Bahamas (Jan 4-8, 2025):
Miami
Bahamas
History of the Bahamas in a few lines:
Origins:
The Bahamas were originally populated by the Taino Lucayan, an Arawak people who arrived around the 9th century. They lived off fishing, agriculture, and island trade before European contact.
Middle Ages:
They were not a direct part of the medieval European kingdoms, but their history changed in 1492 when Christopher Columbus landed on the island of Guanahaní, marking the beginning of Spanish colonization and the decline of the Lucayan population.
19th Century:
In 1834, the abolition of slavery in the British Empire transformed Bahamian society. The islands became a major trading hub in the Atlantic and welcomed freed people from Africa and escaped slaves from the United States.
Present:
Today, the Bahamas is an independent state since 1973, known for its tourism and finance-based economy. It is a global destination famous for its beaches, reefs, and political stability.
The hotel was great, but both Paradise Island and Nassau... NO They're not worth it at all. They're hugely overrated and everything is incredibly expensive. In fact, the capital only opens up to receive cruise ships (they're open from 9 am to 5 pm) and the locals don't even go near it.
The beaches are nothing like the pictures they're sold in, with strong waves and sharks. It's full of locals trying to sell you things, and you feel watched and unsafe despite tourists saying it's a safe island.
And confirmed by many more people there, they are the most unfriendly and unpleasant people on earth, even though they live entirely off tourism, because even the French said so… so that says it all 😁.
Here we stayed at an all-inclusive, adults-only hotel (we love them!!).
By the way, the only way to get there from the airport is by taxi, and they're very expensive. We paid 501 TP4T per trip, and from what we've been told everywhere, paying more than that would be a rip-off. In fact, they told us they weren't allowed to ask for more, so negotiate it when you arrive. Not everyone accepts card payments, and withdrawing cash from ATMs is expensive.
Renting a car or motorcycle is prohibitively expensive.
The hotel isn't huge like typical resorts, but it's very nice and has everything you could need. The rooms are enormous, the food is excellent and varied, and there's always something open at any time, unlike other all-inclusive resorts.
The cleanliness was 12 out of 10.
The hotel is only 7 years old and is close to everything, as the island is very small.
You can pick up free bikes at the hotel, but they only let you ride them around the island; you can't cross the bridge with them to go to Nassau, although you can walk.
You absolutely must visit the Atlantis Hotel (well, the whole resort, because it's huge). After 5 pm, the water park is free, and at night they let you visit the aquarium (which is only for hotel guests during the day), and it's really cool and has a great atmosphere. The casino and the hotel are also great. Overall, everything is much bigger than it looks from the outside.
Flight from Miami: €250/person (round trip) with Bahamasair.
Hotel: Warwick Paradise Island Bahamas – All Inclusive – Adults Only 4*: €641/person (4 nights). 160$ were paid at the hotel for tourist taxes, which must be paid in all hotels and the amount depends on the hotel category and the number of days.
We caught it through Trip.com And talking to people there who were going on the same days, we paid considerably less through that route.
Information obtained from the web https://www.exteriores.gob.es
Passport: It must be electronic and have a minimum validity of 6 months from the date of entry and at least two blank pages. The passport must have been issued after 2006.
Visas: Spanish citizens do not need a visa for tourist stays of up to 90 days. (Although we did have to show our ESTA when traveling from the US.).
The entry requirements are:
Return ticket.
Booking confirmed accommodation in the country.
At the entrance Upon arrival at the airport, before leaving the country, you must fill out and sign a form by hand, which will be stamped by the authorities and must be handed in at the airport's departure control.
Return ticket: You must present a return ticket dated within 90 days to prove that you will leave the country within that time.
Travel insurance: Travel insurance is recommended. The best-known and most comprehensive options are: Iati y Heymondo, If we don't need very comprehensive insurance, we'll get it with Globalfine which is much cheaper.
Vaccines: Mandatory: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is only required for travelers over one year of age arriving from countries with a risk of yellow fever transmission and for travelers who have transited for more than twelve hours through airports in countries with a risk of yellow fever transmission. Spain is not considered to be in the risk area.
The local currency The currency is the Bahamian dollar ($B). US dollars are accepted in most establishments.
Roaming: NO There is, so if you have data enabled you can take a nice little gift back.
International driving permit: It is requested through the DGT website.
It costs €10.51. The good thing is you can order it online and pick it up without an appointment. It took a couple of days for ours, then you go to pick it up and it's a cardboard card like the ones they had 20 years ago.
Click here to download the guide.
The guide also includes links above each map. Simply tap them on your mobile device to open them in Maps, with all the points already marked, so you don't have to search for them one by one.
If you want it in Word format for your notes/modifications, just ask us.
Day 2: Hotel Atlantis.
Day 3: Beaches on Paradise Island.
Day 3: Beaches in Nassau.
