We’ve been back from Exuma for 4 days, and I think we’re all still secretly hoping to wake up and be right back on that island. Finn is constantly asking, “I go on holiday?” Needless to say, he’s struggling with returning to “real life” as much as the rest of us.
Exuma is a collection of outlying islands in the Bahamas, and we chose that location for a few reasons: 1. It is a relatively quick flight from Miami (just 45 minutes); 2. It was relatively Zika-free at the time we booked and was actually taken off the Zika list in early February; 2. SWIMMING PIGS! We’ve been seeing the photos of their famous swimming pigs everywhere, lately, and we knew that’d be a fun adventure with Finn.
The other thing we really liked about Exuma, which has quickly risen to the top of our favorite Carib islands (we’ve been to 10; Finn has been to 4), is that it is very undeveloped. I’m talking it has one road and just a handful of restaurants. No high rises. Hardly anyone on the beaches. Nothing to do after dark. And that’s totally our speed.
We have so many photos from our trip. This is the first of two posts I’ll do, and it highlights our first few days on the island. Here it goes:
We arrived at 1:22, which is the benefit of waking up at 2AM. The travel day was remarkably easy, as someone seemed to have kidnapped our toddler and replaced him with a happy, easy-going traveler who didn’t seem to mind having virtually no sleep.
As soon as we arrived at our villa at February Point, which is a gated community on the island and is in a great location, we hit the beach. (We always prefer renting to staying in a hotel, and we never do big resorts.)
It quickly became clear that Finn is a TOTAL beach bum, just like his Momma. He was meant to be an island boy (something we hope to make a reality, someday). He LOVES the sand. I mean, he literally rolls in it. And who can resist a sandy baby bum? Not me.
We decided to book a half-day excursion to experience some of the stuff on the various smaller islands of the Exumas. Exuma consists of dozens of small islands, and you have to get out on the water to see some of them while you’re there.
Finn did great on the boat trip we did in Cayman last August. So, we felt confident that he’d do well, again. Sona and I briefly toyed with the idea of doing the excursion on our own, leaving Finn with our parents, but then we realized it just wouldn’t be as fun without him. I’m so glad we decided to take him. Once again, he was nearly perfect, and he loved the trip, despite the fact that it was rainy and windy.
As I mentioned before, Exuma is known for its famous swimming pigs. So, we had to see them! They are SO BIG. I mean, like larger than a really hefty man. It was a little intimidating, but we happened upon them at the same time that there was a huge litter of piglets. So, we got plenty of less-intimidating piggy interaction.
This little guy was the runt, and I wanted to bring him home.
My parents came on the trip with us. We love traveling with them, and we did so even before Finn. Now, though, having extra hands makes international travel with a toddler a lot easier.
We also went to a little cay that had a large iguana population. Finn was super excited about all of the “little dinosaurs,” which he fed grapes and chased around. He had NO fear, which actually made me a little nervous, but we managed to escape with all of our fingers and toes. (These guys are actually pretty docile.)
One of the downsides of the island is that, because it’s so sleepy, there’s not a ton of restaurants. It’s not a foodie destination, like Turks and Caicos, for example, but we did find some good eats. Our favorites were Shirley’s at the Fish Fry, Blu on the Water, and Big D’s Conch Spot, which is pictured below. We also had a private chef come cook local food for us a couple of nights, which we loved. (Make sure to find Chef Ann, if you ever head to Exuma yourself!)
Finn pretty much lived on fruit punch and frozen drinks. Oh, well.
We also spent a lot of time at the pool near our villa, as that was Finn’s favorite spot.
Okay, maybe I survived on fruity drinks, too.
Exuma boasts some of the most beautiful beaches we’ve seen in all of our travels–and the bluest water we’ve seen anywhere. We loved exploring the island, finding little hidden beaches. Forbes Hill was one of our favorites, and we had the entire place to ourselves. (Other must-try beaches: Coco Plum and Tropic of Cancer.)
Can you even believe the color of this water?
Santana’s is one of the best eateries on the island, and the operate without any power–amazing! They are very close to Forbes Hill. So, hitting up both makes for the perfect day. They also are on another gorgeous stretch of beach, which you could, happily, send a day at.
More Exuma photos, coming soon!