Special note :: the Exumas consist of 365 islands, or as the local Bahamians say, “one island for every day of the year!” This review focuses primarily on Great Exuma and Little Exuma, though it is important to note that “the Exumas” have 363 other islands! These islands are equally gorgeous, and some have their own homes / resorts at which to stay. The islands are all worth exploring, which can be done by boat if desired. The possibilities to explore the Exumas are infinite and endless!
Traveling to Exuma :: Everything You Need to Know For a Family-Friendly Trip
Planning an international trip with kids can be an overwhelming task, but this summer we decided to finally take the plunge and see what Exuma is all about after years of admiring the pictures of Windex colored water (and yes, it really is that blue in person). We knew we wanted to take our kids to the Bahamas at some point, and after looking into the various options we decided that a smaller island without major hotel chains was our jam. We did consider Harbour Island as well, which looks extra lovely, but the accommodation options available in Exuma when we started researching (about 6 months ahead of the trip) were better suited for our family of five.
Could you hire a travel agent for Exuma? Yes. But in my personal opinion, I do not think it is necessary. In fact, I somewhat urge you not to do so because a lot of the allure of Exuma is learning the area, figuring out what you want to do and jumping into that gorgeous water feet first. Exuma is a laid-back, casual and unassuming area that is not dominated by large fancy resorts. There are essentially four things to decide when considering a vacation to Exuma, and I’ll share what we learned below! The main decisions to make are (1) how to get to Exuma (2) where to stay in Exuma (Great Exuma or Little Exuma; house or hotel) (3) where to eat in Exuma and (4) how long to stay in Exuma. To a degree, you may want to think about what to do in Exuma but those are easier decisions to make once you have the rest sorted out! We booked our house, then booked our airfare and from there it was up to us with how to spend our days.
How to Get to Exuma
Exuma is shockingly accessible from New Orleans! There are three direct flights to Georgetown (GGT), which is the airport that you will be flying into. American Airlines flies direct from Charlotte, NC and Miami, FL, while Delta flies direct from Atlanta, GA. I have read that some people choose to fly to South Florida, spend the night and then take a flight on Bahamasair, but we didn’t have the energy for all of that. I believe you can also fly that airline from Nassau, but we wanted to stay in Exuma for the duration of our vacation so focused only on that. We took the (small) risk of missing a connection in Miami and flew out of MSY at 8:00am on a Saturday morning. We had no trouble making our connection and landed in Georgetown early afternoon that day. The flight from New Orleans to Miami is just over and hour, and then Miami to Georegtown is under an hour. If all is smooth, it is the easiest travel with kids! The Georgetown airport is more or less non-existent (you land, deplane on the tarmac, walk to customs and then walk right back outside) but you are in paradise!
We chose to rent a car, which I highly recommend for families with kids. A lot of the beauty of Exuma is its unspoiled beaches, and this is not the kind of place where you are going to find an Uber. We used Thompson Car Rental to get an SUV. You will drive on the left-hand side of the road in Exuma, and the roads are pretty rugged in some areas. Good news for us is that if you can handle potholes, you are equipped to drive a rental car in Exuma! Fair warning :: the car rentals on Exuma are more expensive than the United States, and most of the cars are older. That said, you will more than likely want a car to explore all that Exuma has to offer and thus need a rental car. If you want a rental car, book it well in advance as these do book up! You can hire someone to pick you up at the airport and take you to your accommodations (there are plenty of private taxi drivers), but we used the car every single day that we were on the island. Additionally, you may find that you want it to either go to the grocery or get to the dock for an excursion. Some companies will pick you up for excursions, but we truly liked the flexibility of having our own transportation, especially because we chose to stay on Little Exuma. That brings me to the next decision, which is where to stay in Exuma.
Where to Stay In Exuma
Exuma is comprised of two islands, which are Great Exuma (the larger island where the airport is) and Little Exuma (a smaller island that you access via a small bridge and is south of Great Exuma). You can stay on either of these islands, and each have their own benefits and vibe.
Great Exuma is home to the airport, many restaurants, several small hotels, the liquor stores, the “downtown” area and is larger and more populated. If you like the idea of staying in a hotel, staying in an accommodation where you might be able to walk to things or just being near the action like local fish fries, Great Exuma may be for you. Of course, there are also areas of Great Exuma that are more private and remote, but in general Great Exuma is where most of the action is.
Little Exuma is a smaller island with some of the world’s most stunning beaches. There are a few restaurants on Little Exuma, as well as many private homes that feel truly secluded. If privacy, quiet and being away from the hustle and bustle is your jam, you may prefer Little Exuma. We rented a home on Little Exuma, and we truly did enjoy it. That said, one common theme I find is that whatever people do on their first trip to Exuma, they want to do the opposite the next time! And that is not because one is better than the other; rather, it is a vacation trade-off. Because we were about 45 minutes from the airport, we rarely ate meals out and when we did eat out, it was only for lunch. We were not wild about the idea of driving on the left in a rural area at night without great street lights, and of course we also wanted to partake in adult beverages. Our home was very private, had a stunning view of the water and was comfortable. Next time, mom would prioritize either a home on Great Exuma or even one of the hotels to avoid cooking! Where you stay does dictate your experience, to a degree. We were so close to Pretty Molly that it quickly became a fave way to spend mid-day.
If you choose to stay in a hotel, some of those that come up quite a bit Peace & Plenty (smack in the heart of Great Exuma’s action), Augusta Bay, Hideaways and Grand Isle. We did not stay at any of these and so I don’t have any insight, but they are all consistently recommended if a hotel with restaurant(s) on site is your family’s preference. Again, you are choosing from good and better with where to stay, and it is truly a matter of personal preference. We liked the idea of having a kitchen, private porch, washer / dryer and being removed. A house on Little Exuma was a great fit for a first trip to Exuma, though it did entail a lot of driving. For example, it took 80 minutes to get to the full day boat tour we took. Was it worth it? Yes. But this is an important thing to consider with regards to where to stay as these are relatively small islands that are larger than you think! We also spotted some really nice houses North of the airport on Great Exuma and would be eager to check those out, too! Some homes have pools as well, which is an added bonus. Many homes are large enough to host 16-20 people as well, so you can definitely find accommodations for multiple families to stay together.
Lastly, the lovely folks who run the Everything You Need to Know group on Facebook do operate two villas. Both villas are beachfront and both are one bedroom, 2 bathroom homes. Bella Vista Exuma provides just about everything you need to enjoy your Exuma vacation.
Where to Eat in Exuma
Where you choose to eat in Exuma is going to largely depend on where you stay and how interested you are in driving. There are some really great options, and sadly we didn’t come close to trying half of what we wanted to! We had an entire Exuma restaurant list and ultimately fell in love with the burgers at Brea’s (a truly fantastic beachside lunch). Our kids loved the daiquiris here, too. Because we did the full day boat tour, we also had lunch at Staniel Cay Yacht Club which was a true highlight (Staniel Cay is its own island, only accessible by a fairly long boat ride). We ate at home more than we ate out, but these were spots that we had on our radar.
- Brea’s Delights (best burgers and margaritas) – this is a beach shack on Tropic of Cancer beach and takes cash or Zelle only. 10/10 recommend
- Tim’s on the Bay – good spot for right after you land (we did not eat here, but it is frequently recommended and has good views)
- Santanna’s (deep into Little Exuma, right on the water) – we enjoyed this meal mid-afternoon for a late lunch after a day on the beach. If you are lucky you can spot sharks right off-shore as they tend to congregate here
- Blu – higher end restaurant that is recommended a lot
- The Rusty Anchor – we planned to eat here but were zapped from the beach and ended up going home to shower
- 23 North – located at Grand Isle and is recommended for higher end meal often
- Turtle Pond – on Little Exuma (we did not make it here, but heard great things). We DID have the owner, Chef Ann, cook for us in our cottage one night … that was amazing! If you are interested in splurging, we really enjoyed having an “in house chef” for the night. Her team made surf and turf, as well as rum cake, and it was divine! 2/3 of my kids even devoured spiny lobster for the first time
- Tropic Breeze – also on Little Exuma and also sadly did not make it here
- Sandpiper Cafe – allegedly has fabulous iced coffee but we did not get a chance to taste it
- Cocoplum Bistro – we were staying too far from this to take advantage, but it was high on our list! This is closer to Coco pPlum beach but for us that was about an hour from the house so just too far after a day on the water
How Long to Stay in Exuma
We chose to stay a full week in Exuma. Realistically, if you are going to travel to Exuma from New Orleans, I’d recommend at least 4-5 nights. Both of the travel days are going to be consumed fully by travel, and we were in Exuma for 6 solid days and still had things we wanted to do. I have never heard anyone say they wished they spent less time in this slice of paradise.
Things to Do in Exuma
The main reason that you are in Exuma is the water! This is a beach forward vacation, so being in or around water and beaches should be of interest if you plan an Exuma vacation. Even if you spend a full week in Exuma, it is almost impossible to hit all of the beaches. We spent time at the following beaches, all of which were positively stunning:
- Great Exuma :: Coco Plum very specifically at low tide is a true must (as in plan your vacation around finding a time to do this). We also enjoyed some time at Jolly Hall (right outside Georgetown). There is a beach hut at Coco Plum that serves food and drinks, though she tends to close early. We only grabbed water from this spot, but we heard it was good!
- Little Exuma :: Little Exuma is home to what I would say are some of the world’s most gorgeous beaches. I have been to Belize (those tips are here), Grand Cayman, Turks & Caicos, Costa Rica and Jamaica. Little Exuma wins by a landslide. Our kids fell in love with Pretty Molly – this is not to be missed. There is no food or service on Pretty Molly, so it is you, your cooler and nature! The famous Tropic of Cancer beach is also on Little Exuma, and there is a small hut that serves amazing food and drinks (generally opens at Noon). Forbes Hill is another beach gem on Little Exuma (no beach shack).
- Stocking Island :: Stocking Island is its own island which you access via water taxi. If you stay at Peace & Plenty, my understanding is that they provide this service. You can visit Stocking Island either by renting a boat (Minn’s seems to be the winner for who to rent from) or by taking the water taxi over for the day. Stocking Island has many eateries like Snappy Turtle, as well as the famous stingrays and Chat ‘N’ Chill Beach Bar. There are also water inflatables for kids at Coconut Club. There are also some hotels / resorts on Stocking Island (we did not stay over there, but it is an option!)
- Our kids’ favorite beaches :: Pretty Molly won by a landslide (quiet, they almost always had it to themselves, calm water, etc)! Coco Plum at low tide is NOT to be missed. They saw oodles of starfish, sand dollars and could walk hundreds of yards into the ocean. Note :: tides change daily! We were lucky that low tide the day we went was VERY late in the afternoon, so we ended the day here and then drove the hour home. Low tide can also be early in the morning, so check the data!
The best aspect of Exuma is experienced in and on the water. We took two different boat excursions, one for a full day and one for a half day. I strongly advise you to book these tours in advance (they do sell out) AND on the early end of your trip in the event of wind and rescheduling. Don’t book the boat outing for your last day and risk heartbreak if there is weather! Both of our water tours were with Exuma Water Sports, though there are other reputable companies in Exuma as well. On the full day tour we were able to feed iguanas, visit the famous swimming pigs, play with nurse sharks, snorkel Thunderball Grotto and eat lunch at Staniel Cay Yacht Club. The boat also took us to some stunning sandbars and other fun stops where we could jump off the boat. The Seven Beaches Tour is 1/2 day and exclusively focuses on some of the most gorgeous spots that are accessible via boat. If you are comfortable driving a boat, you can rent one via Minns to explore the harbor. A lot of people choose to do this because it gives you the ability to stay at certain spots as long as you’d like, but it is all dependent on how comfortable you are with boating. The good thing about Exuma is that you can find anything from group tours to private tours, just depending on what is of interest to your family and fits your budget. We did two days on the water and quite frankly would have done a third if we had known how much we’d enjoy it!
We did not partake in hydrobikes, but this is a fun option as well!
Other Resources for Planning Your Exuma Vacation
I did join several Exuma Facebook groups, which are helpful for asking questions leading up to the trip and even while you are in the area. Everyone who has traveled to Exuma is pretty eager to share what they know.
- American dollars work in Exuma – bring plenty of cash
- Not all businesses take credit cards (again, bring cash!)
- Download WhatsApp – this is what most locals use to communicate
- Ensure your passports are valid for over 6 months from your travel dates!
- Pack any and all OTC medicine you MAY need for kids. If your kids are prone to nausea or ear infections, phone a pediatrician friend to bring prescriptions in case (for ailments you know how to spot, of course!)
- You can hire just about any service ahead of time in Exuma. We used Sha’Rigby’s to have the home stocked with grocery essentials, and we were so glad we did. She was incredibly responsive and got the order exactly right! There are also individuals who offer premade cocktails by the gallon, in home cooking, charcuterie – whatever you can think of, you can definitely set that up ahead of time. Your best resource for finding these recs is in the Facebook groups. We only ordered groceries ahead of time and went to the liquor store ourselves
- Grocery stores and liquor stores have more limited hours than we are accustomed to in the United States. As long as you plan accordingly, you will be able to find almost anything you need. We did not find the groceries all that egregious coming from New Orleans, though some items are definitely higher because everything has to be imported to the island.
- Bring some food. You will see many conversations about freezing meat and bringing it with you, as well as bringing food. I thought this sounded like crazy talk at first, but we actually ended up bringing frozen steak, burgers, deli meat and chicken after talking to a friend. If you have any food sensitivities or allergies, of if your kids only eat X brand every day, you should 100% plan to bring items in. For example, if your kids will only eat Jif peanut butter, throw it in your bag. We brought an entire large suitcase of snacks for the week. Did we save money doing this? Probably some. More importantly, feeding three kids for a week is hard if you don’t have access to things they will consume. I had no idea if we’d be able to find Z bars or Goldfish, so we packed it and honestly consumed basically all of it. I was not sad to have those things for the car rides, boat outings and beach. The grocery stores are stocked just fine, but it was nice to show up with the day-to-day things. Pro tip :: you are also allowed to bring two bottles of wine, which we also did.
- Freezing meat. This was the wildest idea to me, but I am here to tell you that we did it. I had read and heard that meat is expensive on the island, and on certain days inventory can be tough. You are indeed allowed to bring a soft sided cooler as your personal item, so my husband packed our Yeti backpack with the frozen items right before we headed to MSY, added these freezer packs and it was still 100% frozen when we got to the house 12 hours later. I have seen people say they make pasta sauce and freeze it – the sky is the limit! This is not mandatory, and you can certainly eat every meal out. That said, we were staying in a house and on Little Exuma (aka not near groceries) so it made sense to us to show up with deli meat to have lunches for the week.
- Being from New Orleans, island time didn’t bother us in the least but service is on the slower side. If you are someone to get antsy about waiting on food or drinks, bring your patience – this did not bother us at all, but the pace of life is intentionally slow
- Travel insurance is HIGHLY advisable. We used Allianz. No one wants to think about an emergency, but if you need medical care or have some other unexpected travel issue, you will be glad to have this insurance. Check your own policy but a lot of domestic policies do not cover international emergencies, etc. I read enough “my kid had to be air lifted to Miami” posts to spring for the insurance and peace of mind (no one wants to come home from paradise in debt)
- Be prepared for power outages. Again, this is a remote area and when we were there we received one planned power outage (Exuma is notified, and if you are lucky your rental host will notify you, too) and another unplanned outage due to a car accident. Our rental home did have a generator, which was a major luxury, but power outages still affect many other things like restaurants, food availability, etc
- Things to pack if you are traveling to Exuma include an excessive amount of sunscreen, SPF shirts (the sun is brutal), beach towels if you are picky (the ones at our rental were not large), a soft / collapsible travel beach tent, flip flops, bathing suits and … that’s it! I sort of kid, but you do NOT need a lot of clothes for Exuma. I also recommend contacting your property host about the specifics if you go the house route, as some homes in Exuma are VERY well stocked. In general you will live in a bathing suit, and most restaurants are fairly casual. If you intend to eat at one of the nicer restaurants, perhaps consider that, but in all seriousness we basically went from bathing suits to pajamas most days.
- When you are headed back home from paradise, you will (1) drop your rental car off (2) head to the airport to check in (we chose to check all our bags on the way home for ease) and (3) ask them what time to come back. GGT is not an airport with many seats or waiting room, so you will instead head across the street to enjoy Kermit’s until it is time to go through security. Think of Kermit’s like a disconnected airport lounge with food and drinks. We walked across when the agent told us to be back, walked through security and boarded. There is no reason to go through security early!
Facebook Groups to Join If Heading to Exuma
- Exuma Bahamas – Where to Stay and What to Do
- Exuma Bahamas – Everything You Need to Know
- Exuma Secrets
7 Day Family-Friendly Exuma Itinerary
We did not map out our trip in great detail, so this is mostly what we did based on tides and wind when we arrived AND the two boat tours that we had booked in advance. Some of this was pure chance and just the way things worked out!
- Saturday – land in GGT, walk to the rental car, swing by the liquor store and get settled in the cottage. We cooked burgers we had brought with us and enjoyed sunset on the porch
- Sunday – open day, and we landed at Tropic of Cancer beach. The kids snorkled, mom read and we took a long family walk. Brea’s finally opened early afternoon and we took full advantage and had burgers, fries and Kalik for a late lunch. Chef Ann cooked for us in our cottage that night, and it was delightful!
- Monday – full day boat tour with Exuma Water Sport. We left the cottage at 6:30am to get to the dock in time. We were out on the water from 8:30am – 4:45pm or so and it was a blast! We were zapped and instead of eating out ended up back at the cottage for dinner
- Tuesday – we decided to explore Little Exuma and drove to Pretty Molly (ah-mazing), which the kids loved. They swam and snorkled for hours before we left to check out Forbes Hill. While Forbes Hill was pretty, we were getting hungry and hot and pretty soon decided to head further out to Santanna’s for lunch. We tasted just about everything on the menu – it was heavier than we usually eat for lunch, but the food was good and the views even better. Service was friendly and we had a nice afternoon before heading home
- Wednesday – initially we thought about Stocking Island, but the kids were eager to go back to Pretty Molly. We brought sandwiches to eat at the beach and had a pretty quiet day just enjoying the beauty that is Exuma
- Thursday – we headed to Brown’s Marina for 8:30am (which was thankfully closer to us than the other dock) and headed out on the Seven Beaches Tour. We were out on the water from 9:00am – 1:00pm and packed lunch for the kids to eat in the car after. We headed to Jolly Hall to see a new beach and swam for a bit. We then “braved it” and drove another 40 minutes to catch Coco Plum at low tide. As long as the car ride was, and as hot as the car interior felt (the A/C left something to be desired), this was worth it! We stayed at Coco Plum for 1.5 hours at low tide and it was stunning. We then made the road trip back to the cottage
- Friday – no one could really agree how to spend this day so we ended up back at … Pretty Molly! We then headed to Brea’s at Tropic of Cancer for another burger. We met some really friendly locals at the bar and chatted with them for a bit before heading home to pack
- Saturday – sad face because we had to leave. Check out was at 10:00am so we were not rushed. We dropped off our rental car around 11:00am, checked into our flight and then hung out at Kermit’s until it was time to go through security. We thankfully had no travel issues and were back home by dinner
