boring. We did see some huge rays and got to swim very close to them.

One source you can use to check for hotels/resorts is http://www.rci.com -- it's one of the largest timeshare companies, but you can use their website to do a resort search that will tell you alot about the resorts, and also give you links to their websites.

Also, if you scroll thru all of the pages in this category, I know you'll find lots of info!

Have a great trip!
Scuba Legs

 

[herman]

Ok Sue,

Here are some suggestions/comments on Grand Bahama island (Freeport/Port Lucaya). The island has 2 main tourist areas the International Bazaar area and Port Lucaya. I would recommend that you fine a place in/very close to one of these . If you get outside of these areas and you want to travel around the island, you either 1: rent a car-they drive on the left and I don't like to idea of having to drive or 2: take a taxi- this can get to be an expensive option. The reason being, the bus system only has stops on a circular route between the IB and PL. If you are near a bus stop, getting between the two is not difficult and at $0.75pp the cost is not bad. It's the way we normally get around on the island. Another reason to stay in one of these 2 areas is that most of the restaurants are located in these areas. One of the main problems with places that are actually on the beach is that they are not located on the bus route so you are stuck taking a cab to get to restaurants and shopping areas. The exception to this are a couple of places at Port Lucaya which are on the beach, near a bus stop and across the street from shopping and restaurants. Problem is that they are also some of the more expensive places as well. Most of the places that are not on a beach do provide a free shuttle to a beach so for me being on a beach is nice but not a necessity.

So what I look for in a place to stay is this :
1: most be in or very close to IB or PL
2: most have a bus stop very close by
3.must have a free shuttle to the beach
When looking at places to stay, make sure any rates they quote you include all taxes and surcharges. All hotels on the island charge a $15pp/day tax but most don't include it in their rates…2 adults bump a rate by $30 a day.
As for diving operations, I have dove with UNEXSO and Xanadu. Both are good operations but my preference is Xanadu. UNEXSO is well known but they are a bit to "big brother" to suite me. I don't need/want that close attention. I have not dove with them in several years so this may not still be to policy. By the way, most of the dive shops will provide transportation to/from your hotel.

I have been looking for a new place to stay in April because the place we usually stay in under renovation. So far, the best place I have found seems to be Bell Channel Inn. www.bellchannelinn.com . They have good rates, have an on site dive shop, provide a free shuttle to the beach , have a bus stop in front of the hotel and are a 15 minute walk from Port Lucaya (or at least that is what their email says). It seems to meet all my requirements.

 

[Tavi]

When we go to Grand Bahama, my wife and I stay at Ocean Reef Yacht Club and Resort. We really like it there!
We Dive with Grand Bahama Scuba. We walk out of our door and to the dive boat. If you are staying elsewhere they pick you up. If you have any questions you can e-mail them (link on website).

On the GBS website is a link to the Ocean Reef Yacht Club website.

If I can help any more let me know!

 

[blawler1]

I would also recommend Xanadu if you go to GB. While the hotel is a little run down and in a seemingly perpetual state of remodeling, its cheap and the dive operation is very good. If you book through their website (www.xanadudive.com) you can get a good deal on your room and 10% off all of your diving. I would also recommend the shark feeding as the divemaster "hypnotizes" the sharks by rubbing their snouts.

If you go to Nassau, I would recommend Stuart Cove's. It's a little more expensive than Xanadu, but they offer extreme diving including DPVs and 2 tank shark dives. Also, Nassau has a little more action out of the water, but you can't go wrong with either one.



:boozer: