Off we go to Freeport, Grand Bahamas for a little winter R&R. Along with the four of us was two of friends that do a lot of traveling with us. I had only been to the island of Exuma several years ago and really enjoyed it so I was really looking forward to seeing what Freeport had to offer.
We meant up with Doc and Troya at the Island Seas Resort where we’d all be staying. On their arrival late that morning they were told by the check-in staff that the rooms may be ready around 230pm, check-in was 4pm, turned out our rooms weren’t ready until closer to 5pm. The resort was fairly large with 3 buildings of rooms across the street from the main resort. Of course our rooms where across the street though Brax had requested beach view rooms. I get it’s only a request but it didn’t seem like the place was close to being full. When we finally got our room keys and went to collect all our luggage the bellman offered us a cart but I didn’t get the impression he would bring us our luggage on the cart so we just took our own stuff and headed across the street. Our rooms were close as was requested but one on the first floor and the other on the second floor which wasn’t a biggee. Our rooms were spacious, 2 bedroom with kitchen and living room area. Appeared very clean until we walked barefoot, apparently mops aren’t used. Our kitchen was minus a coffee pot and toaster but Troya and Doc’s room had both. Getting coffee filters was like pulling teeth, they gave us a few then I ended up buying more toward the end of the week.
Our view overlooked a large canal with homes lining the canal, it certainly could have been worse. On the outside of the rooms I noticed several of the casing around the air conditioning units were falling apart. Not sure when the last time the place had been painted, it looked like it needed it along with some other maintenance needs. The grounds in general were clean and neat but very minimal as far as decor goes. I realize this was not a five-star resort but the place really has potential.
That Friday night we ate at the resort restaurant. It was a buffet that was decent, not a ton of selections but what was there was good.
Saturday we decided to hang out by the pool/beach. The weather was partly sunny and warm. Average this time of year is mid-70’s to low 80’s with the water temp in the 70’s. We participated in some afternoon(may have been late morning) cocktails that were tasty. This was the first resort I’ve stayed at that there wasn’t a wait person taking orders so if we needed a drink we had to go to the bar but if we needed food we couldn’t order from the bartender, had to be from another person. Maybe during the busy season they have poolside/beach wait staff. The food was good, the greek chicken salad was awesome!!!
After we had been laying out and relaxing we took a walk down the beach. There was a beach/road side cart called Michelle’s that had a menu of lobster, conch, fish, chicken and pork. Michelle was out on the beach, hustlin’ for business. She was very nice and swore we’d enjoy her food, offered up a deal on the lobster dish if we’d return. We continued down the beach where we came across an outside bar called On Da Rocks so we stopped to check it out. The bartender was awesome, warmed up to us crazy Californians after a bit. We taught him a drink or two. They also had food there, fresh conch being pulled out of the shell as we watched. Brax ordered the conch and lobster dish and conch fritters. We got the fritters first…YUM!!!!! Then sometime later Brax came over with a styrofoam container full of conch and lobster in a spicy, garlic lemon sauce. It was delicious!!!! I think really the best food all week.
Brax had spoken with one of the taxi drivers earlier and got some info on what to do and where to eat for dinner. We really wanted to eat good local food. Dave, the taxi guy, recommended a place called Sire’s, so off we went. The place reminded me of on old fastfood restaurant with the counter that was turned into a bar and tables with bench seating. Lots of locals which to me means it’s probably good. We sat outside where they had a large pull down screen that they showed TV on. The waitress was nice but not overly friendly, kinda felt like we might have been bothering her. A few things on the menu they didn’t end up having, lobster being one of them along with a couple of bahamain beers we wanted to try. Cracked conch is what we came to understand was a mainstay of a Bahamian diet. Basically it’s pounded out conch then lightly floured and fried. Rice and peas(think red beans), plantains and macaroni(mac’n’cheese) are also common sides. The cracked conch and shrimp I had was pretty good, the fish fingers were delicious. Grouper is a common fish used in dishes. If you like fish and have an opportunity to try grouper I’d recommend it. It’s got great flavor, mild, slightly firm and not fishy tasting/smelling at all!
Sunday afternoon we dove with Sun Odyssey dive shop. It was very convenient, walking distance from the resort. Nic the owner got us all checked in then directed us to follow Doc(he was doing his check out dives here) to get our BC’s, wetsuits and regulators. After helping ourselves to the equipment with some assistance from Mya, Nic’s assistance, we headed to the boat. Once on the boat we put BCD’s and regulators on tanks. Luckily we had Brax, he’s a master diver and I am a fairly new diver, so he could double check we had it right. Our first dive was a very shallow dive so Doc could do some of his check off requirements. When we arrived to the site, Nic instructed Mya to take 2 other divers that were with us down while he took Doc down and told Brax to take Bacon and I down and basically do and go where we want. The visibility was great, some beautiful fish and coral but nothing super exciting. About half way thru our dive I started having problems with by BCD filling with air, fortunately this was a very shallow dive. When we got on the boat I showed Mya what it was doing then told Nic who didn’t seem to concerned, that bothered me. Our second dive was a wreck dive that was approximately 50ft down. When I jumped in, the secondary regulator was constantly blowing air so I got back on the boat and Nic replaced it with a different one. Back in I went but unfortunately as I approached the site of the wreck I started to feel I was really having to work to breath and the deeper we went the harder it was so as much as I tried to relax and talk myself out of having a bit of a panic attack I couldn’t. I got Brax’s attention and made our way back up to the boat…such a bummer!!!
That evening we went back to Michelle’s on the beach for dinner. She gave us a great deal on the lobster dish which included 2 small tails, rice and peas, plantains and cabbage and carrots for $10. It was very good as was the conch dish she made.
Monday we went to Port Lucaya, a popular tourist spot. The resort offered free regular shuttles to and from. Port Lucaya had several restaurants and bars along with little shops and marts. I was disappointed with the shopping. Nothing very unique, every little shop had the same junk basically. I did find a cute shell ring for $12 at the cigar shop. Several places had happy hours so we of course took advantage of that. While walking around trying to decide where to eat for dinner, we asked a local woman named Genny where she might recommend. She was very friendly, said her husband had an Italian restaurant named Giovanni’s if we felt like Italian but also said there were several good restaurants. In the end we went to their restaurant and were not disappointed. Genny came to our table said not only did they have Italian food we could also order Caribbean food as well. We all ordered the same thing because it was a fantastic deal. The menu over all looked good, lots of choices but they had a deal for 2 people that included soup or salad, wine, Frutti di Mare pasta(mussels,conch,shrimp,lobster in garlic and olive oil) and dessert for $45. The wine selection in the Bahamas appears limited as is the knowledge about the wines at least in places we went. The wine that came with our dinner was a burgundy but the waitress didn’t know the name of it. It wasn’t very good but we did order a bottle of Bardelino from Italy that was reasonably priced and was decent. It was on the light side, decent fruit not sweet and slightly tart but paired well with our food. The staff at Giovanni’s was very friendly and helpful. Genny even offered up her nephew Robert to take us back to the hotel. We declined the offer but Robert was very nice and I’m sure he would have done it.
Tuesday was the BEST day of our trip! Brax booked a swim with the dolphin’s excursion thru Unexso. This is a big commercial operation that also offers diving, snorkeling and other dolphin experiences. I had mixed emotions about the dolphin excursion, I didn’t know what to expect. I hate to see animals being exploited and in sad situations and I certainly hate to contribute to that by partaking in such activities. But this was a professional operation that seemed to really care for these animals and has their best interest at heart. We were taken by boat thru the canals to a large lagoon where the dolphins are kept. There, the 5 of us(Bacon stayed home) and 2 other girls were introduced to one of the trainers that gave us some background on the program and information on the dolphins as well as instructions when we got in the water. The 5 of us got in first with 2 dolphins, Exuma and I can’t remember the other ones name, 2 at a time we swam out then the dolphins swim out to catch up. I swam with Exuma, it was so exhilarating! She was so smooth! I’d dive down and she’d follow right next to me, then she’d lead me down for a dive. The trainer said I was spoiling her:) These animals are so amazing!!! They seemed happy and it was clear the trainers really cared for these animals. It was cool to talk with the trainers and learn some about how they work with dolphins. After our dolphin excursion we had lunch and cocktails at Sabor, a cool little bar/restaurant overlooking the canal. It was on the same property as the Pelican Bay Resort which was beautiful. If I were to go back I’d like to stay there. The bartender at Sabor made us a very delicious cocktail and lunch was very good. We walked across the street to check out the Grand Lucayan Resort. This property is HUGE!! Beautiful beach front property with a nice pool and a few bars and restaurants along the beach. We returned back to our hotel, got ready for a beach bonfire on Taino beach…It was lame so we headed back to Port Lucaya for dinner at Agave a Latin fusion restaurant. I had a delicious burrito of chicken, black beans and a very spicy curry sauce, not your typical burrito but I wasn’t expecting real Mexican food.
Wednesday we hung out at the resort, the weather was getting pretty cloudy but still warm. We ventured off to find the $2 dollar bar. On our walk there we passed 2 other couples that had clearly already been to the $2 bar because they couldn’t walk a straight line if they tried!! We walked in to this small screened in bar with 2 LARGE dudes sitting at the bar. They were hilarious!!!! They lived there, the one guy was born and raised on the island. It was cool to sit a talk with someone local. That evening we went to the Fish Fry. All week everyone talked about the Fish Fry on Wednesday nights. David took us and pointed out the different places to eat and the bar where everyone hung out and danced. Between the 6 of us we ate at three different spots, basically all offered the same food…fish and chicken with macaroni, rice and peas or coleslaw. Brax got chicken and ribs, I got snapper with coleslaw and macaroni from a different place. Everyone else got the turbet(not sure that’s the spelling but the same as the trigger fish). The fish is whole and fried. My snapper was very good as was my macaroni and cheese and coleslaw. We then headed back to where the bar and dancing was happening, hung out there for a bit and did some people watching.
Our last day we stayed at the resort and hung out by the pool, the weather was starting to cool off a bit but that didn’t stop us. Brax and I took a walk on the beach one last time. The water was beautiful, perfectly still, gently lapping up on the shore. Had it been warmer I would have grabbed my snorkeling gear, we hadn’t seen it that smooth all week. Down the beach a bit was a beach-side make shift bar serving some cocktails and food so we got a drink then headed back to get everyone else. We all returned with the intentions of trying some food but when we returned, Bernie the owner, had left to make a run to get more beer and ice so one of the other patrons began making us cocktails. When Bernie returned we made sure to pay him for our drinks. Thinking Doc had ordered us food, we waited and waited, remember we’re on island time. Doc had ordered but apparently Bernie forgot because at some point an hour plus later he asked Doc if he needed to order. Needless to say we moved on and decided we’d eat again at Sire’s for our last dinner in the Bahamas.
Over all I was disappointed and can’t say I’d go back. In general I felt like the people were indifferent and not very accommodating. The food was decent, groceries were on the pricey side. The island itself is flat with lots of shrubs and a lot of litter which is such a shame. I’m sure there is great diving to be had but unfortunately I missed out on that. The resort was definitely a disappointment. On the bright side we were with great friends and that’s most important. Happy Travels!!!
After talking about it for just about a year we finally got Brax and Hill to join us at Nick’s Next Door for dinner in Los Gatos. What used to be Nicks on Main, a small but cozy storefront restaurant that felt packed in and busy all the time, in a good way, is now a posh building all on its own with outside/fireside seating. Nick is moving up in the world. Wanting to ensure we had wine to match the meal we know we were going to have we brought a ’10 Terry Hoage 5 Blocks and Brax and Hill brought a ’09 Kukkula pas de deux. Of note, after reviewing their wine list you will not be disappointed with the choices if you leave the wine to Nick. The list is long with lots of variety and many excellent choices.
careful that you clean your palate in between tasting or you lose the subtleties of some of the flavors and some of the more delicate dishes will be overpowered. It was interesting that we all had our own favorite, and that my favorite was last on some of our lists. For me, I put the Orrechiette Pasta with Duck Sausage first. The pasta was very good, and the sauce was nothing special, but the duck sausage meatballs were incredible and carried the entire dish. Next was the Pan Roasted Lamb Chop. Done well lamb is one of my favorites and this had all the qualifications. Tender, not gamey and the gnocchi and mushrooms with the demi was a flavor fest (this is the one that could overpower some of the other dishes). Following this was the Carmelized Scallops. Not much to the plate, but they were phenomenal. Not fishy or salty like some scallops can be, not too mushy or rubbery like others can be. Incredible flavor and perfect texture. Next was the Abalone. I have only had abalone a couple times before and its had been very tough although it has very good flavor. This was very tender, not chewy at all. The flavor is somewhere between calamari and conch. Last was the Sea Bass. This dish was still very good with lots of flavor but it was very subtle and could not stand up to the other dishes or the wine. Likely our fault for ordering it with all the others.