Staniel Cay Yacht Club Archives

November 14, 2018August 5, 2019

Bahamas Day Trip to Staniel Cay, Exumas!

Are you dreaming of one day getting to visit the exquisite chain of islands known as Exuma Cays in the Bahamas? Have a hankering to swim with the swimming pigs of Big Major Cay (aka Pig Beach)?

Would you be brave enough to get in the water with the “pet” nurse sharks of Compass Cay? Do you want to see and snorkel through Thunderball Grotto – made famous by the James Bond movie “Thunderball”?

Or, do you just want to bask in the ridiculously clear, blue water and maybe walk along a sandbar that only appears at low tide?

How about a visit to Staniel Cay Yacht Club – mentioned by Jimmy Buffet as one of the 10 great places for a waterside drink! Are you ready to go now? Me too!

Here’s a great way to experience all of the above – and more. Staniel Air, based out of Florida, offers a one of a kind Exumas day trip from Ft Lauderdale to Staniel Cay, Exumas which will include (weather permitting) a beautiful flight to Staniel Cay over the stunning Exuma Islands then transfer to one of their luxurious and roomy boats for an ‘insiders’ island tour of the attractions listed above – plus time to explore the island and beaches of Staniel Cay and enjoy some beverages, if you’d like, at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club Bar!

2017 Grand Cessna Caravan

The day begins with a 6:30am check-in at the Ft Lauderdale Executive Airport and you will return to the airport a 7:00pm. The small group tour includes a maximum of 8-9 people and is available each week on Friday or Saturday. If you’d like to book a private tour, it can be done any day of the week (depending on aircraft availablility).

Tour Boat

A few more things: Prices include flights, boat excursion, immigration & customs clearance and transfers in the Bahamas. Passports are required. Minimum age is 5 years old. Staniel Air also offers private air charters within a 500 mile radius of Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport and single seats to and from Staniel Cay/Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, when available.

Are you ready to book this tour? Click here to find out more, and be sure to let them know that you read about the Bahamas Day Trip – Fort Lauderdale to Staniel Cay Exumas on Rum Therapy!

**This post contains an affiliate link to Staniel Air. If you do decide to book the Bahamas Day Tour with them, be sure to mention that you read about it on Rum Therapy. We receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from our links, which, we promise, we’ll mostly blow on creating more rum recipes to share with y’all!**

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

June 5, 2015June 6, 2019

Staniel Cay Yacht Club

On Jimmy Buffett’s list of “10 great places for a Waterside Drink”, the Staniel Cay Yacht Club is a great place for just that, and a whole lot more…

The Staniel Cay Yacht Club & Marina (SCYC) is located on a small cay named Staniel Cay in the middle of the chain of stunning islands known as the Exuma Cays in the Bahamas. SCYC offers a full service marina, cottage and suite accommodations, a shop, and a bar/restaurant.

It’s one of the few places to gas up a boat in the area, so there are always boats, large and small, in the marina and boaters in the bar. The SCYC bar sits in the middle of the marina and is a colorful, eclectic, laid-back, nautically themed place to enjoy a few drinks and some laughs with visitors from around the world.

It’s well known by those who navigate the crystal clear Exuma waters, and frequented by a number of celebrities, such as Johnny Depp, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, Tyler Perry and David Copperfield who have purchased islands (not just homes – islands in the Exuma Cays!) Jimmy Buffet,we were told, used to fly in on his seaplane.

The walls and ceilings contain a multitude of frayed sailing flags and memorabilia and pictures of the crew from the James Bond movie Thunderball hang close to the bar, as some scenes from the film were shot in the nearby Thunderball Grotto.

Although the entire resort emits a decidedly relaxed vibe, the SCYC bar is the place to be for nightlife on Staniel Cay.

As the evening gets later, the bar fills up and the chatter and laughter gets more and more lively.

From inside the bar, you can glimpse the huge boats harbored in the slips – a great view while savoring a blackened mahi sandwich from the lunch menu.

And there are plenty of drink options available from the local beers to specialty rum drinks, such as this frozen rum punch.

Additional seating is available outside, where you can enjoy the sunshine and crystal blue water.

Or take your drink to a rocking chair on the front porch and enjoy the sights and sounds of the busy marina.

Whatever you do, relax and enjoy every moment. It’s one of those places that you’ll take a mental escape to when life gets hectic back home. As a sign on the bar says,
“What’s your hurry? …you’re here”.

Have you enjoyed a “waterside drink” at the Staniel Cay Yacht Club bar? Tell us about it!

Thank you to the wonderful folks at Embrace Resort who sponsored our stay on Staniel Cay. The Embrace Resort is within walking distance of SCYC and an even shorter golf cart ride!

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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.

March 30, 2015June 6, 2019

Next Stop: Exuma Cays

Consisting of over 360 islands, or cays – many uninhabited, The Exuma chain spreads out over 130 miles of sparkling azure water just south of Nassau.

Although we’ve flown over the Out Islands of The Bahamas before and marveled at the brilliant blue water and unbelievably white sand beaches, we’ve never had the chance to visit The Exumas before now. We’ll be spending a few days soon in the Exuma Cays – the land of swimming pigs and beautiful shallow water dotted with cays and sandbars that go on for miles, a bar that Jimmy Buffet calls one of the 10 best bars in the Caribbean, sharks that let you pet them and endless picture taking opportunities.

So tell us. Have you vacationed in The Exumas? What were some of the highlights of your time there?

To see more island posts, check out our Island Blog Directory