Around the World in Reality: Bahamas

I was starting to think about our holiday destination and knew I wanted something more lowkey, especially coming off such a big trip to Japan. I still had a companion pass to use, which made the Caribbean an easy starting point.

I remembered seeing the Junkanoo festival when I was in Bermuda, and it immediately caught my attention. Since the Bahamas are relatively close and Donnell had never been, the decision came together pretty easily.

Travel Day – Tuesday, December 23

HIGHLIGHTS: Bamboo Shack

We had a layover in Atlanta and quickly took advantage of the Delta Sky Club. I fell in love with the art on the walls. I always enjoy how the Sky Club features amazing art in unexpected places. We grabbed lunch and, of course, a poinsettia to start our holiday vacation.

On the leg to the Bahamas, I was upgraded to First Class and Donnell was upgraded to Comfort Plus. It was a great experience and I had a lovely conversation with the woman beside me.

We landed and were greeted with music while waiting at immigration. We had a fun interaction with our immigration officer as we talked about Junkanoo, which I will touch on later.

We then caught a taxi to our Airbnb in a great downtown location. After getting settled, we went to the grocery store as we usually do. On the way there, we saw a beautiful sunset.

On our way back, we stopped at Bamboo Shack for dinner and ordered the shrimp snack and fish burger snack. It was busy, so the wait was a bit long, but the food was absolutely worth it.

Back at the AirBmB, we dug in. The fish burger was fully dressed and delicious, and the shrimp were large and juicy with the perfect amount of breading and seasoning.

Day 1 – Wednesday, December 24

HIGHLIGHTS: Conch & Curry, Bahama Barrels Wine Making Class and Oku Sushi Bar

We slept in and planned to start the day with a cooking class, but when we arrived no one was there and nobody answered the phone. Luckily, I reached out to Viator and was able to get a refund, so the morning was not a total loss.

For lunch, we headed to Conch & Curry. I loved the open-air concept and the music playing, which perfectly satisfied my millennial soul. I started with a Bahama Mama, which felt like the right way to kick things off. For lunch, we shared conch fritters, snapper fingers, rice and peas, and plantains. The conch fritters were a great introduction to the Bahamas, golden and perfectly round. The snapper fingers were fresh with a light, crisp batter, while the rice and peas were solid and the sweet plantains were as good as ever.

After lunch, we walked around and made our way to the Straw Market, which was filled with vendors selling local Bahamian goods. I especially enjoyed browsing the outdoor section, where there was beautiful woodwork on display and for sale.

After browsing for a bit, we made our way to Bahama Barrels for a winemaking class. It was especially convenient, as it was located on the same street as our Airbnb.

We tasted five wines, two whites and three reds, and then mixed our own. Donnell loved the sangria, while I mixed all three reds. Naming our wines was fun. Donnell called his Bahama Priest, and I named mine Perfectly Priest in Paradise. We corked and sealed our bottles, making it a memorable activity.

For dinner, we went to Oku Sushi Bar. I started with a Yuzu Spritz, which was divine. For appetizers, we had tuna crispy rice and shrimp tempura. The tuna crispy rice, recommended by our waiter, was excellent.

For the main course, Donnell had salmon fried rice, and I had miso black cod. The portions were generous. The miso black cod was flaky and buttery. Donnell also enjoyed his salmon fried rice. This restaurant as a 10 out of 10 for sure.

Day 2 – Thursday, December 25

HIGHLIGHTS: British Colonial Resort Pass and Junkanoo

On Christmas Day, we planned to relax. We purchased a day pass for a daybed at the British Colonial. Check-in was easy. We collected our passes, were shown to our bed, and spent the day relaxing by the pool.

We enjoyed a Bahama Mama and a Goombay Punch, both wonderful. For lunch, we ordered crack conch, which was delicious and well-seasoned, similar to calamari in texture.

Later, I ventured into the ocean. It was a bit chilly, but I got used to it quickly. The water in the Bahamas is stunningly blue.

As time went on, we ordered more food. Donnell had the bang bang shrimp wrap and I had fish tacos. The food was far better than expected for a pool bar. My fish tacos, made with mahi mahi and a sweet and savory slaw, were some of the best I have ever had. Donnell also really enjoyed his wrap.

After a few hours of rest, we headed to Junkanoo, a nighttime street parade with deep cultural significance, where groups compete with themed performances. We had purchased tickets in advance for seating and were glad we did. The parade started at 10:30 p.m., and I loved it. Being near the beginning gave us a chance to watch the groups line up, and my favorite was the Valley Boys. We left around 3 a.m., though the parade continued until 9 a.m.

Day 3 – Friday, December 26

HIGHLIGHTS: Bearded Clam and Private Spirits Tasting and Mixology at Downtown Nassau Speakeasy

After a late night at Junkanoo, we slept in and headed to lunch at The Bearded Clam, which I immediately noticed for its SEC banners. Shoutout to my Vol alumni and fans. We shared the Bahamian platter, which included cracked conch, conch fritters, rice and peas, and plantains.

We then attended a private spirits tasting and mixology experience at a downtown Nassau speakeasy. We learned about the history of rum in the Bahamas, including rum running in the 1920s, the island’s population, particularly its Indigenous Arawak people, and its geography with 700 cays. We also tried a rum runner and mixed our own cocktails. This was truly a great experience, and our host was wonderful.

For dinner, I found Tiki Bikini Hut for pizza Friday. The highlight of the experience was the Painkiller cocktail. A kind gentleman even told the bartender to make us a shot while we waited.

Nonetheless, the cheese pizza was mediocre and took over 45 minutes to arrive. While the Bahamas is not known for pizza, this one was a miss for me.

Day 4 – Saturday, December 27

HIGHLIGHTS: Nassau’s Flavors with a Local Foodie Tour, National Art Gallery of the Bahamas and Gourmet Seafood House

We slept in and took a four-hour tour exploring Nassau’s flavors with a local foodie. We met at Bahamian Cookin’, an authentic Bahamian restaurant. We started with conch fritters, rice and peas, macaroni, slaw, and fish for us pescatarians. Everything was amazing.

Walking to our next stop, we came across beautiful street art.

We also took a detour through Graycliff to admire its beautiful decor and the impressive wine bottle Christmas tree.

Next, we visited Graycliff Chocolate Factory where we tasted Key Lime and Island Rum and Coke chocolates. Key Lime was my favorite.

Nearby was John Watling’s Distillery where we were greeted with a welcome cocktail tasting. We then sat outside and relaxed with a piña colada and a yellowtail fish taco.

We finished the tour with stops at The Towne Hotel for a Bahama Mama and the Captain’s Deck for a plantain cup with fish. Overall, we enjoyed the experience.

Since we were nearby, we made our way to the Queen’s Staircase. I really appreciated learning about its history, as well as taking in its beauty in person.

The National Art Gallery of the Bahamas had been on my list since it opened, but we were not able to visit earlier due to the holidays. I was excited to see it was still open after our tour, and I am so glad we made the time. The gallery featured beautiful pieces that I truly enjoyed throughout.

We even had the opportunity to meet the artist behind the Silverfish exhibit, who shared her inspiration and creative process, which made the experience even more meaningful.

Later, we went back to John Watling’s Distillery for a self-guided tour and a Bahama Grammy cocktail.

We had some time to pass before dinner, so we wandered over to a nearby park and played around like big kids in the leftover Christmas decor.

Dinner was at the Gourmet Seafood House. We started with a seafood dip made with lobster and shrimp, which was rich and flavorful. For our main courses, I had pan-fried snapper and Donnell had salmon.

We finished with rum cake for dessert, which was absolutely delicious. Every single bite was a hit, another 10 out of 10 restaurant for the trip.

Travel Day – Sunday, December 28

We caught a shuttle to the airport for our return home. NAS airport is a preclearance location, so we went through customs there. Using TSA Pre-check and Global Entry made the process extremely fast, taking less than five minutes. We relaxed in the club and had light bites.

During our layover in Atlanta, I remembered I had one more Sky Club pass. I used the Delta Sky Club Grab and Go option, which allowed us to get four items. It was just enough to get us back to Raleigh.

Final Thoughts

The Bahamas was the perfect reset we both needed after a big trip. I truly enjoyed Junkanoo, it honestly made the whole experience for me. I greatly appreciated the opportunity to see, hear, and feel Bahamian culture. We enjoyed plenty of great food, but Gourmet Seafood House was a standout. The seafood was so fresh and delicious, and we thoroughly enjoyed every bite.

We would absolutely come back to the Bahamas, but next time we would likely look to explore another island, since there are so many to discover.