5 Days in the Bahamas

Whether you are flying in the night before or the day of, its always a good idea to get your bearings and get comfortable with your surroundings on the first day. Even if you are not a guest at Atlantis, they still offer day passes to cruise ship passengers and people staying elsewhere to enjoy their waterpark, aquariums and pools. Let me tell you.. it is well worth it! They have one of the best, not to mention most unique, waterparks I have been to in the world! They are world famous for having slides go through a shark tank!

Clifton Heritage is about a 30 min drive west of Paradise Island. On the main land, there is a historic plantation, archeological ruins, and great views of the calmer side of the ocean atop cliffs. The biggest highlight of this park is underwater! They have the largest underground sculpture garden in the world as well as a sunken plane used in a James Bond movie. Along with the very unique snorkeling experience you will still see great marine life. After a very tasty local Bahamian meal, you can explore the quiet beaches, grab a drink or head back to the resort when you are ready!

The city of Nassau has so much to offer for a great day trip and very close to most resorts. We walked from Paradise Island! All of the main sights are close by and in between each one you will find more hidden gems as well as shopping and Bahamian food. My favorites were: Queens Staircase, John Watlings Distillery (and their delicious rum), Fort Charlotte, and the Graycliff Hotel (right next to the chocolatier and cigar company). If you are around for lunch, I highly recommend the fish fry on Arawak Cay!

If you know anyone that has gone to the Bahamas or you do any research on excursions, you will quickly learn that swimming with the pigs is all the rage! It sounds kind of gross right? There are plenty of tours to choose from but I think we picked the best one. It was an easy one hour boat ride to a private island on the Exuma Cays where we stopped to feed iguanas, watched a shark show, enjoyed authentic food and drinks that were included in the tour, and for the finale, swam with the Pigs! They completely stole the show as they were adorable and very affectionate. You can feed them and I must say they are quite photogenic!

Hopefully you still got time to enjoy the resort mixed in with the day trips and excursions. At least you should have been able to enjoy some of classy restaurants or the casinos at night. Don't forget about the excursions available on the resort which include: paddleboarding with dolphins or snorkeling in the ruins of Atlantis. Get a few more rides in at the waterpark that rarely has long lines and hidden cenotes. It takes at least an hour to walk through all of the impressive aquarium features scattered around the hotel and waterpark. Once you have gotten the most of your trip, enjoy your flight home!