Bahamian Rhapsody

Beyoncé and Jay Z have a holiday home here... So if you’re in Florida, hop over and catch them

MY Bahamian driver is in no hurry. ‘We lead such an easygoing lifestyle over here, we often forget the time.’ And nor am I. We are cruising through the vibrant, vibrant streets of Nassau and all I can think of are four days of sunshine, conch and cocktails.

A mere thirty-five-minute flight from Miami and a one hour fourteen-minute plane journey from Orlando, it was a no-brainer for me to make a sunshine pitstop while in the States.

Nassau is at the heart of New Providence, a 21-mile-long Island, the 11th largest Island out of 700 in the Bahamas.

Michael Jordan, Oprah Winfrey, Beyoncé and Jay Z all boast holiday homes in Nassau while Sean Connery, not wanting to give up his James Bond lifestyle, lives there permanently.

Famous for its weather and powderwhite beaches, temperatures sizzle at an average of 32 degrees in summer and 27 degrees in winter making it the perfect spot for sunseekers. I stayed in The Royal Atlantis on Paradise Island, a tourist haven to the north of Nassau. As a solo female visiting a resort renowned for families and romance, I wondered if it

was the right choice.

I need not have worried however as like the Irish, everyone is ridiculously friendly and I was never short of company.

Tourism is the main economic driver in The Bahamas, accounting for over 60% GDP. They mainly use US dollars though the Bahamian dollar remains in existence.

Pastel-coloured British colonial buildings line the tasteful tropical streets on a hilly landscape which is swamped with beaches, coconut trees and coral reef. It really is just like it is in the brochures.

While the Bahamas are a safe place for solo travellers during the day, I was advised by to be careful at night. I found the hustle died down most evenings anyway, with entertainment provided in many hotel resorts.

A hotspot for day trippers and cruise ship passengers, most of the action can be seen in downtown Nassau which consists of attractions such as the pirate museum, Nassau straw market, Fort Charlotte and Awark Cay.

Nassau is also a great base for visiting quieter Rose Island, Exuma (an area comprising of over 365 Islands) and Andros Island. All of which you can catch by taxi or a water ferry.

THE best time to visit the Bahamas is mid-December to mid-April due to the throngs of tourists who come ashore. I went in November, apparently the quiet season, and spent four days relaxing, and enjoying the beach, during the day, and by night teaching the locals my mother tongue in Senor Frogs and Shenanigans Irish bar. And I ate and ate. I signed up with the Tru Bahamian Food Tours, and was very glad I did.

Tru will give you a true insight into Nassau life,

We visited several restaurants, and may I especially recommend the Bahamian Cookin’ Restaurant, where we gorged on macaroni cheese and chicken. And Conch! Come again... Conch (a mollusc shell fish) is one of the dishes the Bahamas is best known for.

It is almost everywhere with restaurants featuring curried conch, conch salad and conch fritters.

I have never taken to seafood but after being egged on to try it from my food tour group I took a bite. As they say in the Lion King, it tastes like chicken!

When in the Bahamas it is compulsory to imbibe the signature rum-based ‘Bahama Mama’ cocktails... and this I did with great gusto at the Towne Hotel.

You really do need to like rum to get the most out of a Bahamian night... it’s in everything. Luckily, I love it. And cake. So you can imagine how good the delicacies at the Tortuga Rum Cake Company are.

All this overeating is well and good but you probably should do some exercise while you’re here.

The Bahamas has wonderful snorkelling while a real treat is the chance to swim with dolphins.

While on Paradise Island I visited Dolphin Cay situated within The Atlantis resort.

You don’t even have to be a guest of the hotel to swim with the dolphins.

It is pricey, but when you’ve come all this way then you really should push the boat out.

I had an hour long session with two dolphins in a 10-metre pool alongside a group.