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The Bahamas deserves a place on your 2023 bucket list – from swimming pigs to water parks

Discover swimming pigs, desert island beaches and a hotel fit for royalty

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Alexandra Wilby
Assistant Editor
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Skimming across the aquamarine ocean under the beating sun of the Caribbean, reggae music blasting out of the speed boat’s speakers and sipping an ice cold drink with the wind whipping in my sea-salty hair, it was difficult to think of a better way to spend a Friday. I was in the Bahamas, spending a few nights at the famous Atlantis resort on Paradise Island – but today, we were on a long-awaited luxury excursion to see the famous swimming pigs of Exuma Cays.

a camera semi submerged in clear blue seawater water captures the image of a little pig swimming along with its stout raised as two peaople perched on a boat in the background look on

The swimming pigs of the Bahamas are a delight to behold

The pigs were the fourth item on the jam-packed itinerary, which had begun with a visit to Allen’s Cay, home to hundreds of Bahamian rock iguanas. “Grab a piece of lettuce before you get off!” shouted our jovial captain, from tour company Aqua Shores, handing out the green vegetable to everyone in our group as we climbed down the ladder of the boat into ankle-deep, crystal-clear water just off the beach - which was teeming with iguanas as far as the eye could see.

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My daughter, who had never seen such a big lizard before, was enraptured as she carefully held out the lettuce and allowed the reptile to munch on the end of it. Twenty minutes later, lettuce supplies depleted and phones full of surprisingly cute photos (the iguanas were lovely!), we climbed back aboard the boat – and our next stop was Pablo Escobar’s sunken drugs plane, which lies fully submerged in the shallows off the shore of Norman’s Cay (where famously they had – or rather, didn’t have in the end, Fyre Festival). We didn’t disembark (though on some tours you can snorkel the site which would have been amazing had I not had a child with me) and after a few minutes bobbing around the sunken aircraft, we were on the move again.

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a lone palm tree grows on a white sandy beach with the open ocean in the distance and blue sky with only a few wisps of cloud in the distance

The beaches are so peaceful

"This is Johnny Depp’s private island!" The crew suddenly announced, eliciting gasps and “oohs” from the passengers as we sped past a large and gorgeous slice of paradise with its own beautiful Bounty advert-style beach. We also saw islands owned by Tyler Perry, the Bacardi family and Louis Vuitton en route to our next stop, Compass Cay Marina, where we had chance to swim with and pet – yes, pet! – wild reef sharks.

two pigs with brown patches swim in clear water with their snouts raised slightly above the waterline on a sunny day

Everyone will enjoy the crystal clear waters

From there we took a short hop across the azure waters to Big Major Cay aka Pig Beach – where three intrepid hogs swam out to greet our boat as we approached. It felt like a real ‘pinch me’ moment; I’d seen so many photos of these swimming pigs and now here we were, meeting them (from a distance – they’re massive and a little bit scary for us city-dwellers!) in real life.

It was the most unforgettable day of an unforgettable trip, which ended with us swimming off the most picture-perfect sand bar, trying desperately to imprint the scene before us in our minds before leaving.

a woman wearing a sun hat and beach coverup a child in a swimsuit walk along a sandbank in the sunshine overhead and waves on either side of them leaving footprints in the sand

You won't want to leave the heavenly resort

We’d been keen to get out of the resort and experience more of this beautiful country, but if you’re more of a fly and flop type, there’s actually no need to leave the Atlantis resort at all. It’s so huge you could stay for a fortnight and still not get chance to try out all the different activities and attractions on offer, and it’s the perfect place to go to keep your children entertained while you relax.

a view of a grand hotel set on the beach with a large pool and palm trees ascends into the pink and peach hued clouds at sunset

The Atlantis Paradise Property is a sight to behold

What to do

The 141-acre water park on site here is world-famous for a reason. For older kids and thrill-seekers there’s the Aquaventure park, which is split into various zones. The Power Tower, which boasts rides including The Surge, The Abyss, where the ground literally drops away beneath you into a near-vertical 50ft drop, and The Falls.

a view from the top of a towering water slide with a child about to to descend in a rubber ring and the ocean is in sight on the horizon

You might be brave enough to try the near-vertical waterslide

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We weren’t quite brave enough for any of that, but we did love The Serpent at the Mayan Pyramid, a ride you take in an inflatable ring either alone or as a pair, which, after twisting and turning in the darkness of the pyramid, emerges into the shark tank. Floating along in a tube as sharks and fish swim around you is quite the experience!

a woman relaxes in a rubber ring surrounded by aquariums filled with sharks and everything is swathed in blue light

Ride The Serpent at the Mayan Pyramid

The River Rapids were fun, too. There are plenty of pools (11, if you’re counting) and you’ll never be stuck searching for a sun lounger, but if sea swimming is more your thing then the property is surrounded by five miles of beautiful, white-sand beaches.

a wide shot of a huge outdoor swimming pool with sand coloured rocks and tall palm trees lining the curved edges lending to a natural feel

Relax in the Mayan Temple Pool

One thing we made sure to try out was the Mermaid Adventure, which my seven-year-old daughter is still talking about long after our return from paradise island. It’s for children only (which gave us grown ups chance to enjoy a Bahama Mama cocktail or two at the swim up bar at The Coral pool while we waited for her!) and is amazing, offering kids the chance to swim with a real live mermaid (who says “Shello” instead of “hello”, my daughter tells me) and have a photo taken with her.

a little girl looks over the moon to be sitting in a rock besides a mermaid who appears to be a woman with a lilac blue and pink tail and they both smile

A real mermaid adventure

Mermaid crafting is also on the agenda, and snacks, and then everyone leaves with a mermaid bag, a toy mermaid and the piece of art they’ve created during their time there. “The mermaid was kind and I’ll remember it forever!” said my daughter when I asked her for a quote for this article.

a rear view of two adults and two children peering and pointing at a huge aquarium

Children can come face to face with a mermaid

The other thing we wanted to check out was the Junkanoo Parade, which takes place every Friday evening at the resort and gives holiday makers a glimpse at this traditional Bahamian carnival, which traditionally takes place every New Year’s Eve. The colourful, high-energy performance shakes and shimmies its way through the Marina at 9pm, then in the Casino at 10pm, and is well worth making time for to get an insight into the local culture.

women dressed in decadent feathers and colourful woven traditional garments play the trumpet and drums are part of a daytime parade

Enjoy the Junkanoo Parade

We headed out into Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas, too – there are plenty of taxis which can be arranged by staff and it’s only a ten minute drive – and we shopped for traditional crafts at the famous Straw Market, which was well worth a visit.

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Where to eat

There are 21 restaurants and 19 bars and lounges at Atlantis, so you won’t be going hungry. Top of our priority list was to try traditional Bahamian cuisine, and we weren’t disappointed by the feast laid on at Frankie Goes Bananas in the Marina Village. To the sounds of the live band playing outside we enjoyed conch fritters, rice and peas, fish tacos, jerk chicken with guava (amazing) and fried plantain, washed down with local beer, before heading back to our room and stopping in the various jewellery shops en route. The Marina is well worth a visit in itself, just for the shopping and the chance to glimpse rows of luxury yachts. Dinner at Olives, one of the resort’s fine dining restaurants, was also delicious. The air-conditioned eaterie is situated in the casino, but we requested an outdoor table and the staff were more than happy to comply, meaning we had another view of those spectacular yachts while dining on our Mediterranean cuisine.

a wooden chandelier shaped like a tropical fish hangs from the wooden beams of a ceiling inside a restaurant

The beauty is in the detail

We’d also recommend Fish by José Andrés, definitely the most romantic and ‘grown up’ experience we came across during our time at Atlantis, and giving us the chance to check out The Cove area of the resort, which is where the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge stayed during their visit in March 2022, in the £19,000-a-night penthouse suite.

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prince william wears a suit and stands smiling as princess kate in a pink dress leans on him laughing next to a coconut that has been impaled with a blue and white flag which are the colours of the bahamas flag© Photo: Getty Images

The Prince and Princess of Wales thoroughly enjoyed their time in the Bahamas

For lunch there are plenty of options but we loved the open-air Lagoon Bar and Grill so much we returned day after day for the Tropical Green Salad (with mango, coconut, pineapple, sunflower seeds and red onion, yum!) and the amazing flatbread pizzas. The breakfast buffet at Poseidon’s Menu is the most extensive breakfast buffet I have ever visited; it’s quite pricey but you can definitely get your fill, and again, if you opt for an outdoor table you can watch the sharks gliding past as you eat.

The accommodation We stayed in the family-friendly Royal Towers, which are themed around the mythology of the lost city of Atlantis and feature a full-blown aquarium in the huge lobby area. Our two-bedroom suite, with a balcony boasting views of the whole resort and the Caribbean sea, was incredible – spacious, all the mod cons and with the most enormous, comfy beds. Well – if this resort is good enough for Kate and William, it’s good enough for us, too!

Rooms in the Royal Towers start from £305 per night. Visit www.atlantisbahamas.com for more information.

For more information and to book an Aqua Shores adventure tour to see the famous Exuma swimming pigs visit www.aquashoresbahamas.com

 
 

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