Why Freeport Bahamas is the Caribbean’s Best Kept Secret

Beautiful strands of powdery beaches, sparkling turquoise waters, and dense tropical vegetation make Freeport Bahamas a destination for everyone. Grand Bahama island is a place shaped by sun and sea. Get on the Queen’s Highway and five minutes after departing the city of Freeport you’re engulfed by vast native pine forest and cool sea breeze. With its postcard-perfect beaches and large tracts of unaltered native vegetation, it is an absolute paradise for families, nature enthusiasts, and even honeymooners.

 Freeport Bahamas boasts one of the world's largest underwater cave systems, three national parks, and an incredible resource of marine life. There are miles of untouched beaches, blue holes alive with marine life and colorful coral reefs. It’s an unparallelled interaction between native land and sea and this makes Grand Bahama island and absolute paradise for birders, nature enthusiasts, and other tourists.

Freeport Bahamas has lots of shallow dive sites. Shallow sites are generally 10 – 15 feet deep, just off a powdery peach. There are so many spots perfect for snorkeling, amateur divers, fish watching and picture taking. These reefs are scattered all around the island and offer the most color, bright fish, friendly sea turtles and coral.

It’s the ideal example of a destination where great birding mixes with general tourist appeal. Most ecotourism destinations lack this. For birders, you can enjoy an amazing experience with tropical birds - rare and magnificent species like the Bahama Mockingbird, Western Spindalis, Bananaquit, Black-faced Grassquit, Cuban Emerald, Bahama Woodstar, Loggerhead Kingbird, Bahama Pintail, Belted Kingfishers, and La Sagra’s Flycatcher—all of them are considered extreme rarities in the US. In fact, Freeport Bahamas has 18 of the 28 species of birds endemic to The Islands of The Bahamas including the Abaco Parrot. In addition to the local tropical birds, numerous Canadian and US migrants are flock to The Bahamas during fall and winter, making it a birding haven. Unbeknownst to many, the birding on Grand Bahama is amazing overall; and twenty minutes down the street, you can enjoy a pina colada at the beach bar on a pristine beach while the kids collect sea shells. It’s truly the best of both worlds. 

Memorial golf tournament to salute GB investment icon St. George, Sept 23-25 the Reef Golf Course

The Grand Bahama Sports Promotion Association (GBSPA) is putting forth their effort to revitalize the sport of golf in Grand Bahama.

Following the success of the Mychal “Sweet Bells” Thompson/Fred Higgs Invitational Golf Classic, thanks to the collaborative efforts of Fred Sturrup and Ambrose Gouthoro, the GBSPA was formed.

Now, two years in, the GBSPA announced this Monday that the first annual Edward St. George Memorial Invitational Golf Tournament would transpire September 23-25, 2016. The tournament will take place at the Reef Golf Course.

The tournament will feature 20 four-person teams. The best two scores on each team will count toward to the team’s score. It will be handicapped and a special presentation has been designated for the 14th hole of the course. Other activities have been planned for the tournament.

30TH ANNUAL CONCHMAN TRIATHLON SATURDAY NOVERMBER 5TH

The much-beloved Conchman is celebrating 30 years in 2016 and they have quite an exciting event planned.

The new committee have decided to make the Conchman Triathlon a standard Sprint Distance Triathlon – 750M SWIM – 20K BIKE – 5K RUN, as well as adding an Olympic distance. The committee are introducing electronic/chip timing, the awards and after party will all take place at Taino Beach.

Schedule

Thursday, 3rd November 2016

6:00pm-7:00pm: Race packet pick-up. Venue: Manor House – Grand Lucayan Hotel

Friday, 4th November 2016

4:00pm: Race Director on site and Ocean Swim instruction (Taino Beach)

5:30pm – 7:00pm: Race packet pick-up. Venue: Manor House – Grand Lucayan Hotel

Saturday, 5th November 2016

6:30am: Transition Area & Body Marking. Numbering up and race day check-in will be near the transition area at Taino Beach between 6:30 am and 7:30 am. ALL competitors MUST check in during that time (especially to assist with swim safety monitoring).

8:00am: Olympic Triathlon begins

8:15am: Sprint Triathlon begins

10:30am: Sprint Triathlon ends

12:00pm: Olympic Triathlon ends

12:30pm: IronKids begins

2:00pm: IronKids begins

3:00pm: Prize Giving begins – Taino Beach

4:00pm: Prizing Giving ends / Party begins

5:00pm: Junkanoo

6:30pm: Sunset Fireworks

 Register today and join the fun.

6 ESSENTIAL TRAVEL APPS

Don’t leave home without these 6 essential apps

Whether you are heading off for a vacation or on a round the world ticket I have compiled a list off essential travel apps I don’t leave home without.

1 – Tripit – By far the most useful app I have on my phone for travel. Just keeping everything in one place makes life so much easier. I use a Gmail account for all of  my travel bookings and Tripit automatically updates all of my travel details into its app that is available on or offline. No more stress and hassle carrying around a file of paperwork or having to find emails when stood at a check in desk.  This is a life saver.

2 – Uber – another great tool for travelling, saves time and money compared to using taxi’s as long as you have 3g/WiFi when booking your driver. Now available across much of Asia, North america, Europe and some parts of Africa. Choose your ride and set your location. You’ll see your driver’s picture and vehicle details, and can track their arrival on the map. When you arrive at your destination, just hop out and they will automatically charge the credit card on file with no tip¬!Rate your driver and provide anonymous feedback about your trip to make sure the service keeps its high standards and rewards the best drivers.

3- Skyscanner – A useful flight comparison tool, it will allow you to search the flights you want and provides links to the websites that have that flight on offer. Very useful if your plans change or miss a flight, it can get you back on track in no time.

4 – Tripadvisor  – Trip advisor has so many uses, not only great advice on the location you are in or plan to visit but also you can use it to find flights, hotels, holiday accommodation, restaurants and things to do. The ability to download a city’s maps and reviews is very useful when you don’t have a constant internet connection.

5 – App for the airline you are travelling on – with most of the airline apps its possible to store your boarding pass on your phone. Many of them also allow you to check in without visiting the check in counter and the lines that always seem to appear just before I arrive…

6 – Revolut – This app is simply amazing and will save you so much money. Add the app and order your Revolut debit card before you travel. Set up your profile, then transfer funds from your debit card/account to your Revolut account, and you’ve got an international money account that you can use the world over. The RevolutCard ™ works like your normal debit card but with zero charges and no hidden fees. When you spend or use an ATM the card automatically converts your money into local currencies at perfect interbank rates. They also offer worldwide delivery if your card is lost or stolen.

Twitter @officeescapee 

The Office Escapee

5th Annual Junior International Rugby Festival 2016 Freeport Bahamas

Bahamas for the Digital Nomad

Fancy a Caribbean break? Try the Bahamas.

Beautiful beaches and warm climate are two of the reasons why you wouldn’t regret a stay on one or more of the idyllic islands of the Bahamas. The Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is an island country of the Lucayan Archipelago consisting of more than 700 islands in the Atlantic Ocean to the east of the Florida coastline. The island of new providence has the highest population and the location of the capital, Nassau.

Bahamas facts for the Digital Nomad

• Communications network – Clearly the most important aspect to all Digital Nomads and I’m happy to report, it ticks all the boxes. Nearly all of the populated islands are supported by the Cable Bahamas network, offering high speed internet with speeds up to 120Mbit per second. The islands are also supported by the BTC mobile network, offering pre or post pay voice and 4G-LTE packages. The internet speeds provided in the Bahamas are simply world class, I haven’t been to another island nation that’s anywhere close.
• Climate – Warmed and cooled by the trade winds, the weather in the Bahamas are nearly always perfect for a tropical vacation getaway. Temperatures in most of the islands linger between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit, thanks to the constant gentle trade winds.
• Currency – The currency of the Bahamas is the B$ (Dollar) and is pegged to the U.S. dollar on a one-to-one basis. The parity between Bahamian dollars and U.S. dollars means everywhere will accept either U.S. or Bahamian currency and many of the businesses that serve tourists have extra U.S. dollars on hand.
• Politically stable – Since the independence from Britain in 1973, the Bahamas has had a stable democracy. The country is a member of the Commonwealth and retains the British monarch as its official head of state, represented by the Governor General.
• Safety – Most of the islands in the Bahamas are safe, it’s largely crime in the cities, Nassau and Freeport. With 700 islands to choose from, the odds are pretty good you’ll be able to find a safe spot! In most of the out islands, you still don’t need to lock your doors.
• English Speaking – Prior to its independence in 1973 the Bahamas had been a British colony since the 17th century hence the native language being English.
• Rental Prices – There is a huge range of property for rental in the Bahamas, from 1 bedroom condo’s for around $600 to high end water front mansions costing in excess of £8000 per month!
• Cost of Living – Although the cost of living is high this can be offset dramatically if you like fishing and eating what you catch! High import taxes on most household products mean products are more expensive in the supermarkets. At least the locally brewed beers are relatively cheap.

Things to do in the Bahamas

• Beaches – The Bahamas is known for its stellar beaches. With over 2,000 breathtaking islands and cays, and the clearest water on Earth, it’s no wonder visitors come from all around to sink their toes into miles of pure white, and in some places pink, sand. Many of our beaches have been voted “best in the world” by numerous publications, and it’s not uncommon to find a celebrity or two strolling along our shores. In short, the beaches you’ll find here are the very definition of paradise. I guess that’s why films such as Pirates of the Caribbean and James Bond selected the Bahamas for many of their beach scenes.
• Fishing – Paradise islands, shimmering warm seas, perfect weather and as many fun types of fishing in The Bahamas as you can wave a rod at. Whether you want to hook a ferocious game fish, cast for all manner of fish off the reef or put your angling skills to the test against the fast and furious Bonefish, when it comes to Bahamas fishing, stand by for some of the best sport fishing on Earth.
• Diving and Snorkelling – From seagrass meadows and mangrove swamps in the north, pristine coral reefs to the 1,820m deep oceanic trench near Andros and the deep blue waters on the Atlantic side – the waters surrounding The Islands Of The Bahamas offer a huge variety of marine habitats. Shark and dolphin encounters are pretty much guaranteed and the shallows are buzzing with reef fish, such as parrotfish, grunts and snappers. If you’re lucky, you may spot whales along the coast: sperm whales, minke whales, humpbacks, pilot whales are all frequent visitors. Dive boats run from nearly all the populated islands and can be relatively inexpensive.
• Sailing – The Bahamas is one of the most popular sailing destinations in the world. With crystal-clear waters and perfect weather year-round, sailors from all around visit our islands for a first-class sailing experience. Navigate around hundreds of cays, explore ecological wonders and even dock your boat for a day to enjoy a relaxing, secluded beach. Wherever your journey takes you, let The Bahamas make it special. If you don’t have a boat or choose to leave yours at home, there are a variety of sailing excursions for you to choose from.
• Golf – Golf in The Bahamas is absolutely breathtaking. With courses that line the clear-blue Atlantic waters, golfers from all over the world yearn for the chance to play in The Bahamas….even the pros. Take Great Exuma for example. It features an 18-hole championship golf course designed by golf legend Greg Norman. It’s set to become one of the world’s greatest oceanside clubs. Numerous islands in The Bahamas boast pristine golf courses that challenge both the novice and professional golfer.
• Nightlife – When the moon lights up the night sky, the entertainment world awakens in The Bahamas. Throughout the islands, you can find quaint bars serving up our traditional Goombay, Junkanoo or Rake & Scrape music, as well as New York-style nightclubs and everything in between. Enjoy a tropical Bahamian cocktail while you try your hand in a casino, or enjoy the sounds of live music in a bar or club.

With all this to offer the Digital Nomad, the Bahamas is perfect in my eyes 

Twitter @officeescapee 

The Office Escapee

The Thursday Club Presents Sensory Delights

The Grand Bahama Artist’s Association and Grand Bahama Sailing Club are teaming up to present "An Evening of Sensory Delights" on Thursday, March 3, 7 p.m. at the Grand Bahama Sailing Club.

Beloved Bahamian artists, along with young "up and comers", will be presenting their works for exhibition and sale. Guitarists Steve Persaud, Derek Gape and bassist Dr. Clarence Green will provide sultry tones and there will be sweet treats to tantalize your taste buds. $10 admission at the door and the bar will be available. All proceeds will support GBSC Junior Sailing programs.