One of the world’s best exotic beach holiday destinations

The Bahamas is a group of 29 islands that, along with several hundred sandy cays and a couple of thousand tiny rocky islets, make up a commonwealth island nation in the Caribbean. Holidays in the Bahamas are the quintessential Caribbean experience, offering the perfect blend of sun, sea and sand, with stunning landscapes stretching out in every direction under beautiful blue skies. It’s hard to imagine that the Bahamas were once a haven for pirates such as the infamous Blackbeard, who terrorised the local waters in the early 1700s until the British naval fleet clamped down on Caribbean piracy. Like many Caribbean island nations, tourism and international finance are the two cornerstones of the Bahamian economy, and the fact that there is no income tax, corporate tax or VAT certainly helps to attract wealthy visitors and residents.

Why Go?
Live it up in the lap of luxury in one of the most attractive Caribbean island groups. There are endless opportunities for sunbathing on picture-perfect beaches, enjoying relaxing spa treatments, shopping in tax-free marketplaces and indulging in water sports like snorkelling, scuba diving and sailing.

When to Go?
Winter is very popular for holidays in the Bahamas, so the islands are busy between December and March, and hotels and flights to the Bahamas become more expensive. In the off-peak times resorts are a lot quieter but hotels may have less staff and services, and the daytime temperatures can sometimes be very hot and sticky. The islands have more rain between August and November.

How to get there?
Flights to the Bahamas from the UK are only available with British Airways, who offer a five-times-a-week service from London Heathrow to the capital, Nassau. Flights to other airports in the Bahamas including Freeport, George Town, Bimini, Governor’s Harbour, North Eleuthera and Deadman’s Cay are available as connections from Lynden Pindling International (NAS) in Nassau. There are also connecting flights to Bahaman airports from Miami and Fort Lauderdale in Florida, and from Antigua.

Must see
Take the Fort Charlotte History Tour in Nassau to discover more about the colonial history of the islands and wander around the hidden passageways and dungeons of this eighteenth century fortification. With special permission you can visit the Abaco Wild Horse Reserve near Treasure Cay, which contains the world’s most purebred examples of Spanish Barb horses, descendents of horses brought by Columbus’ crew in 1492. The 40-acre Lucayan National Park features the world’s largest underwater limestone cave system, suitable for experienced divers, as well as attractive walking trails through the pine forests.