The world’s first glimpse of Great Exuma’s spectacular ocean color was during the James Bond movie Thunderball in 1965. The Exuma Cays’ turquoise water once again sparked an envious uproar in the 2006 Pirates of the Caribbean movie Deadman’s Chest. In 2015, during his year-long journey throughout our galaxy, Astronaut Scott Kelly described Exuma’s water as “the most beautiful place from space.”
If you’re considering a Great Exuma vacation, or better yet, relocating to this 37-mile island, there are waves of motivations for exploring this Bahamian getaway. Let’s look at the seven best reasons for experiencing the island of Great Exuma and its exotic family of 365 cays.
Best Catamaran Tour in the Exuma Cays
The 175-mile long Exuma Cays is a yachting, fishing, snorkeling, and diving version of heaven on earth. The man who has sailed Exuma’s turquoise waters the longest is Captain Jerry Lewless. The 82-year-old Lewless first captained a fishing boat in 1950, and his office on the sea enthusiasm is a wonder to behold.
Captain Jerry Tours regales guests with a bounty of tantalizing island stories during his four or six-hour tours. Your Exuma Cays excursion is a feast for the eyes as Lewless cruises past the private islands of country western stars Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, magician David Copperfield, and several reclusive titans of industry.
Natural highlights from the deck of Lewless’ 36-foot catamaran include snorkeling the Thunderball grotto, a photoshoot on the beautiful Question Mark sandbar, swimming with Exuma’s famous pigs, a seaside lunch at the legendary Staniel Cay Yacht Club, and witnessing a green turtle respond to the sound of Lewless’ voice. https://captjerrytours.com/
Best Beach Bar
Visiting Elvis and Maryann’s Exuma Point Bar and Grill is like stepping into a living postcard. Their freshly painted restaurant is just steps from the ocean.
Exuma Point’s Sunday Brunch is perhaps the best deal on Exuma. For a price so reasonable it’s a secret, guests can feast on Elvis’ Caribbean-style cooking.
Exuma Point Beach goes on for miles, and the beach bar dock is at the ready if you’d like to explore Exuma’s waters by boat. If you fall in love with Exuma Point, Elvis offers three new villas with an elevated view of the ocean for an overnight stay. Your Exuma Point retreat is an opportunity to check out some of the best star gazing on the planet. https://www.bahamas.com/vendor/exuma-point-restaurant-bar-grill https://www.facebook.com/exumapoint/
Best World Class Golf
Great Exuma is home to the Greg Norman designed Sandals Emerald Bay Golf Course. In 2014, the World Golf Awards named Sandals Emerald Bay as the Bahamas Best Golf Course. The highlight of Emerald Bay’s 7,000-yard, 18-hole layout is a back nine that features seven picturesque ocean holes. http://www.sandals.com/main/emerald/em-golf/
Best All-Inclusive Resort
For those who desire a Caribbean vacation at a single price point, Sandals all-inclusive Caribbean hospitality can be found on Exuma’s pristine Emerald Bay Beach. Sandals Emerald Bay Resort sits on 500 pristine acres and includes 11 restaurants and six bars.
Sandals will arrange for scuba, spa treatments, and golf. Sandals Emerald Bay Resort is a destination wedding and romantic honeymoon favorite. http://www.sandals.com/main/emerald/em-home/
Best Villa Accommodations
Grand Isle Resort includes 78 spacious villas on Emerald Bay Beach. For those desiring a bit more elbow room, luxury accommodations range from one, two, three, and four-bedroom villas, as well as multiple Penthouse options.
Your Grand Isle villa features your own kitchen, living area, balcony, and epic views of the ocean, marina, and golf course.
Golf cart transportation makes exploring the property as easy as Happy Hour in the Bahamas. Grand Isle’ Palapa Grill is available for breakfast, lunch, and evening dining.
https://www.grandisleresort.com/
Best Exuma Dream Home
If you’ve decided that Exuma is a best in class option for a first or second residence, then the 58-acre Roker Point Estates residential community has something for everyone. Roker Point is home to elevated lots, a new marina, and 5000-linear-feet of boat slips. This prime oceanfront real estate is conveniently located near Emerald Bay Golf Course and beach.
For yachting and fishing enthusiasts, Roker Point Estates Marina and Harbour is a perfect jumping off point for island hopping. There are currently 89 residential lots available for custom home design. http://www.rokerpointestates.com/
Best Direct Flights
One of the best reasons to vacation or live on Great Exuma is the convenient airfare flying to and from the island’s George Town International Airport (GGT.)
Exuma’s one-of-a-kind shades of turquoise and world-class island hopping are just a non-stop flight away. Air Canada, American, Delta, JetBlue, BahamasAir, and Silver Airways all have regular direct flights.
Tim Cotroneo is a freelance writer specializing in Caribbean travel, business, and golf.
