5 Day Bahamas Islands-Hopping: Nassau, Exuma and Eleuthera

As we learned from past experiences, we decide not to pack the second day with a bunch of activities. That usually ends up with us rushing through the day feeling like we’re running errands without a break instead of enjoying the vacation.

So we started the day around 7:30 and got breakfast in one of the hotel’s restaurants. After the light meal, we couldn’t resist a little walk around the resort so we start wandering to have a better feel of the area. The waterpark got even more awesome for us because there is no line and no crowd in the morning. Beat that, SixFlags!

The waterpark at Margaritaville resort is indeed a lot smaller than those on Paradise Island, but it’s a decent size for all the family fun and won’t wear you out for the rest of the day. We wanted to enjoy the beach a little bit before lunch, but the Margaritaville side becomes a bit crowded with more than 6 people so we headed out to the One Particular Habour end. You will stroll through a shaded boardwalk, and if timing is wrong you will see a bunch of cruise ships docking from afar.

There is a lovely tropical garden on the path to the One Particular Harbor beachside, I think you will find it a surprisingly pleasant walkthrough, too.

If it wasn’t time for Flamingos, we would spend the entire day floatng and melting away in the warm and clear water of the Bahamas.

Well, there will be more times for soaking in the next few days. Today, we adventure. And we will walk the Ardastra Gardens & Zoo to meet some families of Flamingos!

But wait, if you happen to see a roadside fruit market on the way here, be sure to stop by and support the locals in exchange for some delicious coconut water or fresh fruits!

The Ardastra Gardens & Zoo has a lot more to offer than just Flamingos and their marching show, and I won’t spoil it for you. You will meet a lot of different animal species there and even be friends with a few cool parrots if they really like you.

There is a reserves habitat for the health and livelihood of these cool birds, so if you have keen eyes you probably can spot a flamboyance hanging out in the pond behind the fences.

In my opinion, Ardastra Gardens & Zoo is a wonderful way to spend the afternoon away especially when you are a nature and wildlife lover. If you have kids, they will absolutely enjoy all the activities and learn a lot from the bird and snake shows. Be sure to check the current schedule for admission rates and show times. We didn’t stress on the show schedule however, we just arrived spontaneously as we went.

We wish for all the rescued animals here a long, happy and healthy life!

Speaking of healthy, we both agree that all that walking now deserves a good meal before we head off somewhere else. Hence on the way back we stop by Fish Fry St –a strip of popular seafood restaurants on the island.

I guess you can’t go wrong with any of them; but if you are unsure, you could just go up and down the block to see menus, then make the informed decision by… rolling the dice.

The Twin Brothers was our choice. Now looking at this photo, we didn’t notice the storm cloud was right above us then. It started pouring while we were dining, completely unaware, and by the time we finished our meals it was back to all hot and sunshine again. Tsk, island weather <3 !

As we were leaving, we came across a public beach on the right of Esplanade Way, with a whole lot of Coral stones and white pebbles by the shoreline. I believe it’s called Long Wharf Beach –a warm, open water as clear as crystal and it’s absolutely quiet if you come at the right time. Otherwise, the place probably will be crowded with both tourists and locals.

We got here around 4PM right after the storm just passed and the sun was less angry, then it’s nothing but an amazing scene for us. There might be a lot of adorable little seagulls hanging out in queue and ready to murder you for food.

While I wandered the beach, my wife was busy with her creation. By the time she was done and I took this picture without realizing later that the cloud formation above her was sort of mirroring the balanced rocks. So cool!

As the storm recedes and it’s still bright outside, we decide to cross the bridge to visit Paradise Island. There are several places you can stop and have fun for the rest of the evening such as the Seagrapes Lagoon Marine Habitat, Paradise Lagoon or the Dolphin Cay Atlantis.

Those are the amenities of the chain resort Atlantis Bahamas, though it’s often free to visit after 5PM but expect to pay an admission fee if you hope to go in during peak season.

For us, we have more exciting activities the next days so I didn’t find the need to get ripped off for the last couple hours of sun light, so we made a right turn after the bridge and went down the road to the East side of Cabbage Beach instead. As you can see in the circled area above, I placed the Free Parking pin which you might find it useful. There are a few spaces for your car at the end of the road before you crash straight into the Paradise Island Beach Club.

From there, it’s a short walk to a stairway that takes you straight to yet another beautiful beach of the Bahamas.

The Cabbage beach looks out the northern open sea and the view of the horizon is a sight to behold.

If you are here with your loved one, it will be a walk to remember. Enjoy this spectacular moment, when time seems to slow down to each passing wave and the dimming ray of the afternoon sun slowly slips away from your skin. Well, up until your tummy start rumbling again. I know ours did.

So we head back to the main road, ready to return to our resort. As we drove down the street, my wife took noticed of the Versailles Gardens and French Cloister –a beautiful terraced garden of the nearby 5-star Four Season The Ocean Club Resort.

Naturally we couldn’t resist, so we parked down the road and walked up to check out all the medieval cloisters. On the sidewalk that leads to the upper garden, you may come across a few of these wild Pokemon…

My photos can’t justify the magnificent wonder of the Gardens nor the meow at all, you should take a look at all the pictures on Google to have a sense of what it’s like here. There are plenty of impressive statues and arts in these museum-gardens, surrounded by beautiful plants, flowers and landscaping.

By the time we finished our 20 minute walkthrough of the gardens, the sun has started to set so we were really ready to get back to the hotel and call it the night. Today went pretty well in my itinerary and we got to enjoy everything we wanted at our own pace, so we didn’t feel rushed nor exhausted by the evening at all.

We tuned in right after dinner, feeling excited for the islands hopping tomorrow!