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Exumas

Islands of Sea, Stars, and Pirate's of the Caribbean

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The Exumas are an island chain within an island chain. They are magical and breathtakingly beautiful. They are my favorite place to get away to in the Bahamas for pure relaxation and renewal. The Exumas are comprised of over 360 islands! Pretty amazing, isn’t it? The largest of these cays is Great Exuma, which is 37 miles long. The whole island chain is about 130 miles long, but only 27 square miles in area. Disney’s Pirates of the Caribbean filmed throughout the Caribbean and in the Bahamas. The star, Johnny Depp, ended up making the same decision we did after visiting so many islands, he bought land in the Bahamas. He actually bought an island in the Exuma chain. Most of the Exumas is part of a land and sea park, so it’s beauty is unparalleled because it has been preserved. It is a place like no other in the world!

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Johnny Depp isn’t the only celebrity who has made the Exumas his second home. Faith Hill and Tim McGraw also own an island here, and Steve Martin, Billy Crystal, Oprah Winfrey, and Bill Gates have enjoyed stays at the secluded Beach House on Musha Cay, a private island resort in The Bahamas where the nightly rate is around $25,000! There are all levels of luxury available in the Exumas, so if you can’t afford Musha Cay, you can be sure that there are plenty of fabulous and affordable places to stay here for you.

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Great Exuma, the largest island in the chain, has a lot to offer in the way of a unique, memorable, and fun vacation! There you will find a variety of resorts, guest houses, and inns where you can stay. There are many restaurants and bars. It is definitely not touristy, but it is more crowded than the other Exuma Cays. The largest settlement is George Town, which a popular spot for yachts and sailors to stop and restock their food stores and swap sea stories before heading down to the Caribbean for the season. Across from George Town is Stocking Island, a three mile island that you can hire a boat to take you to for a day of sunning and shelling on the expansive beach and a drink at the island bar, The Chat ‘n Chill. Great Exuma also has dive boats available for charter, and this is definitely the place to do it. You will not believe the stunning beauty that awaits you under the sea in the Exuma Land and Sea Park! We think this is where all the big grouper and lobster come to live because they know they are protected here. They don’t even hide, instead they swim, or walk, right up to you!

Staniel Cay is another of the Exuma Cays that provides accommodations for visitors. This area is always one of the highlights of our Bahamas cruising adventures. Staniel is an adorable little island that is very popular with yachties and private pilots. The Staniel Cay yacht club rents cottages and there are also privately owned vacation homes available for rent. Most places include a golf cart, your “car” while you’re on the island. Nearby, the main attraction is Thunderball Grotto. This is where the James Bond movie, Thunderball was filmed. It is a cave that you must swim into. You will be surrounded by schools of colorful reef fish that are begging for food. You can bring down a handful of bread or crackers and they will swarm around you! It is very beautiful. When you visit Big Major’s Cay, also very near Staniel Cay, you will not only swim with the fish, you will swim with pigs! You heard me... wild, feral, swimming pigs. Our dog Charlie loved them, and I think they liked him, too!

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Compass Cay is for the independent and adventurous water lover. Here is a tiny, tropical paradise where you can rent a cottage that comes with a boat and explore the beauty of the Exumas yourself. Go fishing offshore or on the banks. Swim with the large, but “friendly” nurse sharks at the Compass Cay marina. Snorkel in the clearest and most prolific waters you’ve ever seen. Enjoy the 3/4 mile white sand beach on Compass Cay, or find your own beach on one of the smaller cays. Here is a place where can truly unwind.

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If luxurious resorts are more your style, Royal Plantation at Fowl Cay offers exclusivity and hospitality. Six lovely villas on this otherwise deserted island house wrap guests in a cocoon of warm, languid island time. Their hilltop restaurant serves scrumptious cuisine. Fowl Cay is near Staniel Cay, and the management at Royal Plantation can arrange for trips to Thunderball Grotto, Big Major’s Cay, or even Warderick Wells Land and Sea Park that you can only get to by boat and offers magnificent snorkeling. The resort also provides sailboats, sea kayaks, fishing guides, and almost anything your heart desires. It is very private, quiet, and an experience you will never forget! Rates start at $11,000 per week.

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