Grand Bahama Island - No Problems Mon!

Most memorable moments here were: When my mom looked over at me, pointing to all the empty conch shells laying on the beach and said, "Are those free?!" Later, my mom and I are standing before the authority of the Bahamian customs agents. The agent asks my Mom, "Are you carrying any shells or coral in your bag?" I wonder if that 15 pound conch shell in Mom's carry on counts?! lol Warning: Shells and coral are illegal to take home from the Bahamas.

The people of this island are very friendly, accomodating, and extremely laid back. The locals here also appear to be fairly religious. Our cab driver told us that most of the islanders are "devout Baptists who attend church every Sunday." You will see lots of smiles here from both vacationers and locals alike.

It was interesting to see what the culture here is like. We got a really good taste of Bahamian culture when we attended the Wednesday night "locals" fish fry on the beach with Caribbean music by local artists blaring out of the speakers, unusual (and fun) caribbean dances, delicious (albeit strong) drinks with rum made in the Bahamas, and a very laid back Bahamian demeanor.

Once you find a taxi driver who is honest (like Tunkie), you will be set.

For transport between Port Lucaya and Taino beach, get your weekly water taxi pass. You can buy the pass at the office adjacent to where the water taxis dock.

Be forewarned - expect to get hit with about a one-way charge from the airport to your hotel. The cabbies realize that most folks won't be renting cars here because we are afraid of driving on the wrong side of the road. Hence, no matter what you do, you are likely to get gouged on taxi fare to and from the airport.

We arrived via taxi and were seated immediately. This restaurant was very close to our hotel at the Ritz, but not within walking distance (we were wearing heels). It was a short 3-to 5-minute ride. Tunkie, our cab driver, only charged us $3 to $4 for the cab ride.

This restaurant is beachside, but we were seated near the bar and without an ocean view, which was somewhat disappointing. Mom and I made ourselves comfortable and examined the menu. We decided on stoned crabs as an appetizer and each ordered lobster tail for the main course. Meanwhile, I sipped a strawberry daiquiri, which was delightfully delicious. As we had our first bite of the stoned crab with a special Bahamian mustard sauce, Mom and I looked at each other incredulously because, while we expected it to be good, we never expected it to be THIS good! I've never had crab this good, and I grew up in a coastal area. It was obviously freshly caught; the mustard sauce made it magnificent! The sauce was so good in fact that we asked the waiter to bring us more to dip our lobster in! (I know… that was a Miss Manners faux pax). When the lobster came out, I nearly fainted because they gave us EACH TWO, large lobster tails. The waiter said we got an extra one because the catch was plentiful that day. Of course, we couldn’t eat it all, but we tried!!! All of it was melt in your mouth, succulent, and extraordinarily delicious; as close to seafood perfection as it gets. I only wish I could have their stoned crab without having to fly and stay there! The tab was a bit pricy, but we expected that. For two people, one alcoholic drink, one appetizer, and a main course for both of us, including tip, was about $160.

Note: This restaurant was not air conditioned.

Call a taxi and tell them that you want to go to Smith's Point for the Wednesday night fish fry. All the drivers know about it. Have them drop you off right at 6pm so that you won’t have to wait in line. You will approach a little cooking hut on the beach and watch them fry your fish right in front of you. You'll need to ask them to cut the head off after they cook it, because the locals eat the whole fish - head on. The fish is rolled/dipped in a mildly hot, Bahamian spice mixture and then fried. They serve it with a noodle salad and fresh, homemade sweet potato bread! Mmm mmm good! The fish itself was absolutely mouthwatering, the sweet potato bread tasted like dessert, and the rum punch at the small/medium-sized bar area was delicious and strong, and the drink they gave me was HUGE. Sit on the beach at picnic tables to eat your dinner or at one of the plastic tables set up in the bar area (open-air bar with steps leading to the dance floor and bar area). Lovely views no matter where you sit. It’s all on a gorgeous Bahamian beach!

I can see why the locals choose to eat here - affordable and succulent red snapper! I wish they had offered this fish fry more than once per week!

The next day we tried this restaurant for lunch. It is conveniently located between the ferry dock we arrived on and the Port Lucaya Marketplace (where we shopped on several occasions). Before entering the restaurant, we noticed a lovely little herb garden on the side of this restaurant. We found ourselves strolling through the small herb garden area, pointing and naming each herb. For whatever the reason, this restaurant had a more Italian feel to it - both inside and out. The herb gardens and thick, black-and-white marble tray, which they served bread to us on, only reinforced the Italian feeling. In spite of the Italian feeling of the place, they serve continental cuisine here.

After we were seated for lunch, we noticed that the restaurant seemed to be full of pilots, many of whom were discussing visibility, wind speeds, etc. I got the feeling that most of these men were not commercial pilots. Rather, they were more likely to have been pleasure pilots flying small, Cessna planes. Seemingly, a more well-to-do crowd here.

Ultimately, my Mom and I had lunch here twice. On the first occasion, I had the herbed tomato chicken breast with pasta. The chicken breast was juicy and flavorful. Not too bland, not too spicy with just the right amount of sweetness in the sauce (tomato sauce was more sweet than tangy). I noted the fresh basil and rosemary in the sauce from the herb garden outside. On the second occasion, I had sautéed tiger shrimp in a lemon-garlic sauce. I must admit I was disappointed with the tiger shrimp, which were somewhat rubbery and not very flavorful. I was wishing I had stuck with the juicy chicken breast. Notably, they offer everything from chicken fingers to swordfish to escargot here! They do offer a good variety of dishes without inundating you with too many menu choices.

It is a bit pricey here, even at lunch. For two entrees at lunch and two non-alcoholic beverages, the tab was about $50. I would surely return here because I got the feeling that the rubbery shrimp were a fluke and that the food here, overall, is generally quite good (much like the chicken was). They seem to have many return dinner guests here.

Additionally, the location is very convenient for most people staying on the island since most visitors are either staying in a hotel nearby to this area, or come here at least one day of their trip to shop at the adjacent Port Lucaya Marketplace. Finally, there is that added benefit of the water view, which is lovely indeed.

The Ritz Beach Resort is not affiliated with The Ritz Hotel chain that we all know of. This is not a five-star resort. However, I would say it is at least three and a half stars.

This is a newer property; probably built about five years ago (or less), and they are still adding new buildings and suites. The pool is phenomenal, tremendous in size, has a gorgeous swim up bar, caves, hot tubs, and even a slide for the kids!

Honestly, this resort truly appears to have been custom-made for couples. For example, the only things separating the bedroom from the shower are glass blocks. This means that whoever is sitting in the bedroom can see your silhouette as you shower. There is a large, two-person, forest green Jacuzzi bath just behind the bed with a statue of a naked woman sitting on the edge and mirrored walls. The colors you will see in this room are very Bahamian, bright pink and green pastels. There was an attempt made at making it classy by using marbled tiles on the steps leading up to the two-person Jacuzzi tub (which is elevated behind the bed). If you want a bath and are staying with another person in the room, don't expect to have a private bath! The shower, vanity, and toilet are in a separate room, but again, if you shower, your silhouette will be seen by whoever is sitting ANYWHERE in your room. I wish I had known this in advance since I had my mother (not my husband) with me on this trip. The room decor was reminiscent of trashy Rome meets the Bahamas. So consider yourself warned! The only other issue was the concrete slab used as the box spring for the bed. You will sleep on a typical mattress that is laid upon a concrete slab. There is also a couch made of concrete with a long fabric pad sitting atop it (and it wasn't comfy - I slept there). Mom claims the bed with the concrete slab was, "just fine to me." The room came with a kitchenette. We had a microwave and mini-fridge.

It's a good thing we had the kitchenette because this resort is somewhat remote and had only one VERY overpriced restaurant on location. We had dinner at the on-site restaurant the first night we arrived, as we were exhausted from the trip. We never ate there again.

The grounds of this property are lovely and much classier in appearance. The landscape was obviously well-planned, just like the pool.

The beach on this property couldn't be better! Wide beach, white sands, beautiful turquoise and light blue ocean, pine trees, and little huts to park your chairs under.

Tips: Buy a calling card if you will need to call home for any reason. The charges to your room phone will be astronomical if you don’t. I bought a phone card at Wal-Mart and used it at the pay phone in front of the guest laundry room at the Ritz, saving big $$$.

We only rented a cab a few times while here because the water ferry that takes you to the Port Lucaya Marketplace for shopping and restaurants was within a short walking distance of the Ritz Resort.

When you check in at the Ritz Resort, ask the girl at the front desk for Tunkie the cab driver’s phone number. He is honest, has a late model mini-van, and won't gouge you. But please, do not look at the item he has pasted to his dashboard!! LOL. Tunkie works in the daytime; his son drives the night shift.