Caribbean & Mexico

Where to Stay in Grand Bahama

December 4, 2013

It's just 2 1/2 hours by ferry to Grand Bahama from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but you'll know you've left the States when you see the Atlantic Ocean turn that perfect shade of turquoise. Make the Grand Lucayan your home base for the weekend.

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Where to Stay in Grand Bahama | Grand Lucayan Resort | Bahama Resorts & Hotels | Lobster Salad — First meal after ferrying from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Grand Bahama island. Fresh Caribbean-lobster salad with ginger-citrus drizzle at Grand Lucayan resort was the perfect welcome.Audrey St. Clair

Where to Stay in Grand Bahama | Grand Lucayan Resort | Bahama Resorts & Hotels | Junkanoo headpiece — Junkanoo is a national festival in the Bahamas. In terms of flair and scale, the elaborate costumes, like this massive headpiece, rival those of Carnival celebrations throughout the Caribbean.Audrey St. Clair

Where to Stay in Grand Bahama | Grand Lucayan Resort | Bahama Resorts & Hotels | Gazebo at Grand Lucayan resort — A wedding site, a spot for a moment of quiet, a nice perch for a view of the Atlantic. Sitting here at the Grand Lucayan resort's gazebo, adjacent to the meticulously manicured great lawn, I feel like I could spot Jay Gatsby.Audrey St. Clair

Where to Stay in Grand Bahama | Grand Lucayan Resort | Bahama Resorts & Hotels | Garden of the Groves — Flitting butterflies, tumbling waterfalls and bursting blooms appear around each turn, each walk over a bridge. Don't leave without seeing Cliven, a red-tailed hawk rescued by an employee of the gardens.Audrey St. Clair

Where to Stay in Grand Bahama | Grand Lucayan Resort | Bahama Resorts & Hotels | Fish Fry — Outriggers Beach Club at Smith's Point is the local spot on Wednesday nights in Grand Bahama for fish fry. And don't go getting all quesy when the whole fish is plopped on your plate. Dig in. The meat flakes right off and is full of juicy goodness. Perfect accompaniment: a local Bush Crack beer.Audrey St. Clair

Where to Stay in Grand Bahama | Grand Lucayan Resort | Bahama Resorts & Hotels | Spider — These not-so-little spiders are everywhere on Grand Bahama. Through the lens they're beautiful. In person, a little scary.Audrey St. Clair

Where to Stay in Grand Bahama | Grand Lucayan Resort | Bahama Resorts & Hotels | Great Lawn — This fastidiously manicured lawn reaches nearly to the ocean.Audrey St. Clair

Where to Stay in Grand Bahama | Grand Lucayan Resort | Bahama Resorts & Hotels | Spa — After a Bahamain Wrapsody treatment at Grand Lucayan's Senses spa, where first my skin was exfoliated with freshly squeezed limes, followed by a wrap of rum, aloe and island spice oil, I'm so relaxed that I can barely make it back to my oceanfront suite. Luckily it's right next door.Audrey St. Clair

Where to Stay in Grand Bahama | Grand Lucayan Resort | Bahama Resorts & Hotels | Beach Club — The line outside this fish shack at Smith's Point is typical of a Wednesday night. Locals and visitors alike come for the best fish (and ribs and steak) in Grand Bahama.Audrey St. Clair

Where to Stay in Grand Bahama | Grand Lucayan Resort | Bahama Resorts & Hotels | Resort — For lazy days after strong drinks at the swim-up bar to the left.Audrey St. Clair

Where to Stay in Grand Bahama | Grand Lucayan Resort | Bahama Resorts & Hotels | China Grill — Asian-Caribbean fusion food is done right here at China Grill. Perhaps even better than the food: pool views on one side, beach on the other.Audrey St. Clair

Where to Stay in Grand Bahama | Grand Lucayan Resort | Bahama Resorts & Hotels | Groves — Still water surrounded by lush vegetation was a welcome sight after my run-in with the spider pictured in slide #6.Audrey St. Clair

Where to Stay in Grand Bahama | Grand Lucayan Resort | Bahama Resorts & Hotels | Lunch — The Bahamas' signature pastels can't help but make you smile.Audrey St. Clair

Where to Stay in Grand Bahama | Grand Lucayan Resort | Bahama Resorts & Hotels | Perfume Factory — You can make your own fragrance and bottle it. They'll record what's in your little potion, so you can reorder it whenever you want.Audrey St. Clair

Where to Stay in Grand Bahama | Grand Lucayan Resort | Bahama Resorts & Hotels | Groves — Now it's not Niagra Falls, but size isn't everything.Audrey St. Clair

Where to Stay in Grand Bahama | Grand Lucayan Resort | Bahama Resorts & Hotels | Infinity Pool — The infinity pool made it hard to want to be anywhere else.Audrey St. Clair

Where to Stay in Grand Bahama | Grand Lucayan Resort | Bahama Resorts & Hotels | Fish Fry — They just don't believe in separating the fish from its head in the Caribbean. And it's a good thing — the meat from the cheeks is some of the most flavorful. Deciding on sides was tough, but spicy rice and mac-n-cheese won out.Audrey St. Clair

Where to Stay in Grand Bahama | Grand Lucayan Resort | Bahama Resorts & Hotels | Gardens — This bloom belongs in Dr. Seuss books; I wish I'd remembered to find out its name.Audrey St. Clair

Where to Stay in Grand Bahama | Grand Lucayan Resort | Bahama Resorts & Hotels | Ben's Cave — Ben's Cave is part of the massive underwater cave system in the Bahamas — one of the largest in the world.Audrey St. Clair

Where to Stay in Grand Bahama | Grand Lucayan Resort | Bahama Resorts & Hotels | Macaw — A beautiful macaw sitting on the perch at the UNEXSO site on Grand Bahama.Audrey St. Clair

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