Staniel Cay: The Best Island In The Bahamas
Few beach destinations can compete with the white sand, sparkling blue water, and warm weather of the Exuma Islands of the Bahamas. Staniel Cay, a small island, makes an excellent base for accessing some of the best spots in the island chain. One of the most notable hotspots near the island is the world-famous swimming pigs of Big Major Cay.
The small island offers an idealistic escape that has long been embraced by the sailing and yachting crowd. For those not on a boat, the charming island with just over a hundred residents makes for a vacation to explore the best the Bahamas has to offer visitors.
Embrace Resort On Staniel Cay
Given its size, you won’t find any mega resorts on Staniel Cay like the main island of New Providence (Nassau). Instead you have a few local spots, vacation rentals, and the boutique Embrace Resort. This makes for an intimate and welcoming environment – perfect for those after a Caribbean retreat.
The boutique resort is a wonderful collection of several villas around lovely gardens. Its all-female team prides itself on providing guests with a warm embrace as they welcome them to the island. The owners, Nikki and Natajia (mother and daughter), were born and raised on the small island and know every inch of their little hamlet.
Each villa or room at the Embrace is named after a famed Bahamian island. We stayed in the Ragged Island. Our bungalow was immensely comfortable and featured a king bed, a coffee machine, and a jetted tub. All of the villas look back onto the pool and central garden. The resort has a cute cafe, The Flying Pig, which is perfect for breakfast or lunch.
Exploring Staniel Cay Island
The primary means of transportation around the island is either by boat or golf cart. This is true for most of the Exumas which is what truly adds to their experience. Staniel Cay is tiny and you can make a full lap around the island in 15 minutes with a golf cart.
There are a few spots to rent golf carts on the island, but it’s easiest to grab them from Embrace Resort/3Ns Exumas Vacations. Most of our time on the island was spent taking in the ocean views from around.
Beach Paradise: Pirate Beach
Pirate Beach is a small, open-to-the-public beach on the island that is absolutely lovely. It’s one of our favourite beaches, and we spent most of our time relaxing on the little beach completely alone. It’s a white sand beach with sparkling blue water, and it’s well protected from the ocean, so it’s perfect for swimming and relaxing by the water.
We found the best time to visit the beach is in the morning, as it faces northwest. The sun was at our backs, which meant the water was dazzlingly blue. Bring a book and a cooler with drinks to enjoy the beach to the maximum.
The Staniel Cay Yacht Club
The Staniel Cay Yacht Club is one of the main spots on the island and is well known in the Exumas. It has a great ambiance, a restaurant, and a fun bar where just about everyone on a boat in the Exumas stops. We spent two evenings here during our time on Staniel Cay and had a great time.
They have two restaurants and a killer bar that serves some of the best pina coladas in the Caribbean. They make a “peanut colada,” which you need to try at least once. It’s a must for at least one night on Staniel Cay, as its west-facing location makes for great sunsets.
Town Beach
This is a nice little beach right in the main part of “town” on Staniel Cay. It’s where most of the island’s services are located, such as the two general stores, Big Dogs restaurant, Staniel Cay Yacht Club, and the local school.
It’s a nice little beach and there are a few chair to relax. It’s also a great spot for sunset as it faces west. You can often spot marine life such as nurse sharks and rays in the shallow waters around the beach.
Big Dogs and Beyond
The best food on the island is from the islands local institution Big Dogs. It’s an unassuming spot that’s the watering hole for locals and has a small kitchen in the back that does excellent Bahamian cuisine.
There is often no set menu, but it’s based on what is fresh and available. This can include everything from Grouper and Lobster to Oxtail. Of course, it’s served with peas and rice, a staple of the Bahamas.
The Exumas’ Famous Water Attractions
We’re fortunate enough to have traveled to many island destinations all aroud the world, but few can compete with the natural beauty of the Exumas. The real draw of the Exumas and Staniel Cay are the various islands across the chain. So, the only way to really appreciate the islands is via boat.
Luckily you can either rent a boat on Staniel Cay or hire the trusted captains of 3Ns Exuma Vacations to take you out on the water. We spent two days out the water on private tours with our captains from 3Ns leading the way.
The Swimming Pigs
This is definitely a big draw for a lot of visitors to the Bahamas and we can say it actually lives up to the hype. Seeing the pigs swim is really fun and they’re super friendly once you hop out on the white sand beach. As the pigs are only fed in the water they’ve learned to swim out and meet visitors to their island.
The pigs live on the uninhabited island of Big Major Cay, so you can only visit them via boat. Most tours to the pigs leave from various points in the Exumas, but Staniel Cay is the closest and most convenient.
Iguana Beach
Another popular stop for boat trips is Iguana Beach. It’s another stunning white sand beach that has a large resident population of wild iguanas. On a sunny day you roll up to beach where they’re often relaxing and soaking up the sunshine.
Compass Cay
There are so many photo stops and wild experiences around the Exumas, specifically on the boat trips here. One of the most notable is the stop at Compass Cay where you can swim around and touch nurse sharks. The gentle nurse sharks fill the marina waters and give you a chance to interact with the wild animals.
Sandbars
The Bahamas are definitely not lacking when it comes to sand. Navigating the islands takes some real skill; thankfully, we had great captains, as the sandbars are constantly moving.
That said, they make wonderful spots to take in the amazing water colours and some of the softest sand on earth. It’s the perfect spot to enjoy an ice-cold drink or go for a swim.
Thunderball Grotto
Thunderball Grotto is another popular stop for good reason and its right off the coast of Staniel Cay. A swim here is pretty unforgettable as it’s a wild spot to go snorkelling.
The partially submerged limestone cave has multiple entrances and submerged tunnels you can swim through, and sunlight streams through holes in the cave ceiling.
The water in the grotto is a dazzling blue, so it’s not much of a surprise that it’s been featured in numerous movies and TV shows. It even gets its name from the James Bond movie Thunderball.
Natural Aquarium
A protected cove that’s a little further away from Staniel Cay, but still an easy day trip. The cove is a vibrant sanctuary for marine life with a lot of living coral and fish, which makes for one of the best snorkel spots in the Caribbean.
The government protects it as a marine park, so it has strict laws on mooring, which restrict the number of snorkelers in the water. We were the only ones in the water when we visited.
The Queen’s Baths
A hidden gem amongst the Exumas is the Queen’s Baths. A hidden natural pool on a small uninhabited island that requires a bit of journey to reach. Our captain dropped us off on a small sandbar to access the island. Once on the island we made the short walk across the tiny island to a natural rocky cove with a shallow tidal pool perfect for swimming.
Opposite the small tidal pool is a deep channel exposed to the open ocean. As the tide rushes in and through a narrow channel, it creates a swirling amount of bubbles and turns the pool into a “jacuzzi.” It was such a nice spot to relax and well away from the crowds. We found ourselves alone when we visited the natural pool.
Planning Your Water Excursions
3Ns Exuma Vacations runs both the Embrace Resort and the tours around Staniel Cay. This makes it really easy to book for guests at the resort. However, they can also cater to guests staying elsewhere on the island.
They also offer day trips from Nassau, where guests can hop on a short flight to Staniel Cay in the morning, enjoy a half-day on the boat, and then hop back on a return flight to be back in Nassau in time for dinner. It’s a popular option for guests staying at resorts like Atlantis or Baha Mar on the main island.
The boats have canvas tops, but we still highly recommend packing adequate sun protection. You’ll want plenty of sunscreen, sun clothing, sunglasses, and a hat to fully enjoy your day out on the water. 3Ns provides drinks and light snacks so you don’t need to worry about that. We have a great beach packing list that you can use to pack for your trip.
How To Visit Staniel Cay
How To Get To Staniel Cay
The best way to reach the island is via a small plane. It’s an adventure in itself and offers some amazing views of the Exumas as you fly onto the tiny airstrip in the center of Staniel Cay.
Flights run regularly throughout the day from Nassau, and it’s a short 30-minute flight. Alternatively, you can hop on a flight from Fort Lauderdale or Miami. The small plane was a relaxed and easy way to reach Staniel Cay.
There are no public ferries to the Staniel Cay so you’d have to ferry to a neighbouring island and then arrange a private boat from there. The best option is to fly to the little slice of paradise. Your accommodation can often arrange your flight details for you.
The Best Time To Visit Staniel Cay
The best time to visit is generally considered to be the dry season, which runs from December to April. However, there really is no bad time to visit, and the high season regularly runs through the summer, which is June to September. You can expect higher rates and more visitors during this time, but it’s still a small island that’s never busy.
September to November is considered hurricane season, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have bad weather. For the most part, temperatures and weather remain the same throughout the year. We visited in April and had perfect weather during our trip, with only a scattered shower or two during our time on the island.
How Much Does It Cost?
It’s not much of surprise, but The Bahamas are not a budget destination. However, given the experience they’re justifiably popular and offer a really nice experience to travellers. With its pristine beaches and sparkling blue waters The Bahamas deliver a priceless beach trip.
Embrace Resort hits a nice middle ground with great value room rates range from around $200 for a standard cottage to $600 for the three bedroom villa. Meals are around $20-75 per person, as almost all of the food is imported to the islands. Guests receive a discount on golf cart rentals for around $60 a day.
The largest investment on a trip would be the flights to reach the island and any tours that you’d like to enjoy. Flights are around $400-500 per round trip, and tours are around $200-300. You’re definitely going to want to get out the water, so make sure to budget for that!
