One Last Bahama Mama
Heyyyy 😀 Hope your Tuesday has been wonderful <3
Our last day in the Bahamas was pretty much like every other day there… amazing 😀
The pilot said that life in the Bahamas is like a weekend, every day for a week. I totally agree.
After this morning’s Insanity, we went to the Italian restaurant for bfast.
I got the usual smoked salmon and egg whites
and oats
(I asked for half a bowl this time, which ended up being perfect)
We went back to the room, packed up, and spent the day at the beach with T-bone and Jeni.
The pool was closed today, so they had a ton of food set up on the beach, music, a bar, water sports and games (like tug-of-war and volleyball).
The pilot and I did one more kayaking trip and then grabbed a snack.
A cheffer was making this conch ceviche right on the beach!
This, by far, was the best thing I ate on this trip.
He had all of the ingredients out:
Along with conch shells, straight outta the ocean.
Take a gander at that, heh heh.
The conch ceviche was INCREDIBLE (like a spicy pico de gallo with fish and citrus)- I also had some fruit and one last Bahama mama.
Perfection.
This trip was such a blasty and MUCH needed after the craziness the pilot and I have been going through lately. I don’t discuss this much on the bloggy because I’m not a complainer, but the pilot works a LOT and I have three jobs, so things get a little busy and frantic sometimes. I thrive on stress and being a busy bee, but it felt like heaven to take a week with nothing to do and enjoy the company of that guy I’m in love with 😉 Even better: I feel rested, refreshed and ready to go 😀 We were wound up pretty tight when we left for vacay and both feel like different people.
Since many of you were asking about the deets on where we stayed, here’s all the info for ya:
-We stayed at Sandals Emerald Bay in Great Exuma
-The resort is all-inclusive and all-butler (so each couple has their own personal Butler for their stay)
– There is a full-up spa, excursions that you can take (we didn’t do any because they’re pretty pricey wicey), 2 pools (party pool and a quiet pool)
, tennis, deep sea fishing, a full-up gym (with yoga classes), 3 restaurants and a pub (which has excellent food as well)
– “Best of” eats: Bahama Bay has a Mediterranean-style menu (with an awesome appetizer and dessert buffet- home of the glorious sundried tomato pesto) and was perfect for dinner or breakfast, Il Cielo is the swanky Italian place (you need reservations 48 hrs in advance) with great food and a girl who sings like an angel (I wanted to pretend it was my birthday!), Drunken Duck has AMAZING drinks and excellent pub food- the pilot loved the cheeseburgers and wings and I enjoyed the vegetables and curry shrimp, Barefoot has a great dinner menu and has the coolest atmosphere- you dine on a picnic table facing the ocean with your feet in the sand
–LOVED:
The FOOD! It was soooo easy for me to find food that I wanted to eat and it was all fresh and delicious. No food complaints at all, and even when I requested weird off-menu things (grilled veggies, grapes and salad for lunch) and drinks in coconuts, they were happy to oblige. My butler said he climbed a tree to get the coconuts for us (he was joking, but it goes to show that they’ll take extra steps to make sure you’re happy)
The service and people. Everyone was so friendly, so pleasant and truly accommodating.
The goods. This place had top-shelf alcohol in the bars and in our rooms, which I hear is unusual for all-inclusive places. They were also very generous with it, especially when they filled the pilot’s 64 oz Bubba Keg with mudslide for him.
The extra stuff to do. Even though it’s more of a “chill out and relax” type resort, they offered a lot of fun activities for each day (hello Shell painting and chocolate buffet). There was also an afternoon tea every day, which I was a fan of 😀
-Meh:
The butler thing is a good idea in theory, but from the beginning I could tell that we wouldn’t be using it very much. When we did call our butler, it often took 45 min to an hour to get food, so we’d have the anticipate when we’d be hungry or just go get it ourselves. The butler thing would work if it were managed a little better (I think they may be low-staffed) but I wouldn’t go to this resort just for the Jeeves aspect.
The pilot’s Bubba Keg was accidentally taken from the room by housekeeping and they couldn’t track it down. We had to talk to 3 different people (it wasn’t the fact that we had a deep attachment to the mug, but it was weird that something was randomly taken from our room), but management reimbursed us for said mug. Problem solved.
Would we stay here again? MOST DEFINITELY. Our room was gorgeous, the food and drinks were fantastic and we got a romantic week of R&R. We’re thinking of making this a yearly thing 😀
I also took some video while we were there just to give ya’ll an idea of what the property looks like and will post it sometime tomorrow.
Thanks again to Heather for booking our trip <3
We just landed in Miami and are on a mission for Cuban food. See ya from Hotlanta!
xoxo,
Gina
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I can’t wait to see the video! The resort looks gorgeous and sounds great. That is odd and kinda scary about the bubba keg – at least they reimbursed you for it!
I am going to add this on places to visit as of right now! The resort was beautiful, thanks for sharing your trip with us!
I think it is so helpful to hear the pros and cons of your resort. I think that is one of the hardest things about taking a vacation. You hear so many mixed reviews, but at least we know this review is LEGIT! Sounds like a trip you will never forget, safe travels!
Wowza looks like you had an amazing time!! That is kind of funny having your own butler – but stinks it took so long to get food!
I’m glad you had such a great time! That hotel looks amazing!
Wow looks so beautiful, and I love that all the food was included 🙂
Life is full of “crazy” and it’s always nice to take a break a slow down, especially with the one you LOVE! Glad you had a wonderful time. 🙂
Looks like you had an amazing time! I will definitely look into that resort if I ever go to the Bahamas! 🙂
Looks like you had an amazing time!! Hope your flight back went okay! aside from you being nosh from turbulance
Thanks for the review….it looked like such an amazing vacation. You guys deserved it….and I agree that it should be a yearly thang!! 🙂
Looks absolutely fantastic. Safe travels!
You can’t leave…I’m living vicariously through you, haha! Glad you enjoyed your much needed vacay! Its always nice to go somewhere with such fresh foods and wonderful beaches. Cheers to finally getting your honeymoon!
I knew it had to be a Sandals resort! You should most definitely make it a yearly trip…everyone needs a vacation at some point in a year!
Oh girl, you know they knicked the pilot’s big mug on purpose so they wouldn’t have to keep filling that big ole cup with premium alcohol! 🙂 Joking of course, glad the vacation was such a blast!
Aww. This vacation sounds amazing. Just wanted to say I am really happy for you!! You deserve a vacation. Thanks for sharing it with us even though you are miles away.
Looks like lots of fun!
Thanks so much for sharing your vacation with us! Life can certainly be very hectic and stressful, its nice to be able to take a step outside of our crazy worlds and enjoy some R&R with the person we love the most! Have a safe flight home.
i cant wait to see the ocean, i have never seen it in my life. and that picture with you looks absolutely beautiful (the water AND you)
so glad you relaxed and had a great time, its needed from time to time! I’ve been working full time with one job and part time with school lately so it gets crazy, especially doing homework til at least 10pm and then being up at 630am for work. I can’t wait for a vacation 🙁
Beautiful water! Kev and I go to an all inclusive every Dec. in Jamaica. I highly recommend that you make it a yearly trip because it does amazing things for the soul. Maybe a vow renewal on the beach would be in your future too. We did that and it was THE most amazing experience!
Sorry to hear about the mug, that is just wrong. I would be ticked if something was removed from our room like that and especially something that stood out like that mug. Cannot believe that happened.
I’m sure the butlers are on island time LOL! Looking forward to the video.
Looks like a great time – thanks for the review!
Popped in to say hi! It looks like you had a wonderful trip!
hi! thank you!
Sounds amazing! I just got back from vacation, but now I want another 🙂
Looks pretty delicious! And the place is so relaxing. Hope I can visit the place too..
Yay for some R&R and time with your loved one! Life gets hectic and vacations are just necessary!
What I would GIVE to have egg whites and smoked salmon for breakfast every morning!
At least you’re all loosened up and ready to come back home! The sad part about vacations is always leaving. 🙁 Haha.
sounds like the perfect vacation! thanks for you honest opinion of it 🙂
Ohhh! Thanks for the reveal! I’ll have to add that one to the list! My boyfriend and I are planning an all-inclusive next spring when I’m done school to celebrate me being done school and for him putting up with my crazy schedule due to full time work and school. It’s definitely a motivator!
I never understood the all-inclusive thing until I went to the Dominican in 2008. Now I understand it all too well! 😀
I have heard SUCH good things about Sandals! Really, for me, the food is like way up there in terms of whether I would visit a resort again or not. And not just whether they have good cheeses…. but mostly if they have good cheeses 😉
I have been sooooo impressed with the food options that you have been able to find at the resort. The food looks so fresh, as opposed to the food at many all-inclusive resorts! Did you research the food options at Sandals before you booked your stay?
After the 64 oz. mudslide, it wouldn’t surprise me if the resort put a hit out on your keg mug!
Why aren’t there affordable all-inclusive resorts in the U.S.? Anyone know of any? I love the concept but don’t like international travel.
I love and miss the ocean so much! The Lover is an ocean weenie so vacays like that are no-gos for us. 🙁 so glad you were able to unwind and get your drink on!
That sounds like an ah-mazing vaca! I’ve never eaten conch before, but I am a lover of pretty much all seafood, so that sounds awesome. Safe trip back!!
I’ve never tried conch ceviche but it looks amazing! Have a safe trip home!
How gorgeous! I’m jealous- it’s cole and rainy here in NYC : (
NEver seen those sells with actual animals in it! They are so pretty though
Enjoy the last moments of your trip
Hello 🙂 I’ve been lurking and reading for a few weeks 🙂
We got married at/honeymooned at Sandals Whitehouse in Jamaica last year. It. Was. Amazing. We didn’t go for a butler, but we still had a suite and room service, and it was perfect. The resort was unbelievable, the food was great also, and when all was said and done, it was worth every penny.
I’m so glad you did a review on your resort. We have been wanting to visit the Bahamas and maybe will actually make it happen this year. We will check out that resort, food is obviously my #1 priority on vacation! Have a safe trip home 🙂
sounds like a wonderful and relaxing vacay! Although, for future reference, conch is NOT considered a sustainable eating fish. It has been overfished and the waters it lives in have been somewhat polluted. Just for your reference 🙂
WOW! What an amazing trip! So glad you got to experience that. I can’t wait to see the video
That is kinda weird that your hub’s huge mug got taken. But the resort looks and sounds perfect, otherwise! This post makes me look even more forward to the hubs and I August vaca!!
-emily
Hi Gina,
I read your blog a lot but have never commented. I also just returned from the Bahamas – Harbour Island – and when I saw your post on the conch I HAD to comment! We were obsessed with it on our trip….the first mate on our boat made a killer conch ceviche and one of the local places made an AMAZING conch salad, which was similar but even better – i think it had jabanero peppers, so it was super spicy. If you ever visit Harbour Island, you should try to find it! (Sorry, no idea what the place was called….) Glad you had a great trip, love the blog.
–Emily
that conch ceviche looks amazing! i love ceviche, but never tried it with conch.
Thank you so much for sharing your vacay with us! Amazing pics and deets!!!
And also, thank you for sharing where you stayed…I will be looking into this as a possibility for when my husband and I plan a trip to the Bahamas!!!
Glad you guys had fun and are safely back. 🙂
Thanks for sharing the pictures. I’ve been to the Bahamas before but it was only for day during a cruise stop.
Do you think this resort is good for wedding venue?
yes, it would be a perfect wedding venue!