A colorful fish restaurant on Radio Beach
Most people see Bahamas as a super expensive tourist destination where you need to book overpriced flights and super fancy resorts to visit. That was the case with me until recently when I discovered the FRS Caribbean day cruises. They leave twice a week from Miami City Center to the Westernmost Islands of Bahamas called the Bimini Islands. The price is about a hundred dollars, which includes the two hour boat trip each way, transport on the island and the use of the Hilton hotel facilities for the 8 hours you are on the island.
You are not asked to show your passport upon arrival at Bimini and everything just worked super smooth compared to all the hassle of airport security, customs and immigration that you would usually have to face when crossing international borders. Upon arrival I rented a golf car together with two Eastern European girls I had met on the boat, which was 50 bucks split evenly between us.
Bimini is a really small place and during our time there we got to drive up and down the whole island several times. Past beaches, resorts and the three rundown villages on the island where all the locals lived. We were served rum with our overpriced 10$ coconuts and had some lovely grilled fish that was prepared right on Radio Beach. We climbed palm trees, snorkeled crystal clear waters and watched the sun go down right before we boarded the boat back to Miami.
The Hilton hotel had rooftop pools that we were allowed to use
Personally I think it was enough to spend just a day in Bahamas. There are people going for much longer, but already after half a day I felt like the island was fully explored and I started getting restless in my beach chair. It’s beautiful and peaceful, but just another destination that where prices and the activities have adapted to the tourists (jetski rentals, fishing trips and 10! Dollars for a single coconut).
It was Ernest Hemingway who put Bimini on the modern tourism map as he went back there several times for fishing and writing his books, but even though I enjoyed my one day here I do not think that I will ever be back.
Watch this on my vlog, episode 3 here.