Overall Impression We loved Exuma. The islands and their people reminded us of the way The Bahamas and the Bahamians were when we first visited the island nation 20 years ago. Exuma or Great Exuma, as the locals call it, is the central island in a chain of 100 cays. It is connected by a bridge to Little Exuma, the eastern most island in the Exumas.

The largest island in the chain, it has a population of just under 3,600 souls. Lately Exuma has been booming. The opening of a Four Seasons hotel with a golf course, spa and most recently a casino created a buzz. Two private luxury communities with homes in the millions of dollars are under development. They offer getaway options to wealthy owners and renters who want to get away in style.

Challenges from the limited infrastructure included malfunctioning phone lines resulting in no ATM transactions for a while and requiring cash purchases at the grocery store. Limited connectivity, limited air conditioning, few dining and entertainment options, few shopping options, variable quality products at high prices, and mosquitoes in copious quantities might keep creature comfort oriented folks at home.

For us a few inconveniences were tolerable and part of the Exuma appeal. What we liked best was the quiet sunny ambiance of the islands; the friendly and laid back attitude of the locals; and the many water oriented activities such as boating, sailing, fishing, snorkeling, diving, kayaking, sun bathing and passing the time on its magnificent powdery beaches set on idyllic turquoise waters. It was an excellent place to get away, inspiring fun and relaxation with few mass market draw backs and lots of small town charm.

Cost Of Visiting Since nearly everything on the islands had to be imported, costs were high and options few. Gasoline was nearly $5 a gallon and most foods, car rentals, meals, etc. were relatively expensive.

Currency The Bahamian dollar which was pegged to the U.S. dollar when we were there

Electrical Current 110 v

Health And Vaccinations There was a small malaria outbreak (14 cases) just before we arrived. Other than that we didn’t discover any major health issues affecting visitors.

How To Get There From South Florida (Miami and Ft. Lauderdale airports) several major carriers and some smaller ones had direct flights. There were also connections via Nassau, the Bahamian capital, to Exuma.

Location An hour’s flight from Fort Lauderdale International Airport

Measures Road signs were in miles but our rental car measured speed in kilometers

Money Issues The U.S. dollar was widely accepted. Bank ATMs distributed Bahamian currency. Local businesses accepted U.S. and Bahamian dollars. We attempted to withdraw funds from two ATMs in George Town, the largest village on Exuma. Because the phone lines were down during our visit, we were only successful in retrieving funds once out of three attempts.

Time Eastern Standard Time

Transportation Car rentals seemed the most efficient means of transportation. Our rental car company left the car in a parking lot near the tiny Exuma airport. It was up to us to find their office in George Town and pay for the rental. When we departed the island we just left the car in the same parking lot.

Technology Our luxury rental house had most of the comforts of home including electricity, running water and flushing toilets. Individual air conditioning units chilled our bedroom. The living room and kitchen were cooled by the ocean breezes. There was a phone (and fax machine) in the house but the connection was poor. Our U.S. cell phones never found a signal on the island. We saw Internet cafes advertising Internet access and heard there was cable television although neither was available in our rental home.

The rental car company where we hired our car said a cell phone was included with our rental. When we arrived they said it was a mistake and refused to give us the cell phone.

Facilities There were banks, a pharmacy, a grocery store, a bakery, a liquor store, at least two Internet cafes.

Shopping And Souvenirs There were straw hats, T-shirts and souvenirs in the George Town street market. There were also luxury items such as facial creams, incense, resort wear and flip flops at the Four Seasons boutique.

Tourism Highlights Exuma’s greatest treasure was its sparkling azure waters and white sandy beaches. There was also George Town, the main village; Williams Town, the village in Little Exuma, home of Mom’s Bakery, the only bakery on Exuma we were told; and the shark shacks for waterside fried fish and friendly Bahamian chatter. In addition to the options offered by the hotels, sunbathing, snorkeling, fishing, diving, golf, and boating were the more likely attractions.

Other Exuma is also called the Exumas, and is the largest of a string of 365 cays stretched over 100 miles. It is one of the Family Islands of The Bahamas.

Date Of Latest Visit June 2006

Reviewers© 2006 Simon and Baker, Inc.

Article by Elena del Valle

Photographs by Gary Cox

Would You Visit This Attraction Again? Yes

Overall Impression Though only a short distance from Florida’s east coast Andros might as well be a world away. We encountered friendly Bahamians the way they used to be 20 years ago at Kamalame Cay. We shared the secluded hideaway with a maximum of 8 other guests during our visit. While we were there we enjoyed a laid back, unhurried ambiance and wonderful, inventive food.

Class Of Accommodation Luxury

Length Of Stay 3 nights

Owned-Managed Jennifer and Brian Hew; Island Outpost

Size Small

Year Opened-Renovated 1998

Lobby And Common Areas Open air relaxed Bahamian/continental decor

Bathrooms Indoor open air nice size cream colored décor with an oversize bathtub/shower combination, plenty of towels in all sizes and Aveda toiletries

Rooms Open air relaxed Bahamian/continental decor. Earth tone colors with accent colors and use of natural materials (stone, wood, bamboo). Our beachfront cottage, with French doors at the front, was beautifully designed to capture the sunrise. It came with a kitchen, an adjacent small lounge and a covered porch/veranda which added to the feeling of spaciousness. There were plenty of chairs and places to lounge on inside and on the porch. We took advantage of the air conditioning unit to cool the room down in the evenings. Since we did not have a key for our room, we just left the French doors open during the day to allow the breeze to come through. The wide separation of the cottages and the lush growth provided reasonable privacy, even with the entire cottage open.

Restaurant Great House offers lovely Bahamian style continental cuisine emphasizing meat, chicken and seafood. Breakfast is made to order. Lunch and dinner are set menus. The general quality of the food was excellent. Lunches were typically salads with chicken or seafood, and dinner was a more elaborate meal with a soup or appetizer and a main course. Service at the great house was excellent and caring. We had lunch in our room the last day.

Amenities Room rate included all meals, nice selection of liquors, wines, soft drinks and beer. There were kayaks and snorkeling gear available. Our rooms included a CD player (we will remember to bring some of favorite CD’s) and shelf of books. No telephones or television in room (to reduce stress). Cushioned lounge chairs outside each room along the beach. Limited supply of golf carts for guests in cottages further from Great House dining area. Our cottage kitchen was stocked with coffee/tea service, and a small refrigerator with beer, soft drinks, cheese, crackers milk and fruit. On some days, a wonderful jar of freshly baked cookies was dropped off as a treat. There was an in-room safe available (key operated). Massage therapist available for in-room massages at additional fee (the masseuse, who flies in from Nassau had to be booked in advance. She stood out for her warm demeanor and professional attitude).

Facilities Tiki lounge with self serve bar and music system. The Great House, where all meals are served, also has a well stocked self service bar. The marina has small watercraft used for snorkeling and fishing trips.

Pool And-Or Beach A three-mile beach, beachside fresh water swimming pool and adjacent self service tiki bar.

Water Sports Resort offers scuba diving, snorkeling and fishing. Most motorized sports require advance planning; dive masters and fishing guides are not always available. They recommend guests make booking requests with at least a day in advance to ensure availability.

Challenges The remote location increases travel time to the resort. All activities such as diving, motorboat snorkeling rides, deep sea diving, bone fishing and massages must be requested ahead of time and even then may not be available. Lighting along the golf cart paths and beach was inadequate and sometimes absent completely and there was a shortage of golf carts. The lack of golf carts and umbrellas in our room made walking to/from the common areas unpleasant at times. There was no communication possible from the cottages to the outside; guests would have to walk in search of help in case of a medical emergency.

Conference Facilities N/A

Other Based on our experience there, on a subsequent visit we would communicate our interests in water sports, fishing, hunting and food preferences to the resort prior to our arrival. Due to the remote area, the staff needs a day or two notice to book necessary guides, supplies and equipment to meet a request.

Booking travel to Andros Island was a challenge. There were small charter flights available that could greatly reduce the travel time, but these were not listed on the property website and we did not find out about them until we arrived. When we traveled, there were two scheduled flights available; one early in the morning and another at 4 p.m. Coordinating these with available flights from our departure city meant spending a night in Nassau and a lengthy layover, on the return flight, at the Nassau airport.

Check-In-Check-Out Process Ease Good

Cleanliness Good, particularly for warm humid climate. No mildew or odors due to selection of materials used in construction.

Date Of Review September 2003

Ease Of Reserving A Room Arranged by a third party

Overall Service Good

Reviewers Article by Elena del Valle

Photographs by Gary Cox

Would You Stay Again? Yes

Overall Impression Overall thumbs up. An especially good property for those wishing to be near the airport and still have access to Nassau’s popular tourist attractions. When we were there, the restaurant provided great service and high quality food in a lovely setting on the ocean. The property is very colorful and has a tasteful island atmosphere.

Length Of Stay One day

Location: adjacent to Love Beach, 8 minutes from Nassau International Airport and about 30 minutes from Nassau, New Providence Bahamas

Opened 1995

Ownership-Management The hotel is a part of the Island Outpost properties, and was recently leased by Brian and Jennifer Hew.

Size 18 rooms

Restaurants Bahamian style cuisine, well prepared and with good service. Bahamian food can be a bit greasy at times, and the current management has indicated an interest in creating a lighter menu, particularly at lunch. This restaurant is popular with the locals, so the hotel staff recommend reservations on the weekend. There is work underway to air condition the main dining room for those hot Bahamian summers. The wine list included selections from Australia, South Africa, France and Italy.

Lobby And Common Areas Designed in colorful “junkanoo” theme, with bright colors and small decorative accents throughout. The reception area is easily accessible and cozy.

Bathrooms The bathroom was a bit small, but adequate. It included a small area for clothing storage and a personal safe just inside the door. The shower had a wooden slatted floor, which was a unique touch though quite comfortable to use. There was no hot water available in our room; this was disappointing after a rainy day of travel.

Rooms Our two-story cottage was located right at the ocean’s edge, which was the property’s best feature. The air conditioned bedroom and balcony are upstairs. When it is not raining, the balcony provides a pleasant place to sit and contemplate the ocean. The bed was comfortable and the sounds of the water lulled us to sleep. Downstairs we found an open air self-service kitchen and informal dining area.

Amenities Room supplies were of good quality and selection (Aveda bathroom supplies). Cable television via satellite with Miami local network stations and a CD player with a selection of CD’s. Bathrobes, mini safe, stocked mini bar, coffee service and kitchenette downstairs. The front desk offers VCR’s and a selection of videos.

Facilities Swimming pool, beach access to nearby beach plus a small cove with sandy beach on the property. Snorkeling and kayaks available, but due to inclement weather, we did not check them out.

Pool The pool area was attractive, but not really completely operational when we were there. The weather was not great, and rain left us unable to rate the pool properly.

Spa No spa on the property.

Conference Facilities Not reviewed

Other The location is close to the famous Compass Point Studios

Check-In-Check-Out Process Ease Excellent

Cleanliness Excellent – the room and bathroom were clean and free of odors (not an easy task in a humid ocean climate!).

Date Of Review September 2003

Ease Of Reserving A Room Arrangements made by third party.

Overall Service Good service throughout. The key to our room was promised, but never located, so we just left our room unlocked. The staff was very pleasant, more like out-islanders than the usual Nassau service, which made for a nice friendly visit.

Reviewers © 2003 Simon and Baker, Inc.

Article by Elena del Valle

Photographs by Gary Cox

Would You Stay There Again Yes, we would stay at Compass Point for a short stay

Overall The Bahamas is a member of the British Commonwealth, and a former British Colony. The principle industry here is tourism, and the primary attractions are the ocean and warm weather. If you enjoy beaches, fishing, diving, boating and other watersports; the Bahamas are a great place to visit. The pace of life is less hectic and moves slower than in other places, making it perfect to relax and soak up the sun.

Cost Of Visiting : Moderate to Expensive

Currency U.S. dollars, Bahamian dollars

How To Get There Commercial carriers fly daily to the larger airports in Nassau and Freeport. There are daily flights to Marsh Harbor and Eleuthera from the U.S. mainland. There are also several smaller carriers that travel between islands and carriers flying from Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami. We found it more practical to ask our resort what they recommend, as it may be difficult to identify the carriers and charter companies. Many travel agencies will not have the information in their computer systems.

Location A collection of islands just off the eastern shores of the U.S.A (Florida) and just North of the Caribbean.

Technology Level Telephones, cable television from the U.S. mainland and satellite, cellular phones are all widely available. Internet access is available for locals, but does not seem to be popular with most of the hotels (perhaps due to low demand fromguest there to relax).

Transportation Rental cars, hotel transport, boats, ferries, charter flights and taxis

Facilities Nassau has many large hotels and casinos. There is also a wide variety of shops and markets for vacationers, although prices are rarely a bargain. Native crafts and souveniers such as conch shells, coconuts and items woven from palm fronds are fun and inexpensive. The outer islands are a bit more restricted in their offerings and hours of operation.

Advantages Easy access from the U.S. mainland and straightforward tourism policies. When we last visited no visas were required for citizens of the U.S. and many other countries. The weather and pretty beaches are popular. Water sports of all kinds, from boating to fishing to scuba diving all widely available. The out(er) islanders seem friendly and welcoming.

Challenges The laid back attitude is great if you are a guest trying to relax, but it often means that maintenance is lax and attention to detail is a bit hard to find. Most of the properties seem to have trouble finding good workers to care for the resorts once they are built. Initial construction is usually quite good, but the ocean and elements exert tremendous pressure on the construction components and paint. This gives everything a bit of a “weathered” look and sometimes means the power does not stay on, the water may not always be working and air conditioning may not always be available. Note that there are high and low seasons, and many properties may not have all their facilities operational during low season (for example, some areas only offer scuba diving and deep sea fishing during the high season. Hurricanes are also a serious challenge. We keep an eye on the Atlantic when planning a trip between July and October.

Reviewers Article by Elena del Valle

Photos by Gary Cox