Bahamas Holidays

Hundreds of holiday spots

Unlike most destinations, there’s no real tried-and-tested blueprint for visiting the Bahamas. The country’s like a real-life dot-to-dot in the Caribbean Sea, with hundreds of islands peppering the waters south-east of Florida. The main crowds are drawn to Grand Bahama and New Providence, a couple of the biggest chunks of land. And if you want to escape civilisation for a bit, there are plenty of sandy cays where you’ll struggle to clap eyes on a single person.

Swashbuckling city

Picture scenes from the Pirates of the Caribbean films, and you’ll have a loose idea of what life was once like in the Bahamas’ capital, Nassau. The city became a lawless hideaway for marauding pirates in the 16th century, with a fearsome reputation. Things are much more sedate these days, with boutique shops replacing sword-wielding sailors, and taphouses instead of treasure chests. There are still history tours and pirate experiences on offer, to give you a snapshot of what Nassau was once like.

Sands of all sorts

If you ask someone to recommend a beach in the Bahamas, you’re likely to get a different answer from everyone who replies. The hundreds of islands stock enough beaches to boggle the mind. On New Providence, scuba enthusiasts nose around shipwrecks and reefs off the coast. On Big Major Cay – which isn’t quite as massive as its name suggests – beachgoers come to see the wild pigs that paddle in the shallows of, you guessed it, Pig Beach. And Insta-savvy sunbathers often make a beeline for Pink Sands Beach – just like its name suggests, this shoreline looks like it’s blushing.