How to Spend One Week in the Bahamas

Crystal blue waters, soft white sand, and seafood for days? The Bahamas. I'll be honest, I'm not a huge beach trip person, and I think it's because I like to always be doing something and exploring. But that's what's beautiful about the Bahamas - there is SO much to do while still relaxing and enjoying the island life. My family and I went to the Bahamas for five days and did everything from kayaking to seeing the island pigs. I have outlined our trip itinerary below so you can get ideas and inspiration for your own Bahamas trip:

First things first, we decided to stay on Exuma instead of other more touristy locations like Nassau. Exuma seemed to have more local things to do and was the best place to see all the things we wanted to see. We stayed at Grand Isle Resort and Spa, which was smaller than some of the other resorts, not all-inclusive, and less crowded. We also chose to rent a car so we could get to the various places on Exuma we wanted to go!

Day 1: Arrived at the Resort

We got to the resort in the afternoon, so we took advantage of the resort's private beach and enjoyed drinks and the sunset. Grand Isle Resort offers kayaks and paddleboards on the beach for free and has a small hut right on the beach that makes mixed and frozen drinks for you right on the beach!

Day 2: Kayaking and Chat 'N' Chill

Our first full day in the Bahamas, we went on a kayaking tour of Moriah Cay with a local company suggested by the resort. This was a great tour because it was only my family, another couple, and the tour guide. Our tour guide (who is the owner of the kayaking company) and his wife have a house on Exuma, so they were able to share a lot info about the area and had advice and tips on where to go and how to make the most of our trip.

After our kayaking trip, we hired a boat to take us to the Chat 'N' Chill cafe, which is on an island near George Town. There's a bar, picnic tables, and a hut that makes fresh conch salad right in front of you!

Day 3: Boat Tour

This was easily my favorite day of the trip! I think everyone has seen the Instagram pictures of the Bahamas pigs and swimming with sharks. We found a company called Sun-Fun Tours that took us on a full day excursion to see all of that! Here's a list of all the things we did:

• Fed iguanas

• Went to a cave and saw celebrity islands/homes

• Swam with turtles and stingrays

• Ate at Ty's Sunset Bar and Grill (Ty is the captain of the company)

• Swam with sharks

• Played with island pigs

• Snorkeled at Thunderball Grotto

To read about this excursion in more detail, check out my blog post about it here. We chose the full day tour, but the company also offers half-day and private tours.

Day 4: At the resort

We spent our fourth day relaxing at the resort. My dad got to play golf on their course, and all the girls went to have a spa day! We also spent a lot of time on the beach and in the pool and had a luau-style dinner.

Day 5: Coco Plum Beach

Coco Plum Beach is very hidden, quiet beach near the resort. We got a sheet from the resort with instructions on how to get there and drove out to go find it! The coolest part of this beach was the sandbars at low tide, which were covered with sand dollars! There were also swings up and down the beach in the water. After Coco Plum Beach, we went to a local restaurant called Big D's Conch Spot down the road. It had beautiful beach views and yummy food and was the perfect end to the trip!

This was such a fun trip and would be really great for a family vacation! If you ever get the chance to go to the Bahamas, I would highly recommend taking advantage of all the excursions and fun day trips that are available.