Introduction
Our visit to Grand Bahama Island (GBI) September 5 - 10, 2002 was, unfortunately, brief in terms of our normal trips, but it was the best we could do with the constraints of Sandra's crowded business schedule. Nonetheless, we both were pleased that even a short diversion could be arranged. We should make the point that, unlike most of our trips to the Bahamas and Caribbean, we primarily were interested in just relaxing as much as possible and not doing a lot of exploring at a fairly hectic pace. In that respect, our time on Grand Bahama was a complete success!
The weather was outstanding with magnificently sunny days and wonderful, just right breezes. Perhaps somewhat ironically the only consequential rain we encountered was during our arrival and the drive to the resort, and then just as we were leaving for our departure home
We were last on GBI eight years ago, which at that time was our fourth visit. Consequently, we expected to see a good bit of change and, indeed, that was the case, particularly for the Port Lucaya area where we spent most of our time. One change we considered a disappointment was our perceived deterioration in the quality of the dining available. We should say, as a matter of perspective, that it has never been what we would consider particularly outstanding on Grand Bahama, especially compared to what's available in Nassau. Also, perhaps our opinion has been unduly influenced by the large number of very good restaurants we've experienced on St. Martin during trips there the past few years. But, be that as it may, we certainly can say that Grand Bahama is not a destination one should choose with the expectation of finding high quality haute cuisine.
The island itself is as we remembered - quite beautiful, with the exception of disturbing litter we saw on some of the beaches. The Bahamians we met were some of the most genuinely friendly people we've encountered anywhere. Without fail, we were always welcomed with a big smile and a sincere interest in whether we were enjoying our stay on their island. We would like to emphasize this observation applies to all of the people we encountered from all walks of life and socio/economic status. That's quite a contrast to some places we've visited including, perhaps surprisingly, New Providence and Paradise Islands.
The remainder of our write-up has information and, yes, opinions about our various experiences grouped into major topics. All the pictures you subsequently will see are "clickable" to display larger versions.
USAirways Flights
We flew First Class Charlotte / Freeport both
directions, but other than for the very comfortable seating and copious amounts
of vodka and orange, we found ourselves wondering why we had bothered.
There was no food service, no headphones for music, no newspapers and no
magazines, other than USAirways' own publication. But to be perfectly
accurate and fair about the situation, we should point out we were offered our
choices of cashews, potato chips and Milano cookies. However, it was,
without a doubt, the most Spartan First Class flight we've ever taken.
Probably because of the proximity of 9/11 and the associated decline in the number of people flying, the planes in both directions had a fair number of empty seats. In fact, on the flight to Freeport, First Class was 2/3 full and on the return trip there was only one other person in addition to ourselves and he seemed to be an airline affiliated employee.
Although the published schedule indicates it's a two hour flight, the actual maximum time for us was one hour and thirty minutes. That was nice!
Airports and Security
Check-in at the USAirways First Class counter in Charlotte was as quick and pleasant as ever, with one notable exception. One of our bags was a bit over the 70 pound weight limit and we were charged $80 for it. In all of our many years of flying that's the first time we've ever been charged for an overweight bag. The ironic thing is we were significantly under the total weight allowed for all our checked bags and easily could have avoided the surcharge with some redistribution using different sized luggage that we have. The attendant at the USAirways counter did offer us the opportunity to rearrange the contents of the luggage, but we declined. With the somewhat ridiculous belt tightening taking place with most of the airlines, needless to say, in the future we'll be paying more attention to how we pack for trips.
We did have the misfortune, if that's the right term, to be leaving Charlotte on the second day that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) had assumed complete responsibility for security screening at the airport. It took forever! The new staff seemed a big improvement over those previously providing the service, including courteousness and consideration, but the problem centered around the fact that some were being given on the job training. Many of the bags were being stopped in the "X-ray" machine while an instructor explained to a trainee how to evaluate the images of the contents. In our case, our camera bag full of cameras, lenses, film, flash units and related accessories was held inside the machine for nearly 15 minutes. We appreciated the need for instruction, but became increasingly anxious with visions of all our film being totally "fried" after such a long exposure in the machine vs. the few seconds one would normally expect. Fortunately, we later could tell no ill effects when the film was processed. Just as a side note, these days unprocessed film should never be placed in checked luggage, regardless of the film speed. Even the use of lead bags will not prevent damage. Additional information about this problem can be found at this site http://www.kodak.com/cluster/global/en/service/tib/tib5201.shtml#SEC1
The return through Charlotte was incredibly easy and quick because the U.S. Immigration and Customs' clearance occurs at Freeport International Airport (FPO) prior to departure.
Upon arrival at FPO we were among the first few off the plane and made our way across the tarmac and into the terminal where we were greeted with live music. The stop at Bahamas Immigration was quick and friendly. With passports stamped and copies of the Immigration departure forms in hand we journeyed on to the luggage carrousel upon which our bags shortly arrived. The next stop was Bahamas Customs where we were asked what we had in our luggage. After responding "Clothes," we were waived along with a smile and a wish for a happy visit.
The departure at FPO for the return to Charlotte was not quite as smooth and, frankly, was a little bit confusing. We checked-in at the USAirways desk (no overweight baggage charges) and then were surprised, but pleased, that our porter was allowed to accompany us through the subsequent check points. We first encountered what seemed to be a combined U.S. Immigration / Customs station and then there was another stop a short distance away at what was clearly U.S. Customs. They reviewed our declaration, asked a few questions and that was the end of it. This Customs encounter was in stark contrast to one some years ago departing Freeport when Ed had to restrain Sandra from saying or doing something to the U.S. Customs agent who was being highly abusive and chauvinistic to her. Just to further digress for a moment, that episode resulted in our formal complaint to the U.S. Customs Service headquarters in Washington which responded both with a phone call and in writing apologizing for the incident and asking in a nice way that we drop the matter because they were actively working on retiring the agent. We agreed, but still had the feeling he should have been fired rather than retired. Anyway, back to current events.
The next step in the departure process was the security screening. That was a little chaotic. They pulled one of our bags containing only clothing when it exited the screening machine, took it back around and sent it through again. They did this three times to that one bag - we don't have a clue what that was all about. Finally, our porter was able to deposit the luggage on the conveyor which sent it on its way for loading into the plane. We generously tipped the porter for his efforts, patience and constant good nature through the whole process.
Following the hallway arrows led us to the departure lounge where there were restrooms, a snack bar and a glass enclosed smoking room, all three of which we availed ourselves. Retrospectively, we wish we had omitted the stop for hotdogs at the snack bar because the next two days we both experienced stomach "bugs" that we could only attribute to that event. We were pleased there was the final opportunity to load up on nicotine before boarding the plane - helps us reduce the anxiety of flying a lot. We were disappointed there was no seating in the smoking lounge. Sandra eventually seated herself on the floor amongst our carryon luggage while Ed kept gently maneuvering away a young lady, with drink in hand, who was stumbling all over the place and appeared to be totally wasted. When she would attempt to stand still she swayed heavily as if perhaps she thought she were still on the Bahama Mama booze cruise and adjusting to the pitch of the cat on the ocean. We were surprised they let her board the plane in that condition.
Ground Transportation
Outside the FPO terminal
an attractive young lady was holding a sign with our name on it and she escorted
us to the car that was waiting. Our driver, Lawrence Musgrove, welcomed us
and chatted while we enjoyed a cigarette before embarking on the drive to the
resort. Even though there was a slight drizzle, Lawrence's personality
made the day seem quite bright. The limo was in immaculate condition and
the leisurely trip to Port Lucaya was most enjoyable as we recognized various
sights that brought back nice memories from previous visits.
The day before our scheduled departure, Lawrence telephoned us at the hotel to confirm our prior arrangements and to see if we wanted to make any changes - that was a nice touch. And, as arranged, he was waiting at the hotel entrance precisely at the right time the morning we were to leave. We had, on the spur of the moment, thought about perhaps doing just a little sight seeing on the way to the airport (actually, the thought was to visit the Sand Bar for one last drink there), but Lawrence explained that particular limousine was operated under some sort of bond arrangement and could not be driven outside the limits of Freeport. If we had just given him a little bit of warning about our interests, he would have brought a different car and happily taken us anywhere we wanted to go on the island. He did give us an excellent, extended ride to the airport which allowed us to see different areas. To those of you who may be interested in such service, we particularly commend Lawrence whom we found to be most outgoing, courteous, attentive to detail and perfectly punctual. He works for H. Forbes Charter Services, Ltd. http://www.forbescharter.com/index.html and can be reached directly via his cell phone number: (242) 559-0517.
The rest of our ground transportation was provided by taxis, as needed. They were always available and, we thought, reasonably priced. In each case we found the drivers to be friendly and helpful.
Our Lucaya Resort
The creation of this
resort was definitely the biggest change since our last visit to Grand
Bahama! To get to the bottom line quickly, Our Lucaya http://www.ourlucaya.com/
is a wonderful
resort and is certainly one of the best large hotels we've enjoyed in the
Bahamas and the Caribbean. That would include Atlantis in Nassau, the San
Juan Grand, the Melia Cancun, the Westin Casuarina on Grand Cayman, and the
Marriott in Aruba, in addition to others. In fact, the meticulous
landscaping and fabulous pools at Our Lucaya, in our opinion, are noticeably
superior to those at the other hotels mentioned.
Now, having made those generalizations, we'll move along to some of the details.
The
check-in process was fairly painless, but did require waiting in line about 15
minutes. We were directed to our room which was in the Harbor Club concierge
levels of Breakers Cay. Specifically, it was 
a corner, ocean side room on
the 9th floor with a splendid view not only of the grounds, pool and beach
immediately in front of the building but also across the Reef Village side and
beyond. Waiting in the room was a large vase of flowers to greet
Sandra. Those had been arranged by Ed with Beverly Cooper at Sunshine
Florist (242) 353-3441. To be perfectly honest, although Sandra
appreciated the gesture as always, Ed was somewhat disappointed with the display
because it was more or less just a large mass of flowers lacking any real
aesthetically tasteful arrangement or flair. And some of the lilies faded
rather quickly.
The accommodations were very pleasant and a decent size. The main area included a king size bed with night tables on both sides, a comfortable corner arm chair with ottoman, a desk with two chairs and a large armoire housing the TV and mini-bar. All of the wood components of the furniture and the heavy crown molding were a pleasant blond color, and the fabrics throughout were very attractive and well coordinated. Off the entranceway was an adequate size bathroom with a large cultured marble vanity, a large mirror and good lighting. Also off the entranceway was a double door closet. The balcony was a good size and had two chairs along with a small table. The mini-fridge we ordered was delivered within a few minutes and we found it quite effective for keeping beer nicely cold. Our only consequential complaint about the accommodations was the amazing lack of drawer space. There were only two very small drawers in the armoire and an even smaller drawer in each of the bedside tables. That's all there was! It would be much nicer if there were a chest of drawers which the room could easily accommodate from a space perspective.
Everything was extremely clean and in completely excellent condition. And it remained that way throughout our visit because the maid service was impeccable. A last word about the Breakers Cay building is that the elevators were very efficient, unlike those in some of the resorts where we've stayed.
While still on the subject of accommodations, we should mention that the Reef Club portion of the Our Lucaya complex was closed and we were told by a number of the staff the rooms there were to be completely gutted and rebuilt. What sounded to us like a major undertaking supposedly would be done in a six week period.
In addition to spending quite a bit
of time lounging by the beautiful and very well maintained serpentine pool at
Breakers Cay, we did explore the whole complex at length. We were
extremely impressed with the grounds and their excellently executed
landscaping. Very, very tastefully done and extremely well
maintained. We particularly liked the absence of what we call "jungle
style" planting. By that we mean such as we have experienced at other
resorts where varieties of tall foliage are planted much too densely together in
an apparent attempt to create an image of a tropical setting. We just
cannot compliment the landscaping enough at Our Lucaya. The variety of
pools at the resort is wonderful and, as with the rest of the grounds, are
beautifully designed. We enjoyed them very much. The overall setting
certainly played a major role in helping us achieve the relaxation we sought.
We would be very remiss if we did not note the exceedingly friendly and helpful staff we found at Our Lucaya. Not only were they efficient and quick to respond, much more so than what we've experienced on most other islands, but were indeed always exceptionally pleasant and at least gave the appearance of being genuinely interested in whether we were enjoying ourselves (which we were very much!). There are several individuals we particularly would like to mention. The concierge, Corey Bullard, was most helpful prior to our trip in directing Ed to limousine and florist services, and after our arrival giving advice and making other special arrangements. Without being obtrusive, he would call our room periodically to ask if there was anything he could do for us. The hostess at Churchill's Chop House, Tiffany Smith, we found to be extremely professional, attractive, poised and most enjoyable. We trust Our Lucaya recognizes the pleasant sophistication she brings to their premier restaurant. A person who was a constant source of friendship and good humor was Michelle at Hammerhead's Bar. She is priceless and contributed a great deal to our enjoyment.
Our only real disappointments with Our Lucaya, apart from the lack of drawer space, were one terrible casual dining experience, about which you will read later, and the fact that the Prop Club was closed for renovations.
Restaurants for Dinner
You've already gathered from our earlier comments that dining on Grand Bahama leaves a lot to be desired by our standards. One might jump to the conclusion that it's because of the overall English influence, which logic could be understandable, but that can't be the reason because we've had very excellent meals on a consistent basis in Nassau and the Abacos.
For those of you not familiar with our rating system, please click on Ratings.
OOO
Churchill's Chop Shop, Our Lucaya - This restaurant definitely has
the potential for achieving a 4 O
rating and perhaps that would have been the case if we had selected different
entrees. The decor is most handsome and tastefully done. The staff
and their service were excellent in every respect. The hostess was
superbly charming, the maitre de distinguished and the wait staff extremely well
trained and, indeed, friendly. Throughout the evening we seemed to receive
an unusual amount of attention, but it was in no way off putting.
Sandra declined an appetizer while Ed indulged in a shrimp cocktail that was truly exceptional - not only in quality and taste, but also in quantity and cost - 3 shrimp for $15. For an entree Sandra selected the Amaretto pecan glaze quail with wilted greens, maple spiked figs (totally delicious) and jumbo crab stuffing. Ed did the filet mignon and wild mushrooms pan roasted with olive oil, shallots and fresh herbs. Also accompanying was steamed asparagus with a hollandaise sauce. A perfectly chilled bottle of Pouilly Fuissé was greatly enjoyed with the meal.
The food was beautifully presented, but the principal shortcoming was with the quail. As Sandra noted to the waiter, that bird had been around for a while. It was "old" tasting and on the tough side. The filet mignon, though perfectly seared and cooked medium rare as requested, should have been more tender and a bit more flavorful.
Something we don't normally enjoy in restaurants, particularly those for fine dining, are loud commotions, usually with bad singing by the staff, made over a patron's special occasion such as for a birthday. But we observed there is something about the way this sort of thing is executed at Churchill's that we found totally entertaining and not in the least obnoxious. The staff would approach the celebrant playing a drum, ringing a cowbell, blowing a whistle and chanting (shades of Junkanoo!) while bearing a dessert. Right in the midst of it all was the tuxedoed and normally somewhat reserved maitre de actively participating and clearly enjoying himself. We saw this little ritual occur several times and thought it was great fun - well done!
OO½O Stoned Crab, Taino Beach - This definitely was where we had the best food per se on the trip, though the facility itself is getting more than a bit on the dilapidated side and the service leaves something to be desired. The service was, shall we say, "casual" and somewhat abrupt by some of the female wait staff. Also, this restaurant is not necessarily inexpensive, particularly for the "market price" entrees we enjoyed.
We were seated in the open air section by the rail overlooking Taino Beach. It was very pleasant, but could have been much better if the beach area were cleaner. There was various trash, litter and debris stretching from the restaurant itself all the way to the water's edge. Some simple effort would have made the view outstanding, not to mention improving the environment.
Ed
began the meal with a conch chowder appetizer which was very good, but not on a
par with that we used to enjoy so much at the old, nearby Surfside Bar and Grill
(which we understand was destroyed by fire a few years ago). For an entree
Ed had lobster tails, a large quantity of which was served. These were
accompanied by grilled potatoes. The lobster was good, fresh and
definitely the best we had on the trip. Sandra did the crab claws of which
there was a generous serving. These were also quite good. The wine
being offered left a good bit to be desired so we had Coronas with dinner (the
beer selection was quite limited too).
Afterwards we adjourned to the bar for a few more of the Coronas as we waited for a taxi to return us to Our Lucaya. Sandra browsed through the prints offered for sale in the entrance area and purchased a delightful one by Amiel Cartwright depicting an Abaco parrot.
OO Luciano's, Port Lucaya Marketplace - On our previous visits to Grand Bahama, we had found Luciano's http://www.portlucaya.com/lucianos/index.htm to be our favorite restaurant and indeed had our best dining experiences there. This time was a disappointment because we felt the quality of the food and service had deteriorated somewhat, while their prices had, on an inflation adjusted basis, held the same or increased. The restaurant still has a nice ambiance including splendid views across Count Basie Square and the harbor.
Sandra
was greatly disappointed they had none of the foie gras listed on the
menu. Instead, she consoled herself with escargot in the shell, which she
deemed "OK" but not particularly notable. Ed had the melon glace
in port wine which was elegantly simple and excellent. The Caesar salads
were quite tasty. Following the salad, Sandra had the boneless duck breast
with which she was not very pleased - tough and chalky tasting. She left
most of it uneaten. Ed chose the lobster tails which were mediocre at
best. Both entrees were served with very good baby carrots in a sweet
sauce, potatoes and a mixture of green peas and cauliflower. Ed initially
ordered a nice bottle of St. Emilion, but Sandra found it a bit heavy for her
taste that evening. Consequently, a bottle of Pouilly Fuissé was ordered
specially for her and she found it to be just right.
The service at Luciano's is good, but should be better for this type establishment.
½O Fatman's Nephew, Port Lucaya Marketplace - We selected this restaurant for our first evening on the island because we wanted something reasonably casual, were eager to see the Marketplace again and had been told they had good conch chowder. Fatman's was a complete disappointment and even ½O may be on the generous side.
The
recommended conch chowder most definitely was not good - very little conch, very
watery and full of onions. The taste was peculiar in terms of what we
would normally expect and Ed proceeded to adulterate the concoction with Goat
Spice hot sauce in hopes of improving or at least masking the flavor. We
questioned two of the wait staff at length about the quality, including
freshness, of the lobster tail special being offered and were given firm
assurances the lobster had been received that morning and would be
excellent. Not! They were not good at all and certainly were not
especially fresh. The green beans served essentially were tasteless, and
the rice and peas was very stodgy, also with minimal taste. We will say
the bread served was very good and, as a sad commentary, the best part of the
meal. We found no fault with the Kaliks and Coronas.
We complained to the wait staff who had recommended the lobster and asked to speak with the chef, but they just giggled and went away. We don't know if they were embarrassed or thought it was funny to pull one over on the tourists.
Other Dining Experiences
The following are comments about our other, less significant dining experiences.
4444 Margarita Villa Sand Bar, Mather Town - Very excellent cracked conch!!! Thank you Cheryl. Earlier that day we had visited Tony Macaroni on Taino Beach to renew our acquaintance and possibly enjoy his fare which was excellent on previous trips. But we were a bit too early because he was still setting things up for the afternoon and indicated he would have only conch salad. Consequently we had lunch at the Sand Bar and were glad we did!
44 Zorba's, Port Lucaya Marketplace - Most mornings about 7:00am Ed ventured down to the central patio area beneath Breakers Cay and drank coffee from the Plantation Coffee Cart in the lobby while making notes about the trip. The regular size cups of ordinary coffee were $2 each and after consuming several of those and taking one back to the room for sleeping beauty the total usually ran about $18 to $20. Even by our standards, that's a bit ridiculous. One of the mornings, determined to see what else might be available, Ed went across the street to the Marketplace and found Zorba's http://www.portlucaya.com/zorbas/index.htm. The very pleasant waitress was quite happy for him to sit at one of the tables on the porch making notes and she constantly refilled the coffee cup. The total charge for the considerable quantity of coffee was $1. Ed later ordered a ham and cheese omelet which was decent, but nothing special - it was about $5. Zorba's certainly provides good value for the price.
6 China Grill, Our Lucaya - After an arduous morning of lounging by the pool we decided to have a lunch break at China Grill. It took a while before the waitress appeared even though they were not particularly busy. Ed indicated he was considering the first item listed on the menu, an oriental beef wrap, but quickly decided another choice would be better after observing the waitress's unconscious body language in reaction to his initial thought. We both decided on cheeseburgers. They turned out to be awful. Frankly, Our Lucaya ought to be ashamed of itself for allowing such extremely poor quality hamburger meat to be served. At $8 each we were expecting the finest quality ground sirloin but this stuff was junk, heavily mixed with soybean. A much better hamburger can be had at any McDonalds or Burger King in the U.S. - yes, it was that pathetic. Also, the french fries were greasy and devoid of taste.
Sandra fed a good bit of her meal to the little birds who quickly lined up on the adjoining low wall, chirping for handouts. It would seem they had been conditioned to customers of China Grill disposing of their food in this manner. At least they were happy with it. Ed mentioned our considerable disappointment to the waitress and made a note about it on the cheque, but received no reaction. Perhaps most customers are too full of cocktails or overwhelmed with the idyllic setting to complain, which might explain how this type travesty is allowed to continue.
Bars
Before sharing comments about the various bars we patronized, we would like to ventilate a bit about the cost of non-domestic beer on Grand Bahama. It is totally and absolutely absurd! Even at a liquor store the cost of a case of Coors Lite is well over $40. We honestly cannot recollect another island outside the Bahamas, and we've visited many, where the prices of beer and even basic grocery products are so high. Obviously, it's not a question of whether we could afford it, but more the principal involved of feeling gouged. We found such unnecessarily inflated prices to be offensive. Particularly with respect to non-Bahamian beer, we made a number of inquiries about why the cost is so ridiculous. Invariably, the responses cited transportation costs and taxes, both to protect domestic products and simply as a source of revenue for the government that is at the expense of tourists and their preferences. It certainly cannot be a function of transportation costs since islands much further away from their import sources than the Bahamas have significantly less expensive commodities. St. Martin is a case in point where we have recent experience. For example, there it is not unusual to find Coors Lite in nice bars at less than half the price we regularly encountered on Grand Bahama. We find this annoying situation a deterrent in considering future visits to the Bahamas.
Hammerhead's
Bar, Our Lucaya - We found this to be a
delightful bar in a wonderful setting and the staff, especially Michelle, to be
efficient, accommodating and most entertaining.
Sugar Mill Bar and Grill, Our Lucaya - Enjoyed Cornell's friendly banter and watching him mix drinks with great and obviously practiced precision - glasses were always filled right to the rim without a drop spilled nor any remaining in the mixing cup.
Iries Bar, Our Lucaya - We visited here a few evenings and found it to be most pleasant with two exceptions. The first was when a couple, who appeared to be English, were there with a young child who was quite obnoxious and distracting. Thankfully, she finally conked out in her stroller - we thought it much too late for her to be in such a place. The second unpleasant aspect was the strobe lights on the fire detection/alarm units going off repeatedly. We don't deal well with the "disco" effect in a quiet bar and, in fact, Sandra is very prone to quickly get migraine headaches when confronted with bright strobes (it's the only circumstance under which she gets them). We left during one such episode and then hours later returned after being at the Marketplace, only to have it happen again. The staff weren't happy about the situation either and indicated it was a frequent problem.
We did meet a very nice young couple from Atlanta in Iries and enjoyed chatting with them. They were surprised and truly appreciative when we subsequently took care of their bar tab for the evening.
Churchill's Bar, Our Lucaya - This is a most attractive bar through which you pass to enter the restaurant from the Manor House. Just as with the restaurant, it's very, very tastefully done. We noticed several couples who stopped in to partake not only of drinks, but delicacies from the restaurant's dessert menu.
Havana Cay Cigar Bar, Our Lucaya - Directly across from Churchill's is Havana Cay which is a wonderfully intimate bar with a most congenial bartender. Sandra was a little disappointed that the variety of cigars in stock was somewhat depleted at the time and she could not find any of her favorite Macanudo or similar blends. Oh well, stuff happens.
Pub at Port Lucaya, Port Lucaya Marketplace - We sat at the end of the outside bar nearest Rum Runners one evening and watched the dance performance in the Square. It was nice, but we missed the former Pusser's atmosphere (and their great T-shirts!).
Rum
Runners, Port Lucaya Marketplace - We
stopped here a number of times during the day and evening. The strawberry daiquiris
definitely got your attention with about half or more of the content being
rum. Rum Runners had the lowest prices for U.S. beer of any bar we
visited.
There usually was a lively crowd in attendance. One evening particularly sticks in our minds. We were sitting at the rail when we were confronted by a local woman standing on the pavement below who announced she wanted to make pictures of us using our camera. You can imagine the thoughts running through our minds. Taking a great leap of faith and with a little prayer, Ed handed her the Nikon, wondering if she would quickly disappear into the crowd in the Square with $2,000 of our equipment. That didn't happen. Instead, she showed surprising familiarity with the camera, lens and flash, made several well posed photos, handed the camera back and wished us a happy evening. She then vanished. An interesting event, to say the least.
Margarita Villa Sand Bar, Mather Town - We mentioned earlier the excellent cracked conch we had at this establishment. It's definitely a fun bar with great atmosphere and perhaps a bit off the beaten path for a lot of tourists.
When we first
arrived Ed asked Sandra to remain with the taxi while he made sure the Sand Bar
was indeed open for business and not like nearby Club Caribe http://www.bahamasnet.com/clubcaribe/index.html
which was closed
for renovations. Ed stuck his head in the door and asked the lady behind
the bar "Are 
you going to entertain us?" to which she responded
"No!" Thus began a very fun, relaxing afternoon. Kathy,
the bartender, turned out to be a real gem and a good conversationalist -
indeed, she was entertaining! We also enjoyed Cheryl's wry humor - she's
the lady that prepared the conch. One of many funny moments was when
Sandra was about to enter the building she very carefully knocked all the sand
from her shoes, opened the door, stepped inside and then it dawned on her the
floor of the bar was sand. We all had a good laugh about that. As
this very pleasant afternoon passed, Kathy and Cheryl selected various island
artists on CDs and regaled us with stories about them. Some of the songs
were not what you would hear on the radio - they were in the traditional calypso
style with bawdry lyrics that were quite amusing.
We spent a little time on the directly adjacent beach making pictures and enjoying the view, which would have been great if, once again, it were not for the litter.
After several hours of totally relaxing, we asked that a taxi be summoned and with some regret bid Kathy and Cheryl adieu. You should not be left with the impression from our description that the Sand Bar is always a quiet, relaxing place. It was pretty obvious from the collection of pictures on the wall, and comments by Kathy and Cheryl that rather intense partying by a good size crowd is not uncommon there.
Beaches
Grand
Bahama has many beautiful beaches and some of the most vibrantly colored hues of
water you will find anywhere in the Bahamas and the Caribbean. As we've
noted several times because the point needs emphasizing, that beauty is
diminished because of trash along some of the shoreline. We think that
both tourists and the locals should be more attuned to ensuring this problem
does not continue.
We can say, as one would probably expect, the beach areas at Our Lucaya were immaculately maintained. We were very pleased with the way the exquisite landscaping, and construction and positioning of the pools harmonized so coherently with the beaches and ocean views. It's really very well done.
Port
Lucaya Marketplace
Our general
impression was that the quality of the shops and their offerings had declined
since our last visit in 1994. There seemed to be fewer upscale
establishments and we felt much of what is now being offered is intended to
cater to the more budget conscious visitor. For the most part, even the
T-shirts to be found were cheap, low quality and it aggravated us to no end that
there were no really decent postcards featuring Grand Bahama Island. There
were plenty of generic Bahamas cards and a surprising number emblazoned with
"Nassau" depicting locations there. Now why would anyone want to
send postcards from Grand Bahama which are featuring Nassau? It's beyond
us. Anyway, on our shopping excursions Sandra did purchase a lovely
Swarovski crystal Mayflower style ship at Columbian Emeralds.
In spite of our complaints, we still enjoyed roaming about the Marketplace which is very clean and well maintained. We noted private security patrolling the complex day and night, in addition to the presence of police. It did feel safe apart from late one evening when we were departing and had to pass through a group of young locals who were pretty much blocking a passageway leading to the main road and behaving in a somewhat menacing manner. We do feel if there had been any genuine problem the private security and police would have intervened quickly.
For several days we
observed the yacht StarShip http://www.bernielittlesr.com/starship/index.html
docked at Port Lucaya immediately by the Marketplace. It was fascinating -
what a splendid ship, complete with its own helicopter on the rear deck.
Subsequently, we were by the infinity pool in the Lighthouse Pointe section of
Our Lucaya one morning and saw the superstructure of the StarShip moving
along above the trees lining Bell Channel - quite a sight. We watched as
it exited the channel and sailed along the coast in the direction of
Freeport. Too bad the sunlight was hitting the ship at an angle opposite
us because otherwise it would have been a great photo opportunity.
Odds and Ends
As we near the end of our write-up this is where we'll address the miscellaneous trivia and opinions we want to share that don't lend themselves to the preceding topics.
Some fellow travelers always continue to amaze and shock us with their behavior, especially with regard to their blatant inconsideration or ignorance of local custom and preferences. One who comes to mind was the overweight, late 40's woman wandering around the hotel lobby feeding her face and wearing a skimpy bikini without so much as a tie wrap. She was totally oblivious to the stares and clear discomfort of the Bahamian staff. That was indeed one "ugly American," literally and figuratively. Some people just don't have a clue.
During our explorations
one morning around Our Lucaya we discovered Billy Joe's Conch Shack just beyond
the Reef Club section. It was fascinating watching the conch by the
wheelbarrow load being prepared. Just wish we had returned to give it a
try for lunch.
We do have a serious problem with a 15% "service charge", ostensibly a gratuity for the staff, being automatically included in restaurant and bar bills in the Bahamas. We recognize this also occurs on some other islands. However, as a matter of principle, this goes completely against our grain since we regard a tip as something that should be earned by virtue of the degree and quality of service provided, and not some sort of entitlement. All service most certainly is not equal. Normally, we tend to be generous tippers in the 20% or more range for good to excellent service, but for the most part on this trip we restrained ourselves because we find the automatic 15% aggravating and unjustified. Hmmm, do you get the impression we feel strongly about this issue?
Continuing along the preceding line of thought, we do have concerns that the Bahamians, perhaps we should say their government, are about to kill the golden goose of tourism, if indeed it is not already being roasted. We're talking about the onerous service charges, taxes and duties of all sorts that directly and indirectly affect tourists. We think this situation is contributing to the greater degree of budget consciousness we seem to perceive by potential and actual visitors to the Bahamas as opposed to what we have observed for other island destinations. If, in fact, there is such a corollary between the two, then the taxation of tourists is producing a counter productive, self-defeating effect in terms of purchases of products and services in the Bahamas. Just some food for thought.
We thoroughly enjoy photography and like to share our efforts with others. One of the interesting challenges we faced, other than a great deal of worry about whether our film had been ruined in the Charlotte security screening, was the manner in which camera lenses would heavily fog each time we left the hotel room. We're used to seeing a bit of that, but not since Aruba have we encountered such heavy, persistent condensation. Early one morning there was this fabulous, almost surreal rainbow arching magnificently across the sky and we missed being able to photograph it because we couldn't get a lens defogged quickly enough. Oh well, stuff does indeed happen!
Conclusion
As is the case with all our travelogues, we have tried to be very candid, objective and factual, while at the same time providing entertainment. In this respect, you should keep our negative observations and opinions in perspective - the things we enjoyed about our Grand Bahama visit far outweighed any disappointment or disapproval you've seen expressed.
Indeed, our objective for simple relaxation in a beautiful setting enhanced by the genuine friendliness of the Bahamian people was well met.
Thank you for taking the time and giving us the consideration to share our thoughts and observations with you.
Best regards,
Ed and Sandra EandS@carolina.rr.com
Pictures
Click on the rotating banner to see more pictures from our trip.
More Information
We found the following site to be a useful source of information about Grand Bahama Island: http://www.grand-bahama.com/