Atlantis Bahamas

Best time to travel: mid Dec-mid April
Ease of travel: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $$

  • Ocean-themed resort on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, it is built around Aquaventure, a 154-acre waterscape
  • It was originally part of the Paradise Island Hotel and Casino, which opened in 1968

Harbour Island

Best time to travel: mid Dec-mid April
Ease of travel: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $$$

  • Harbour Island is famous for its pink sand beaches, which are found all along the east side of the island
  • The pink hue comes from foraminifera, a microscopic organism that actually has a reddish-pink shell
  • Harbour Island is colorful with English Colonial-style buildings and flower lined streets

Paradise Island

Best time to travel: mid Dec-mid April
Ease of travel: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $$

  • Island located just off the shore of the city of Nassau, best known for the sprawling resort Atlantis with its extensive water park rides, pools, beach, restaurants, and casinos

Little San Salvador Island

Best time to travel: mid Dec-mid April
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $$

  • One of about 700 islands that make up the archipelago of The Bahamas
  • It is a private island, owned by Carnival Corporation, which uses it as a port of call for the cruise ships it operates in the region
  • Activities offered on the island include swimming, sunbathing, scuba diving, jet-skiing, cycling, and snorkeling
  • Deep-sea fishing, parasailing, glass-bottom boat rides, and nature walks also are available
  • A variety of water toys are available for rent, including Hobie catamarans, Sunfish sailboats, windsurfing sailboards, and kayaks

Staniel Cay

Best time to travel: mid Dec-mid April
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Ease of travel: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $$$

  • Island located in The Exuma Cays, the island has a population of less than 118 full-time residents, and has an area of less than 2 sq miles
  • Staniel Cay is inhabited by a small Bahamian village which lies on the western shore
  • The island has guided tours, as well as, beach activities, such as snorkeling, scuba diving, fishing, and kayaking

Pig Beach

Best time to travel: mid Dec-mid April
Walk difficulty: Easy
Ease of travel: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $$

  • Beach on an uninhabited island (or cay) located in Exuma, and the island takes its unofficial name from the fact that it is populated by a colony of feral pigs which live on the island
  • The pigs are known in popular culture as “the swimming pigs” although other islands with swimming pigs exist in the Bahamas

Castaway Cay

Best time to travel: mid Dec-mid April
Walk difficulty: Easy
Ease of travel: Hard
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $$

  • Private island in the Bahamas which serves as an exclusive port for the Disney Cruise Line ships
  • In 1997, The Walt Disney Company purchased a 99-year land lease (through to 2096) for the cay from the Bahamian government
  • Castaway Cay was the first private island in the cruise industry where the ship docks on the island, eliminating the need for guests to be tendered to land
  • A variety of activities are available to guests including bicycle rentals, personal watercraft rentals, massages overlooking the ocean, snorkeling, parasailing, volleyball, and basketball