Part 1 trip report
[ Follow Ups ] [ Abaco Message Board ]
Posted by Maine-iac on April 23, 2000 at 23:48:13:
We just got home from Abaco. The first part of this report I want to answer questions that were asked on the board before we left........ Bahamasair?: We flew Bahamasair and were only one hour behind schedule landing in Abaco on our arrival on 4/16/00. From what I have learned that was right on schedule "Island Time". They were very slow on the US end. Only one guy loading all the luggage and only one poor girl checking all the paperwork. Please be aware of what you need to get into the Bahamas. If you are from the US you only need a passport or birth cirtificate with raised seal and a picture ID. Children only need a birth cirtificate with raised seal. If you are bringing children other than your own you will need documentation from the parents allowing them to leave the country with you. Call your airline and ask them what they require. If you are from other countries you will need more information. We saw people from Poland and Cananda having trouble with their paperwork. Standing at the counter with the plane ready to take off is not the time to find out you do not have your paperwork in order. Bahamasair on the Marsh Harbour side was much more efficient. Transportation from Marsh Harbour?: There were taxi drivers right outside the door as you come through customs (which was very quick). We were out the door and in a van before I knew it. All cab drivers were friendly and ready to help with any questions. Travelers checks/credit cards?: This was very interesting!!!!! Most places took travelers checks just like cash. The two places that wouldn't was our boat rental (Rainbow Rental) and our condo (Abaco Towns). They wanted a service charge to use the checks. Other places I noticed signs that charge up to a 5% service charge for using credit cards but would take travelers checks. So be aware of these charges....cash worked every where. Boat rental: We reserved a 22 foot boat from Rainbow Rental. Very pleased with the rental. This is a must if you are going to really see the islands. But, if you are not "boat people" and do not know how to read a chart or compus, do not attempt this. Yes you are responsible for the boat but most important you are responsible for your family. There was one day that the wind came up and the waves were breaking over the bow of the boat. I was very comfortable because my husband had studied the charts, had his GPS and knows how to handle a boat but as the waves were splashing up over the bow I wondered how someone unfamiliar with boats would feel about that time. Be aware and respect the power of the ocean.
Snorkeling: Sandy Cay and Mermaid Reef were the most popular but we found pretty much any beach we landed had great snorkeling. Again respect the power of the ocean and be aware of currents around you especially if you have younger people along.
Body Surfing: My family liked body surfing out at the beach at Abaco Inn, on the ocean side of Pete's, and on the ocean side of Nippers. Again, respect the ocean. These waves can be poweful. They did not have the undertow we found in Hawaii but they still can pound your body into the hard bottom. This is a fun and thrilling activity but just watch the young ones. Costs: Well, to be honest we could have done this Vaca. a lot cheaper but we just didn't. We did bring stuff over for breakfasts but ate out for most other meals. We found the most resonable place to eat was out at Nippers. The others were pretty much 50% higher than here in Maine. Gas here is about $1.40 and was $3.10 there. Everything else ran at about that scale. Again, it depends where your from what the % difference will be. The boat rental was $305/3 days. We used 41 gallons of gas but we boated everywhere we could get to in 3 days. Staying in Marsh Harbour was about half way to any where by water. Alcoholic drinks were about the same as here (about $5.00/drink). Kalik was about $32/case. Juices were the killer...$3.00/glass. Kids: There has been questions about "is Abaco a place for kids". My boys ages 12 & 14 love their Play Station, N64, CD Players and TV. We had none of these where we stayed. They never missed them. My youngest mentioned after a day of snorkeling and we are boating back into the harbour..."mom, this is better than going to Disney"....our "family evenings" were filled with excited talk about the different fish we might have seen and wanting to hit the hay early so we could get an early start on the next days adventures. Well thats a start I will do a day-to-day report soon...hope this answered some questions. Crystal
Follow Ups:
|