Bahamas Q&A — Molly Weinberg

I’ve gotten SO many questions about the beautiful island and I’m at your service to answer them all! In short, the Bahamas were such a treat! It was one of the only vacations Daniel and I have taken that was solely to relax. We often go to cities where we’re up early, exploring the entire day, eating a lavish dinner, and then out on the town until midnight or so. This trip however was quite the opposite. We woke up because of our own body clocks (except for the day of our Exuma excursion!), took our time getting to breakfast….or lunch, chilled for hours on the beach soaking up the sun, and had no real dinner plans. I would go back to the Bahamas in a heartbeat, but would I stay at Atlantis again? Honestly….no.

Why did you Choose to Stay at Atlantis?

Daniel travels soo much for work (even more than I do) and he had an unbelievable offer for four free nights at Atlantis that expired at the end of April so we had to take the trip! It would’ve been so stupid to pass up the opportunity!

Have You Ever Stayed at Baha Mar?

I haven’t, but I would 100% stay there next time I travel to the Bahamas. It’s much newer and less children. Aaaaand we saw while driving past they’re builing a huge water park – it’ll be even bigger than the one at Atlantis!

What was the Food Like?

LOL what a topic. Well, if you know me, you know I love good food. The restaurant options within Atlantis lacked except for Nobu. You literally can’t mess Nobu up and that was for sure both of our favorite meal while there.

If you follow me on Instagram you probably saw one of our last dinners at Atlantis was in their Marina Village area called The Village Burger Shack. This is where we got two salads with beyond meat burgers on top for some substance. These salads were iceberg lettuce, with cherry tomatoes, and the plant-based burgers. It cost $60. Are you freaking??? Cause we were. Our huge salads from Sweetgreen back in Philly don’t even cost that much! Every place in Marina Village by the way are the “cheaper” options so that should give some serious intel on how expensive the food at the resort is. I’m honestly just so happy I packed an entire box of Kind Snacks so Daniel & I never went hungry.

I will say that our first night there we ventured to Harborside Resort to eat an early dinner at The Pointe and that was really beautiful. Gorgeous views, super romantic, and overall peaceful. Pro tip: wear sunscreen because even when you think you’re in the shade you’re getting burnt!! We both ordered the salmon entrée – it was good, nothing special and not thaaaat filling.

Depending on how many you’re traveling with, how important the food experience is to you, and what your budget is, it may be worthwhile to investing into one of their meal plans.

If you have the chance to leave the resort definitely check out a row of restaurants called “Fish Fry.” It’s a colorful, vibrant little area with tons of fresh fish and CONCH eateries! Conch is huuuge in the Bahamas and prepared very simply, yet with tons of flavor.

Can You Drink the Water There?

At Altantis they give you water bottle tickets. Two per person per day that you can redeem for 16 ounce Dasani bottles whenever you’d like at any of the in-house restaurants + cafes. That led us to believe the water wasn’t so safe. Then we were off the resort eating lunch at a restaurant and we ordered two waters with our meal and the waitress advised we opt for the $3 water bottles because their tap water is “gross.”

How Do You Book Excursions?

You’d think this process would be simpler, but nooooope. My best advice is to WAIT until you get to the Bahamas, especially if you’re staying at Atlantis or Baha Mar. There is an entire excursion office within Atlantis. Daniel and I learned about the Bahama Boyz through that office and were able to communicate with the booking agent through iMessage actually.

How Much Did the Exuma Excursion with Bahama Boyzz Cost?

So normally the cost is $575 per person. Buuuuut with mentioning my name you’ll save 10%. Thank me later : )

What was Included in the Bahama Boyzz Exuma Excursion?

This excursion includes the VIP shuttle to and from your resort (it’s literally door to door service), a chartered plane (you’ll most likely share it with 4 or 5 other tourists like yourself), the entire day’s activities, beverages + snacks, snorkeling gear, and lunch. What are the activities you ask?

- First up is a trip to Alan’s Key where there are iguanas running (more like crawling?) wild. Not too much time was spent here so don’t freak. Our captain told us in detail about how they live, what they eat, and how they survive – it was honestly relay interesting! Don’t feed them bread!!!

- Next up we sailed over just a couple miles to Pig beach where we literally chilled with piggies! From babies to big daddios there were pigs of all sizes and ages. Our captain taught us how to feed them carefully because they are wild and they will bite. Listen to your captain CAREFULLY! They were really cute and I loved taking photos with the little ones! So cuddly : ) After 20-30 minutes with the pigs we went to…

- Swim with the sharks at Compass Key and this was the most exciting part of the day for me!! If you’re lucky enough to get there before other groups show up, take advantage of this! Get in that darn water and overcome your fear!!!! I believe in you!!! Daniel and I paced back and forth on the dock like “holy f are we actually about to do this??” for a good 5 minutes. I got in first and he was S H O C K E D. But once I saw others in the water, how the baby sharks were actually quite gentle, I was pumped. The videos from this particular activity are SO funny and I still go back and watch them every now and again for a good laugh.

- Then came the sandbar and this was magnificent. I never actually knew what a sandbar would look or feel like and now that I’ve experienced it I’m still in awe. Our group with Bahama Boyzz was small, but I can only imagine how romantic it would have been to be at this Sandbar at sunset with just Daniel (and the captain of course). Take it all in when you’re there. It’s a full 360 degree view of the ocean – you literally feel like you’re on your very own little island.

- Safe to say we were starving at this point and when noon rolled around we were READY to chow down at Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Daniel and I sat outside to enjoy the warm sun and nice breeze – it was really nice! The others sat inside for the AC (can’t blame ‘em)!

- Last part of the day’s schedule was snorkeling in and around the grotto. Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos from this because I didn’t want to ruin my phone or camera. BUT if you just google Exumas Grotto and click the photos tab you’ll be stunned. SOOOOOOO gorgeous – words can’t even describe its beauty.

What Should I Pack?

I’m not sure if this question was meant for the excursion itself or the entire trip?? For the excursion, below is what you should bring:

Nylon Fanny Pack (dead ass) to hold all of the below:
License or ID (needed to board the plane + verify identity)
Credit Card (needed to board the plane + verify identity)
Sunglasses
SUNSCREEN (keep reapplying that shit, people!)
Hair sunscreen (it was WAY too windy to keep my hat on, so I was bummed because my scalp was getting soooo burnt from the harsh UV’s. If I had packed hair sunscreen that issue would’ve been resolved.)
Protein Bar (just 1 or 2 because the snacks provided on the boat were chips + soda + water)
Water Bottle (Stay hydrated!!)
Towel
Cover-up (boys, bring a tshirt)
Bathing Suit (Obviously! I recommend wearing that from the start of the morning with your cover up on top)
Flip flops (Don’t dress for cuteness, dress for the situation. Your shoes will literally be coming off the second you step foot onto the boat. They store them for you in a cabinet though so they don’t get wet which is great!)
Phone + Portable Charger

Best Season to Visit?

Well I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to mess with Hurricane season so in my mind all the months that AREN’T hurricane season are the best season!! From July to October is their hurricane season so I would opt to go from November to April (before it gets tooooo hot).