HOLIDAYS IN THE BAHAMAS   >   CARIBBEAN 


Calm waters and cooling tradewinds have rightfully earned the The Bahamas an international reputation for sailing, with regattas and races held year-round. The islands are actually the birthplace of the Gulf Stream, a phenomenon that also accounts for their astonishing variety and abundance of marine life.

Commonwealth of The Bahamas  -  archipelago of 700 islands and cays [ small islands ], an independent English-speaking nation in the West Indies, located in the Atlantic Ocean, east of Florida.

Atlantis [ Nassau ], Devils Point [ Cat Island ], Dunmore Town [ Harbour Island ], Dunsmore, Freeport, Garden Cay, George Town [  Exuma Island ], Governors Harbour, Gregorytown, Harbour Island, Hope Town [ Elbow Cay ], Leeward Side, Little Harbour, Marsh Harbour Abaco, Nassau, Nicholl's Town, Palmetto Point, Paradise Island, Pitt's Town, South Bimini Island, Treasure Cay,  West End

Capital City of the Bahamas: Nassau


holiday homes, hotels, tour operators - bahama tours, travel guides, travel to the bahamas

links


Holiday Homes / Apartment

  Bahamas-ilse   -   Eleuthera, the queen of the Bahamas
Well-furnished houses for your vacation, during the whole year – just 2 minutes from the Atlanticcoast  of the Caribbean side, far from major streets.
  Caribbean Way
The Bahamas rentals and Bahamas villas offered by Caribbean Way include some of the most exclusive private homes in the world. This and other Bahamas villas combine with the islands' incomparable shopping opportunities and scuba diving locales to create an exceptional getaway for their guests. Both our Bahamas rentals and the islands themselves exude a beauty that other holiday destinations would have a hard time achieving; coral reefs, considered among the world's best, ring these islands and are often just steps from the door of Bahamas villas.

Hotels in the Bahamas / Resorts

  Abaco Beach Resort & Boat Harbour, AB 20669 Marsh Harbour, Abaco
The ocean-front resort is located in the Out Islands, on 52 beautifully landscaped acres of lush gardens, promoting the idea of a serene island-getaway in the Marsh Harbour of Abaco.

 

   -   Create your perfect trip to the Bahamas
Flight, Hotel and Car.

 



Travel Guides Bahamas / Related books

Frommer's Bahamas 2011
Danforth Prince (Author), Darwin Porter (Author)
Paperback: 320 pages; Publisher: John Wiley & Sons; Revised edition edition (31 Aug 2010); ISBN-10: 0470614374; ISBN-13: 978-0470614372.

   
The Bahamas travel guide.

The Rough Guide to Bahamas
Gaylord Dold (Author), Natalie Folster (Author)
Publisher: Rough Guides; 2 edition (23 Dec 2009); ISBN-10: 184836086X; ISBN-13: 978-1848360860.

The Harbour Island Story   -   by Anne Lawlor (Author)
The History of Harbour Island is a well-documented, informative, and entertaining account of the island which was once second in importance to New Providence within the Bahamian archipelago. Drawing on new material from official, church, oral and private sources, and containing numerous illustrations, this book adds greatly to our knowledge of Harbour Island specifically and the Bahamas generally and is a significant addition to Bahamian historiography.
Paperback: 308 pages; Publisher: MacMillan Caribbean (June 30, 2008); Language: English; ISBN-10: 0333970519; ISBN-13: 978-0333970515.

Complete Guide to Diving and Snorkelling the Bahamas (Dive)
"Dive Bahamas" is an indispensable guide for divers and snorkellers of all levels of qualification and experience. Enhanced by magnificent full-colour photographs, this practical book offers detailed information on the best places to witness the wonders of the underwater realm and gives comprehensive coverage of the dive sites of one of the world's most exciting dive areas. Also described are many of the fascinating topside attractions for those who wish to explore the country itself.
Paperback: 176 pages; Publisher: New Holland Publishers Ltd (28 Sep 2007); ISBN-10: 1845378954; ISBN-13: 978-1845378950.

Transport / How do I travel to the Bahamas

  Airports of Nassau, Freeport, and the Out Islands

Frequent flights are available to Nassau/Paradise Island, Freeport, and the Out Islands. Although there are no direct flights from Europe to The Bahamas, a quick stopover in Miami is easy and perfectly viable.
 
  

 
Book cheap flights to Bahamas at ebookers and benefit from discounted airfares. View their latest offers and book your flights, accommodation, car hire and insurance online

  Airline Tickets /  Bargain Flights 
Flight tickets Bahamas / Price comparison possible

Most of the major Cruise lines serve the Islands of The Bahamas   -   see Cruises


Links 

  Bahamas Tourist Board
Sun, sand, and sea are merely perimeters of the Islands Of The Bahamas. At the core of our islands you'll find a big heart, open arms, and a way of living life that is both timeless and new. It is our heritage. It is your departure from everyday life.
  Government of the Bahamas

  Nassau   -   Capital City of the Bahamas

  Andros  -  largest of the Bahama islands
It has an abundance of bonefish and the world's third largest barrier reef which is over 140 miles long and is renowned for its superb diving sites and marine life.
Home to one of the largest populations of bonefish, it is also home to the third largest barrier reef in the western hemisphere.
  Biminis
The tiny Biminis, situated a mere 50 miles off the coast of Florida, is home to the finest fishing arenas in the world, that attract many a sportsmen to the championship fishing tournaments held year round. Perhaps, that is because in the waters surrounding Bimini, grouper, swordfish, marlin, tuna, and wahoo, are as common as the sand. And for a good reason: Bimini is where the waters of Florida's Gulfstream meets The Bahama Banks, making it the area the ideal meeting place for yatchsman the world over.
  Crooked Island
Crooked Island is known for its natural beauty and the Island has many quaint villages. It provides good fair weather cruising grounds and tidal flats. It has been known as a bonefish paradise and is also good for tarpon fishing.
  South Bimini Island
  The Abacos Islands [ cc Marsh Harbour ]  -  Sailing Capital of the World
With 650 square miles stretching over 120 miles like stepping stones, The Abaco Islands are a sailing and boating universe. The major islands of this small archipelago are Great and Little Abaco, with the off-lying cays of Elbow Cay, Man-O-War Cay, Green Turtle Cay, Guana Cay, Stranger's Cay, Umbrella Cay and Walker's Cay completing the string. Sheltered harbors create a haven for yachtsmen. Colonial towns are gems of New England architecture. And the ecosystem provides a rich outdoor experience for nature lovers.

  Atlantis [ Nassau ]
  Devils Point [ Cat Island ]
  Dunmore Town [ Harbour Island ]
  Dunsmore
  Freeport
  Garden Cay
  George Town [  Exuma Island ]
  Governors Harbour
  Gregorytown
  Harbour Island
  Hope Town [ Elbow Cay ]
  Leeward Side
  Little Harbour
  Marsh Harbour Abaco
Abaco is an island archipelago in the northeastern Bahamas located 180 miles east of South Florida
  Nicholl's Town
  New Providence
New Providence is home to Nassau, the nation's capital
  Palmetto Point
  Paradise Island
Linked to Nassau by bridge is the famed Paradise Island--home to luxurious beaches, a world class golf course, the most plush hotels in the Caribbean, gigantic casinos and of course world class entertainment.
  Pitt's Town
  San Salvador
San Salvador is the first landfall site of Christopher Columbus on his initial voyage of discovery in 1492. Four separate monuments mark the exact spot Columbus came ashore, however, it is generally regarded that he landed at Long Bay where a big stone cross stands. Called Guanahani by the native Lucayan Indians, Columbus renamed the island San Salvador or "Holy Saviour," noting in his journal,
"The beauty of these islands surpasses that of any other and as much as the day surpasses the night in splendour."
  Treasure Cay
  West End

  Abacolife  -  quarterly magazine
Abaco Life has been published continuously since 1979. It is a full colour quarterly magazine on high quality glossy paper containing features on the people, history, events and activities in Abaco, including diving, fishing, boating, beachcombing and much more.
  Marinas in the Bahamas
The Abacos,  Andros,  Berry Islands,  Bimini,  Cat Island,  Eleuthera/Harbour Island/Spanish Wells,  Exuma,  Grand Bahama Island,  Long Island,  Nassau,  Paradise Island,  San Salvador.
  News  -  The Bahama Journal  -  also Love97 FM live radio
  News  -  The Nassau Guardian
  Radio  -  ZNS Bahamas   -   Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas
Live radio from the Bahamas
  TV   -   See ZNS Bahamas   -   Live TV from the Bahamas [ Quicktime ]
  University   -   University of West Indies
Autonomous regional institution supported by and serving 15 different countries in the West Indies.

Cuisine  -  Bahamian Cooking Recipes

  Bahamas Gateway  -  Recipes
Seafood is the staple of the Bahamian diet. Conch (pronounced "konk") is a large type of ocean mollusk that has firm, white, peach-fringed meat. Fresh, uncooked conch is delicious; the conch meat is scored with a knife, and lime juice and spices are sprinkled over the meat. It can also be deep-fried (called "cracked conch") , steamed, added to soups, salads and stews or made into conch chowder and conch fritters.  It is known for its alleged aphrodisiac properties. The Bahamian "rock lobster" is a spiny variety without claws that is served broiled, minced or used in salads. Other delicacies include boiled or baked land crabs, which can be seen, before they are cooked, running across the roads after dark...
  Island Flave  -  Bahamian Recipes

History of the Bahamas

  Bahamas's History  -  Wikipedia
In 1492, Christopher Columbus made his first landfall in the Western Hemisphere in The Bahamas. He encountered friendly Arawak Indians and exchanged gifts with them.
Spanish slave traders later captured native Lucayan Indians to work in gold mines in Hispaniola, and within 25 years, all Lucayans perished. Without a source of slaves, the Spanish did not bother to colonize the islands. In 1647 during the time of the English Civil War, a group of Puritan religious refugees from the royalist colony of Bermuda, the Eleutheran Adventurers, founded the first permanent European settlement in The Bahamas and gave Eleuthera Island its name. Similar groups of settlers formed governments in The Bahamas, but the isolated cays sheltered pirates and wreckers through the 17th century...
  Paradise Island Story   -  Paul Albury, Anne Lawlor (Editor), Jim Lawlor (Editor)
Paradise Island, joined to Nassau by two splendid bridges, has a defining attraction that makes The Bahamas a premier destination for tourists. Previously known as Hog Island, this tiny island has been developed over the years into a playground for millionaires and pleasure seekers. But what of the previous history of this beautiful island? First published in 1984, Paul Albury took us expertly from the seventeenth century when 'the island which makes the harbour' was a mere appendage of Nassau, on through the years when it was known as Hog Island and slowly developing an identity of its own, and then to the twentieth century to explain how it achieved its present-day name and role as a 'paradise' island. His very readable account was studded with the personal stories of characters ranging from pirates and treasure seekers to millionaires and pleasure seekers which vividly brought to life a previously little known chapter of Bahamian history. Twenty years later the story of Paradise Island has been brought completely up to date. Paul Albury's daughter and son-in-law, in collaboration with Kerzner International, have revised the original text and added new chapters and colour photographs to illustrate the Paradise Island of the twenty first century - a place that some are sure will one day be renamed Atlantis.
Paperback 168 pages (December 1, 2003);  Publisher: Macmillan Caribbean;  Language: English;  ISBN: 1405002433
  Pirates
Privateers and pirates were essentially the same thing: privateers simply carried a government license called a "Letter of Marque." Those whose ships were plundered made little distinction, and when potential gain increased, many privateers turned to indiscriminate piracy. For the most part, these marauders were beneficial to the Crown's interests, as they often ransacked enemy merchant ships. However, once a rogue, always a rogue, and the Crown's own ships became fair game when a convenient opportunity arose. By 1700, the pirates actually ruled Nassau (insofar as lawless riot and drunken revelry constitute rule), and chased off to Great Exuma most of what remained of the law-abiding citizenry. Edward Teach, the notorious Blackbeard, took Fort Nassau as his residence and played cat and mouse games with the British Royal Navy. Finally in 1718, the British Crown had had enough and decided that the pirates needed "putting down."

Music, Arts & Culture, Events

Bahamanian culture is a hybrid of African, European and indigenous forms. Perhaps its most famous export is a rhythmic form of music called junkanoo. The junkanoo was formerly practiced in North Carolina and remnants still exist in Belize, Jamaica and, most commonly, Bermuda.
Ripsaw music comes from the musical traditions of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and is characterized by the use of a saw as the primary instrument. It was brought by immigrants from those islands from the 1920s to about the 40s, who settled on Cat Island, and elsewhere.

  Bahamian music
Calypso, Soca, Junkanoo, and Rake and scrape

  Culture of the Bahamas
Music, Language [ African influence ], Religion, Storytelling, Bush medicine, Arts [ Straw weaving, Quilting, Canvas art, Coral and stone art ].

  Junkaroo festival parade

  Junkanoo and Sloop John B by Jeff Kaliss [ 2000 ]
In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), World Music, Vol. 2: Latin & North America, Caribbean, India, Asia and Pacific, pp 317-324. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books. ISBN 1858286360

 
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