Bahamas Trip Report - brought to you by Nadia

Raddisson our Lucaya Resort & Spa - Grand Bahama

A few weeks ago we returned from a very relaxing trip to Grand Bahama (stayed at Raddison our Lucaya). We had a great time, enjoyed fantastic weather and loved the soft, white sand beaches. Unfortunately, the Bahamas, and especially Grand Bahama, is undergoing a major economic downturn which takes a toll on what is offered to vacationers. The economic situation is a result of less tourists coming to the island and so unemployment is high. A large number of restaurants, stores and even hotels are closed. While the island is not in its prime, so to speak, I would still recommend going if you are looking for a truly relaxing time. The fact that there are so few people works out well for those who hate crowds or shiver at the thought of having to wake up early to get a place to sit by the pool. We greatly enjoyed the quiet atmosphere and overall beauty offered by the Caribbean. The situation in general left us less annoyed at the small number of places to eat or closed hotel facilities for example, and more feeling sorry for the people who live there and have to deal with the unpleasant circumstances. As a bottom line, if your expectations are not too high and you can get used to the laid back, island attitude about it all, Grand Bahama is still a great destination.

The hotel:

Raddison Our Lucaya was not all that we had hoped it would be. The service and attitude of hotel employees varied, from the unorganized at the front desk to more personal and sweet at restaurants, bars, towel shack and so on. Only one pool is open (and it is not the one with the Sugar Mill and cascading water), and most restaurants are closed, leaving the open ones to rotate opening days/times among. We stayed for 7 days and during that time only the weekends felt somewhat fuller, while during the week perhaps 5% of the rooms were filled. The food at the hotel (and at restaurants outside the Raddison) is also nothing to get too excited about. It is ok but certainly not a paradise for foodies. Diners with moderate expectations will also find that the food is unimaginative and simply blah, with a gem once in a while (try the Key Lime pie at Led Med). The hotel could also use a facelift as the rooms are clean but somewhat outdated. The grounds are nice but suffer from the lack of desperately needed money, cash that would allow for some extra sprucing up. The Lucaya Marketplace area where the Raddison sits is actually one of the best places to be. In the eastern part of the island you will find tiny vacation rentals that are truly secluded (as we found the one day we rented a car to explore). While the beaches there are nicer than the one outside the Radisson, there is nothing in terms of entertainment, decent dining options etc. If you really want something exceptionally low key, it would probably be a good place to check out for a few days. If you want some entertainment though and less seclusion, check into the Raddison.

Excursions/Things to do:

We really had a great time on the UNEXSO dolphin experience and on Pat and Diane’s Desert Island/Snorkeling Adventure (both highly recommended). Also if you can rent a car definitely go to the eastern part of the island. The deserted, calm-water beaches are stunning. Freeport, a short cab ride away from Lucaya Beach, also does not offer much. We went to the International Bazaar only to be really disappointed by the emptiness and mostly closed shops. On a different night we had the opportunity to take in Freeport again though when the 1st Annual Rush for Peace junkanoo parade took place. Junkanoo is a parade with costumes and music that takes places in the Bahamas (and a few other Caribbean islands) around Christmas time. Recently though Grand Bahama has started hosting one in June and since we were there we decided to take it in. It was fun to watch although took a LONG time to get started and was a bit unorganized.