The flight was greeted with sunny weather and a Junkanoo band.
Our gracious hosts, James and Janice Bostwick, accompanied by Romeo Farrington, Nassau's most famous limousine driver.
We stopped on Iguana Island to feed the local iguanas grapes! They loved them.
This is me, just before receiving a very fishy-smelling kiss!
This conch is as fresh as it gets!
The Bahamas is more than simply beaches, but wow - they sure are stunning!
Tell any Canadian that It’s Better In The Bahamas, and they’ll just roll their eyes... of course they know that! Anywhere warm and tropical has to beat shovelling and shivering, right?
The Sunwing Travel Group recently demonstrated that it’s not simply the gorgeous weather, short flight and stunning beaches that make the Bahamas a better place. It’s the dignified warmth and friendliness of the people and fascinating history that make this destination so wonderful.
On November 3rd, Sunwing Airlines, with support from The Bahamas Tourist Office, set out to prove just that by launching their twice-weekly, year-round flights from Toronto to Nassau. To complement their famous champagne flights, the tour operator offers a variety of hotels under both the Signature and Sunwing brands, ranging from the all-inclusive RIU Palace, Paradise Island to the Sheraton Nassau Beach Resort.
Although it was tempting to lounge at the RIU Palace all day (those 4 bottles of liquor in our rooms weren’t going to drink themselves) we were very glad we extracted ourselves from the gorgeous pool for long enough to explore.
We had a blast feeding iguanas, snorkeling a coral reef, swimming with dolphins even being kissed by a fishy-smelling sea lion. But the highlight for most of us was being included in a Bahamian family meal through the People to People program.
This entirely complimentary program has been connecting travellers with local families throughout the Caribbean since 1975, at no cost. Local Bahamians play host to travellers from all over the world, simply for the pleasure of sharing their culture. Whether your interest is cooking, church or running, you will be matched with local people who can introduce you to their way of life.
Our group was interested in sharing a meal with a local family, and we were welcomed with open arms. Our gracious hosts, James and Janice Bostwick, spent the day preparing a stunning homemade Bahamian feast of conch salad, rice and peas, red snapper, chicken, macaroni pie, potato salad, coleslaw, plantain, coconut cake, pineapple cake and local favourite, the rich and perfectly baked guava duff. The generous home-cooked food was delicious, and the stories and wine flowed with ease.
Thanks to our hosts, we felt immersed in Bahamian culture and left feeling as though we were part of a new family. To be welcomed in such a way was a highlight for us. And we’ll be dreaming of that conch salad and macaroni pie for years to come.
The Bahamas is a gorgeous destination, but the people make it special. Suggest the People to People program to your clients and they will come away with plenty of warmth to last beyond the next snowfall.
