Blog | Page 23 of 62 | Rum Therapy

August 19, 2015June 6, 2019

Best of USVI Survey Results

Thanks to all who took our survey on the “Best-Of St. Thomas, St. John and St. Croix”. We hope the results of our Readers Choice survey will give people planning to visit one of these beautiful islands in the near future some ideas of what to do during that well deserved vacation. The results below are simply a compilation of the answers given by our readers based on what they’ve enjoyed while vacationing in the USVI and we do not endorse, nor discount any of the properties, restaurants, shops or attractions listed or not listed. We encourage you to continue to do your own research prior to your trip.

Some of the answers were eye-opening to us and after reading this, we’ve added a few things to our list to see and do during our next visit! Enjoy!

St. Thomas

Best Beach on St. Thomas:
1. Magens Bay
2. Sapphire Beach
3. Coki Point
4. Bolongo Bay

Best Beach Bar/Island Bar on St. John:
1. Duffy’s Love Shack
2. Iggies
3. Big Kahuna Rum Shack
4. Island Time Pub

Best Rum Drink on St. Thomas:
1. Painkiller
2. Bushwacker
3. Banana Daiquiri
4. VooDoo Juice

Best Restaurant on St. Thomas:
1. Sunset Grille
2. Fish Tails
3. Banana Tree Grille
4. Mafolie

Best Hotel/Resort on St. Thomas:
1. Bolongo Bay Beach Resort
2. Marriot’s Frenchman’s Reef & Morning Star Beach Resort
3. The Ritz-Carlton
4. Dreams Sugar Bay
Write ins with multiple votes: Mafolie Hotel, Bluebeards Castle

Best Villa/Condo Rental in St. Thomas:
1. Slice of Heaven, Magens Bay
2. Sapphire Beach Condos – write ins
3. Point Pleasant – write ins
4. Brigadoon – Red Hook

Best Shop or Boutique on St. Thomas:
1. Pirates in Paradise
2. Bones Rum
3. Native Arts & Crafts Cooperative
Write ins with multiple votes: Fish Face, Caribbean Surf Co.

Best Souvenir to bring home from St. Thomas:
1. Bones Rum
2. Larimar Jewelry
Write ins with multiple votes: Hook Bracelet, Cruzan Rum

Best attraction to experience in St. Thomas:
1. Coral World Ocean Park & Undersea Observatory
2. Skyride to Paradise Point
3. Mountain Top
4. Tree Limin’ Extreme
Write ins with multiple votes: Great House Botanical Gardens, Drake’s Seat, Magens Bay

St. John

Best Beach on St. John:
1. Trunk Bay
2. Cinnamon Bay
3. Maho Bay
4. Salomon and Honeymoon
Write in with multiple votes: Gibney

Best Beach Bar/Island Bar on St. John:
1. The Beach Bar
2. Skinny Legs
3. Woody’s
4. Joe’s Rum Hut

Best Rum Drink on St. John:
1. Painkiller
2. Bushwhacker
3. Rum Punch
Write ins with multiple votes: Mojito and Island Girl from Joe’s Rum Hut, Lime in de Coconut

Best Restaurant on St. John:
1. The Lime Inn
2. Cruz Bay Landing
3. The Banana Deck
4. The Terrace Restaurant
Write in with multiple votes: The Fish Trap

Best Place to Stay on St. John:
1. Private Villa: There were more write ins on this one than votes on the entries posted. Most of the write ins were for private villas with no specific name mentioned with the exception of Villa Mar de Amores and Villa St. John.
2. Westin St. John Resort & Villas
3. Caneel Bay Resort
4. Gallow’s Point Resort

Best Shop or Boutique on St. John:
1. St. John Spice
2. Bougainvillea
3. Coconut Coast Studios
Write ins with multiple votes: Sloop Jones, Caravan, Freebird, Bamboo Studio

Best Souvenir to bring home from St. John:
1. St. John Hook Bracelet
2. Cruz Bay Grill Rub from St. John Spice
3. A Hand Painted Shirt from Sloop Jones
Write ins with multiple votes: T-shirt from The Beach Bar, Larimar Jewelry, rum, a good suntan

Best Attraction to Experience on St. John:
1. Snorkeling the trail at Trunk Bay
2. Snorkeling at Waterlemon Cay
3. Hiking anywhere in the VI National Park
Write ins with multiple votes: Drunk Bay, Exploring the town of Cruz Bay

St Croix

Best Beach on St. Croix:
1. Sandy Point Beach
2. Rainbow Beach
3. Cane Bay Beach
4. Sandcastle Beach
Write ins with multiple votes: Buck Island Beach

Best Beach Bar/Island Bar on St. Croix:
1. Rhythms at Rainbow Beach
2. Rum Runners
3. eat @ cane bay
4. Off the Wall
Write ins with multiple votes: Beachside Café

Best Rum Drink on St. Croix
1. Painkiller
2. Cruzan Confusion
3. Green Flash
Write ins with multiple votes: Lime in de Coconut

Best restaurant on St Croix:
1. Polly’s On the Pier
2. Rowdy Joes
3. The Waves at Cane Bay
4. Galangal
Write ins with multiple votes: Duggans Reef, Rum Runners, LeReine Chicken Shack, eat @ cane bay

Best place to stay on St. Croix:
1. TIE: Renaissance St. Croix Carambola Beach Resort & Spa and Sand Castle on the Beach
2. The Buccaneer
3. Divi Carina Bay Beach Resort
Write ins with multiple votes: Cottages by the Sea, Condo Rental

Best shop or boutique on St. Croix:
1. Sonya Ltd
2. Purple Papaya
3. ib designs
4. From the Gecko Boutique
Write ins with multiple votes: Franklins on the Waterfront

Best Souvenir to bring home from St. Croix:
1. St. Croix Hook Bracelet
2. Cruzan Rum
3. Chaney Jewelry

Best attraction to experience on St. Croix:
1. Catamaran Sail to Buck Island
2. Kayaking at night in a bioluminescent bay
3. Point Udall
4. Beer drinking pigs at Montpellier Domino Club
5. Cruzan Rum Factory Tour
Write ins with multiple votes: dive the wall, dive or snorkel the pier, Jump Up Festival, St. George Village Botanical Gardens

To read more about these and other islands, be sure to check our Blog Directory by Island

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

August 17, 2015June 6, 2019

5 Days on Staniel Cay, Part 3 – Off the Cay

In 5 Days on Staniel Cay, Part 1, we talked about the beaches on Staniel Cay and in Part 2, we highlighted some of the other attractions on island that we were lucky enough to experience. In this last part, we’re going to feature the area surrounding Staniel Cay – which are just a short boat ride from Staniel Cay and definitely worth exploring!

Exuma, a long chain of stunningly beautiful islands, or cays – 365 of them, that start about 35 miles south of Nassau, Bahamas. The Exuma Cays are the northernmost part of this chain and much of it is easily accessible from Staniel Cay.

If you have boating experience, you can rent a boat for the day or the week from Coral at Staniel Rentals, or 1/2 day and daily rentals from Nicole at 3N’s Vacation Services. If you’re not comfortable navigating your own boat, Nicole can also arrange a guided tour of the surrounding cays for you.

During our all too short stay, we first took a guided tour of the surrounding area, which included snorkeling at Thunderball Grotto,

Swimming with the pigs at Big Major Cay,

Swimming with the nurse sharks on Compass Cay,

And a fun afternoon playing on the sandbar near Little Pipe Cay.

We enjoyed the day so much that several days later, we decided to rent a boat of our own to explore more of the incredible area. We swam with the pigs again, then headed north for more time on Compass Cay, where we spent time chatting with Tucker, the proprietor of Compass Cay Marina,

Exploring the stunning Crescent Beach on Compass Cay,

Boating through some of the clearest, bluest water we’ve ever seen,

Then spending the last several hours of our day on Sandy Cay, exploring the tiny uninhabited island and the long arc of white sand sandbar that appears during low tide.

Have you spent time on Staniel Cay or in the Exuma Cays? Tell us about it!

To see more posts on the Bahamas and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

August 12, 2015June 22, 2021

Dark ‘N Stormy Ice Cream

If you’re on a diet, you might as well just close this page right now. We could practically feel our clothes getting tighter just reading the list of ingredients, but we forged ahead. You know this job requires some sacrifices in the name of “rum research”.

Anyway, we saw this recipe posted by Gosling’s Rum the other day, and being big fans on their Dark ‘N Stormy Drink, we knew we had to give it a whirl.

Jump to Recipe

There are a few steps to it, and we modified the steps just slightly to make it a bit easier (and to use a few less pots and pans) and the results were still, well, rumlicious. And, as if the ice cream isn’t rich enough by itself, we decided to make a rum sauce (find our rum sauce recipe after the ice cream recipe) and drizzle it over the ice cream before serving…seriously yum.

Oh, and if you don’t want to go through all the steps to make the ice cream from scratch, Goslings recommends “buying some of the best vanilla ice cream you can find to soften. Add chopped crystalized ginger and Gosling’s Black Seal Rum and blend it all in. Re-freeze and serve when ready.” Hmmm. Maybe we’ll try it that way too!

*We love bringing you amazing rum recipes! Our recipes may contain affiliate links to products that we use. If you click the link and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission (at no additional cost to you). Thank you for your support in helping us to continue providing rumlicious, tropical recipes!

Print Recipe

Dark 'N Stormy Ice Cream

Delicious, creamy and spiked! Not diet friendly, but SUPER rumlicious!

Course: Dessert

Servings: quart

Ingredients

For the Ice Cream

1 c. Sugar
2 c. Milk
2 c. Heavy Cream
8 Egg Yolks (Large)
1/2 c. Gosling's Black Seal Rum
1/2 c. Crystalized Ginger (chopped fine)

For the Rum Sauce

1/2 c. Brown Sugar
1/3 c. Butter
1/8 tsp. Vanilla
3 Tbs. Dark Rum (we used Goslings)

Instructions

To make the Ice Cream:

In a saucepan combine the sugar, the milk, and the cream and scald the mixture over moderate heat, stirring.
In a large bowl beat the egg yolks until they are light and thick and pour in the milk mixture through a fine sieve in a stream, stirring.
Cook the mixture moderate heat, stirring, until it coats the spoon. Transfer the custard to a metal bowl set in a bowl of ice and stir until it is cool.
In a small stainless steel or enameled saucepan reduce the Black Seal Rum over moderately high heat by half, taking care it does not ignite. Allow it to cool.
Stir the Black Seal Rum and the crystalized ginger into the custard and chill the mixture, covered, for 2 hours.
Pour into an ice cream maker to finish chilling and mixing.

To make the Rum Sauce:

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add brown sugar and stir until dissolved.
Turn off the heat, but leave the saucepan on the stove. Slowly and carefully pour in the rum, stir until it thickens slightly.
Using a small spoon, drizzle over a bowl of ice cream.

Notes

(recipe by Goslings Rum – with slight variations)

Find more delicious rum recipes here!

Copyright ©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

August 11, 2015April 20, 2021

Perfect Vacation Memory – Virgin Gorda

What’s a perfect vacation memory? You know the one your mind wanders to when your day gets a little too stressful? Well, of course it’s different for everyone, but ours usually has something to do with a beautiful beach…and rum…

A few years ago, while staying on-island in this beautiful villa on Virgin Gorda in the BVI, we packed our beach bags and set off for the day to beautiful Spring Bay, a next door neighbor to The Baths. We spent the day lounging in the crystal clear water, exploring the massive boulders and simply soaking in the sun.

And, as if that weren’t perfect enough, after getting our beach fill for the day, we made our way to CocoMaya, where we ordered a Zacapa 23 on ice and a Pinot Grigio, sat with our toes in the sand around a fire pit at the waters edge,

and watched a gorgeous sunset over Tortola.

Great memory of a great day on a beautiful island.

Do you have any great vacation memories from Virgin Gorda? Share them with us!

To see more posts on Virgin Gorda and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

Copyright©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

All information is correct to our knowledge at the time of writing, but be sure to verify current information before your visit.

August 8, 2015June 24, 2021

Shell-O Shots

Are they Jell-O? Are they shots? They’re Shell-O Shots! A beachy version of the adult party treat! We found a shell shaped ice cube mold Shell Shaped Ice Cube Mold, purchased two of them, and put together several different flavors for a colorful party tray. The recipes can also be used in regular 2 oz. Plastic Jello Shot Cups with Lids. Find the recipes for 3 different flavors below!

Print Recipe

Shell-O Shots

Strawberry banana flavored jello shots in cute shapes

Course: Drinks

Keyword: jello shot, party drink, rum drink

Servings:

Ingredients

1 box strawberry banana jello 3 oz
1 pouch gelatin
1 c hot water
1 c banana rum

Instructions

Pour the gelatin into a medium bowl with 1 c. boiling water. Stir until dissolved.
Add the Strawberry Banana Jell-O and stir until dissolved.
Pour in 1 c. of banana rum.
Spray the shell molds lightly with a cooking spray. Using a small measuring cup, fill each shell mold with the mixture.
Put the mold in the refrigerator until the shells become firm. The firmer they are, the easier they will come out of the mold.
Turn the mold over and gently squeeze each shell out onto a plate.

Notes

Other flavor combos to try:

Lemon Cheesecake Jello Shots
(Makes at least 22 individual shells)

1 - 3oz. box Lemon Jell-O
1 pouch gelatin
1 c. boiling water
1 c. vanilla rum (we used Cruzan)

Blueberry Coconut Jello Shots
(Makes at least 22 individual shells)

1 - 3oz. box Berry Blue Jell-O
1 pouch gelatin
1 c. boiling water
1 c. coconut rum (we used Blue Chair Bay)

Find more rum recipes here:

Rum Recipe Picture Directory

Rum Recipes by Category

Copyright ©Rum Therapy
Pictures and other content may not be re-used without written consent from Rum Therapy, LLC

August 5, 2015June 6, 2019

5 Days on Staniel Cay, Part 2 – The Island

In 5 Days on Staniel Cay, Part 1 – we covered the beaches of Staniel Cay, and although we spent a lot of time on those beaches, there are other things to enjoy on Staniel Cay and here are some of them. You can locate these attractions on the map below.

Sign on the back of Club Thunderball

On a cliff overlooking Thunderball Grotto, this closed down bar called Club Thunderball must have been a happening place in its day! Regardless, we enjoyed exploring the exterior and imagining sipping a cold rum punch with fellow island lovers while looking out at the gorgeous blue water.

Moving down toward the “town” of Staniel Cay, we spent several fun evenings at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club – the place to be at night on Staniel Cay.

Cold drinks and lots of great conversation with other happy sailors, vacationers and islanders alike make for a great place to hang out.

Hungry? We had several delicious lunches at Staniel Cay and one absolutely delicious lobster dinner. Reservations are required for dinner and the dinner bell rings promptly at 6:30 and 8 – don’t be late. Our dinner was pricey, but worth it.

We also enjoyed hanging out on the dock at the marina during the day.

You never know what you’ll see swimming around in the incredibly clear water.

To the south of the SCYC there are two other dining options.

Taste & Sea Café, casual food with a nice view of the water,

And Big Dog’s.

Just down from Big Dog’s is Emil’s Bakery.

The selection varies with the time of day you stop by, but this is the place to get fresh bread and baked goods while on-island.

There are three grocery stores on Staniel Cay and two are in this area.

Burke’s Convenience Store

And Pink Pearl. Don’t expect the type of grocery store you may find at home, but do expect fantastic and friendly service. We asked the owner of Pink Pearl, Eleanor, if she had any plastic containers that might be suitable for microwaving and she said she didn’t have any in stock, but proceeded to go next door to her house and bring us two of her own bowls to use for the week!

Continuing down the road you will find the oldest house on Staniel Cay/Museum/Library. Sadly, it never appeared open when we passed it as it would have been fun to check out.

There is one church on Staniel Cay and it stands prominently on a “busy” corner.

Mount Olivet Baptist Church sits right on the edge of the water and must offer quite the view for parishioners during service.

Isles General it the 3rd of the 3 grocery stores and is located farther south on the island.

Need a golf cart or boat, or want to plan a wedding on Staniel Cay?

Nicole can help you arrange a golf cart or boat rental and many other services you may need and also runs Embrace Resort.

Heading up the northeast part of the island again, we found a trail along the cliffs heading north.

This was a beautiful hike with great views, just pick your footwear carefully. We did not and the volcanic rock can get pretty painful in sandals.

Do as little or as much as you want on your Staniel Cay vacation, but as the sign on the beach next to SCYC says,

While you are here: Stop awhile Sit awhile Observe awhile Listen awhile Relax awhile Meditate awhile Live awhile longer…

Coming up in the Part 3 – what to see in the area around Staniel Cay!

Find Staniel Cay on our Bahamas Map

To see more posts on the Bahamas and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

July 28, 2015June 5, 2019

5 Days on Staniel Cay, Part 1 – The Beaches

Staniel Cay, a small island in the middle of the Exuma Cays, a chain of beautiful islands and cays in the Bahamas, is a hub for the area because of the amenities it offers: a small airstrip, three grocery stores, three restaurants, a clinic, church, marina, gas and a variety of accommodations.

We got to spend 5 days on this lovey island (thanks to Embrace Resort), which is only about a square mile in size and home to about 100 people. What’s it like to stay on a small island, or cay such as Staniel Cay?

Well, if you like spending lots of time on beautiful deserted beaches, if you like an island where on-island transportation is via golf carts, bicycles or walking, if you don’t mind that there’s really only one nightspot – but it’s a good one, if you enjoy getting to know the locals and other visitors to the island by name, and if you don’t mind “island time”, you would probably love Staniel Cay. We absolutely did.

Our arrival from Nassau was by Flamingo Air on a very small plane that seated about 8 – less if the passengers have much to carry on. The views over the Exuma Cays were spectacular and we could hardly wait to land and start exploring.

From the moment we set foot on Staniel Cay, we felt welcomed. Smiles and greetings from everyone – even other visitors were abundant and we quickly started to relax and get on island time ourselves.

Our first day or so was spent exploring the island by foot and golf cart. What’s there to see? We’ll show you!

Beaches…
Exuma is known for its stunning beaches and sandbars and there are secluded ones around every corner in the chain of cays, but if you don’t want to leave Staniel Cay, there are several great ones right on island to explore, such as,

Ocean Beach.
On the east side of the island, you can access this long expanse of beautiful sand from the bluff above it. We took our golf cart, parked at the top of the bluff and walked down to the beach.

Once on the beach, you can find just the perfect secluded spot to spend the day. As you can see, you won’t be competing for a little space.

The surf was very calm the two days we visited and we spent a lot of time in the water snorkeling and floating, but I imagine it could get rough on stormy or windy days due to its orientation.

Find all of these beaches marked on the Staniel Cay map below.

Another beach that we really enjoyed was Pirate Trap Beach.

The beach itself is not huge and varies with the tide, but the views from the cove are stunning and the water was calm and great for swimming when we were there.

Although the Ocean Beach and Pirate Trap Beach were our favorites, there were several other beaches on island that are worth exploring.

Ho Tai Cay was a bit hard to find, but had a nice little park with picnic tables, a tire swing and a volleyball net in the water. The beach is located on an inlet on the islands southeast side and gets very low during low tide, but is probably always calm due to its location.

Just over the hill from the park was another beach that we believe was the upper edge of the South Beaches. We couldn’t find a public access path to the South Beaches (beside this little area) as the beach is dotted with private homes, but it looks like another beautiful area.

And last, but certainly not least – the beach next to the Staniel Cay Yacht Club. It was calm and fairly shallow. Looked like a perfect place to kayak or SUP.

Did we do anything other than visit beaches during our stay on Staniel Cay. Yep.
Check out Part 2 – The Island and Part 3 – Off the Cay. We’ll let you know the other fun things we got to experience on this beautiful cay!

Find Staniel Cay and its beaches on our Bahamas Map

To see more posts on the Bahamas and other islands, check out our Island Blog Directory

July 19, 2015June 6, 2019

Xero Shoes – Better Than Barefoot and Perfect For Travel

Do you struggle with the type and amount of footwear to bring on your tropical vacation? We sure do. We’d rather be barefoot all the time, but out of necessity (a gash from a sharp piece of coral or a burn on the foot can put a damper on your vacation fun!) we usually end up bringing flip-flops to wear on hot sand and surfaces, some kind of water shoes to wear during water sports and boating and sturdier shoes to wear while hiking. Shoes and flip-flops end up filling valuable space in the limited amount of luggage we try to take.

Imagine our interest in learning more about Xero Shoes, a company from Broomfield, Colorado that creates Lightweight Performance Recreation Sandals – ultralight sandals originally created for barefoot running.

The weight and packability of the sandal is what first peaked our interest, but after testing them out, we’ve found so much more to like about this ultra comfortable footwear.

John ordered the Amuri Z-Trek Sport Sandal in Coal Black/Castle Rock and I selected the Amuri Cloud – Women’s Barefoot Sandal in the beautiful Aquarius color.

We received our shoes quickly – just a few days after placing our order and both pairs fit perfectly, probably due to their measuring system which takes the guesswork out of ordering your size, especially if you wear a half size.

We’ve been wearing our Xero Shoes for a couple of weeks now and have tried them out on the beach,

– gone hiking in them, and tested them out on hot surfaces. They’ve been so comfortable that I even forget I’m wearing them and coming from someone who goes barefoot whenever humanly possible, that says a lot!

Xero Shoes also offers beads and pendants to decorate and personalize your sandals. I’ve got my eyes on the dolphin pendant and some of the brass crow shoe beads – I think they’ll look amazing with the beautiful blue color of my sandals.

Other situations we have yet to test but think our Xero Shoes will be perfect for:

Sailing. The tread on the Xero Shoes, the ability to tighten the straps and the lightness of the sandal would be perfect for navigating a sea-misted deck.

Stand Up Paddleboarding and other water sports. Again, the tread and lightness of the sandal would increase stability and provide protection for the foot without added weight during all kinds of water activities.

Guess what will not be taking up tons of space in our luggage during our next tropical adventure. 4 or 5 different pairs of shoes.

Guess what will be taking up very little space.
Our new Xero Shoes Sandals.

Better than Barefoot and Perfect For Travel.

To find out more about Xero Shoes, the story behind their ultralight sandals and to find a pair that’s perfect for you, visit their website (and be sure to read about owners Steven and Lena’s presentation on Shark Tank!)

Xero Shoes Website

And keep up to date with their new products and news via their social media sites:
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Pinterest

This is a sponsored post. Although we were compensated by the company who sponsored it, the views are solely our own and we only recommend products or services we believe our readers will enjoy.

July 16, 2015June 6, 2019

Rum Therapy Best-Of List 2015

We love it when our island, beach and rum loving readers ask for suggestions on what to see and do and where to stay on islands they are planning to visit.

In fact, we’ve put together several guides on what to do in some of our favorite spots – such as Cruz Bay, St. John, Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, North Sound, Virgin Gorda, Marigot, St. Martin and Philipsburg, St. Martin and regularly review different accommodations, although unfortunately we don’t get to visit every location every year and things change over time.

So, we thought we’d ask for the assistance of our wonderful readers who do a good amount of island traveling themselves and those that actually live on these beautiful islands, in compiling the first Rum Therapy Best-Of List that we’ll leave posted on our website for easy reference to those traveling to these tropical locations in the near future (similar to the reader collaboration we had on The Rum Therapy Ultimate Beach Playlist).

Although this list will just touch on a few of the great things to experience on each of these islands, it should prove to be a good place to get a few ideas while planning your vacation!

In 2015, we will focus on the following island locations:

USVI:
St. Thomas
St. John
St. Croix

Categories we’ll take nominations for:

Best Beach
Best Beach Bar or Island Bar
Best Rum Drink
Best Restaurant
Best Place to Stay
Best Shop or Boutique
Best Souvenir to Bring Home from this Location
Best Attraction to Experience Here

Check our site over the next few days for your chance to give us your opinion on The Best-Of the USVI!

July 14, 2015June 6, 2019

Embrace Resort, Staniel Cay

Imagine a small, intimate eco-friendly resort with 7 well appointed themed villas, a spa, pool, cabana and upscale restaurant all on a beautiful, quaint little island in an exquisite chain of small islands in the Bahamas called the Exuma Cays. The island is Staniel Cay and this resort, Embrace Resort, is the dream of owner Nicole Ferguson and daughter Natajia, who are well on their way to realizing their vision.

Embrace is an acronym for the names of the 7 villas that will soon grace the resort: Exuma, Mayaguana, Bimini, Ragged Island, Andros, Cat Island, Eleuthera – all named after Bahamian Islands. 4 of the villas are already complete and range in size from 1 bedroom (including a honeymoon villa with indoor spa tub) to 3 bedrooms.

Andros – 3 bedroom villa with complete kitchen

Bimini – 2 bedroom villa

Ragged Island – 1 bedroom Honeymoon Villa

Once completed, the resort will host the only spa, fitness center and meeting space on the island and will also include a pool and restaurant. Nicole and Natajia also run a business called 3 N’s Vacation Services which offers destination wedding planning, boat rentals, tours & excursions and golf cart rentals. Guests of Embrace Resort will certainly benefit from their expertise, knowledge of the island and services available.

Owner Nicole Ferguson

We were invited to visit and learn about Embrace Resort and stayed in Mayaguana, an intimate 1 bedroom accommodation with a refrigerator, microwave, large en-suite bathroom, air conditioning, wireless in the room, and flat screen TV with dish network.

Although the resort is not directly on the beach, it is close to several of the islands fine beaches and they are easily reached by walking or by golf cart. It is also just minutes away from the islands restaurants and grocery stores and the popular bar and nightspot at Staniel Cay Yacht Club. Staniel Cay is easily reached by air via Nassau or Ft. Lauderdale on either Flamingo Air or Watermakers Air.

Every effort is being made to make Embrace Resort sustainable and eco-conscious in the choice of building materials and systems used in the construction of the resort, which is important anywhere, but especially on a small island where every action leaves a mark on the delicate ecosystem.

Staniel Cay and the entire Exuma chain is an area that is getting more and more attention lately due to the diversity of activities available in the area, from fishing to boating to experiences you won’t find anywhere else. From our base at Embrace Resort, we were able to visit Big Major Cay and its swimming pigs,

Swim with the nurse sharks on Compass Cay,

Snorkel through Thunderball Grotto – used in the filming of the 1965 James Bond movie “Thunderball”,

and spend lazy afternoons floating in some of the clearest water we’ve ever seen…

Embrace Resort is scheduled for a Grand Opening in 2016 once the entire resort is finished, and although the restaurant, swimming pool and spa are not yet complete, the 4 villas that are already constructed are available to rent and can be booked through their website: Embrace Resort.

To find out more about Embrace Resort, be sure to follow them on their Facebook page and Twitter.

A big thanks to Nicole and Natajia for hosting our stay at Embrace Resort and we look forward to visiting again next year to see all that Embrace will have to offer!