The Bahamas - Holidays, Flights and Hotels
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Flight Time to the Bahamas from the UK
Approx 8 Hours from London
The Commonwealth of The Bahamas is an independent English-speaking nation in the West Indies. An archipelago of 700 islands and cays (which are small islands), the Bahamas is located in the Atlantic Ocean, east of Florida in the United States, north of Cuba and the Caribbean, and west of the British dependency of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The Bahamas is an archipelago of some 700 islands and cays covering over 100,000 mi˛ (260,000 km˛) of the Atlantic Ocean between Florida and Hispaniola. The archipelago has a total land area of 5,382 square miles (13,939 km˛)-about 20% larger than Jamaica-and a population of some 310,000 concentrated on the islands of New Providence and Grand Bahama.
Brief History of the Bahamas
Christopher Columbus's first landfall in the New World in 1492 is believed to have been on the island of San Salvador (also called Watling's Island), in the southeastern Bahamas. He encountered Taino (also known as Lucayan) Amerindians and exchanged gifts with them.
Taino Indians from both northwestern Hispaniola and northeastern Cuba moved into the southern Bahamas about the 7th century AD and became the Lucayans. They appear to have settled the entire archipelago by the 12th century AD. There may have been as many as 40,000 Lucayans living in the Bahamas when Columbus arrived.
Information provided by Wikipedia
Flights to the Bahamas |
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Resorts and Hotels in the Bahamas |
Book Your Holiday To the Bahamas From:
Virgin Holidays
- www.virginholidays.co.uk
For last minute cheap and luxury holidays in the Bahamas.
The climate is mild year-round, the beaches are excellent and there's plenty to do - one day you can be snorkelling, the next feeding sharks! New Providence is home to Nassau and famous Cable Beach. Grand Bahama has a more laid-back feel with miles of incredible south-facing beaches. The Abaco Islands are larger but less populated, making them ideal for a back-to-nature experience. Known as 'the sailing capital of the world', it's certainly a great way to explore its hidden coves and deserted beaches!
Hayes and Jarvis
- www.hayesandjarvis.co.uk
Hayes and Jarvis offer specialist holidays to the Bahamas - ATOL (No 1275), ABTA (No V1464)
The Bahamas bring to mind white shores, turquoise sea and a really friendly welcome. With more than 700 islands and 2500 cays, the main resorts offer refined Caribbean taste with casinos, luxury yachts, fine dining and golf courses. Colourful clapboard houses contrast with colonial charm and outside the towns, you will find fishing wharves full of character, spectacular coral reefs and an easy pace of life.
LastMinute.com
- www.lastminute.com
For cheap last minute holidays and travel offers to The Bahamas.
lastminute.com offers a fantastic array of incredible Bahamas travel deals. Whether booking a hotel, flight, holiday or car hire, lastminute.com is your one stop travel shop.
Expedia
- www.expedia.co.uk
Offers you a vast choice of luxury and last minute package holidays to the Bahamas.
Tucked away on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, just off the coast of Florida, this group of islands has two distinct personalities. On the one hand, you have the capital Nassau and Grand Bahama Island, brash, extravagant and exciting with a promise of non-stop action. On the other hand, there are the Out Islands, quaint, laidback and reminiscent of a bygone colonial age.
eBookers
- www.ebookers.com
Cheap Flights, Hotels, Airline Tickets, Car Hire and Holiday Packages
Thomas Cook
- www.thomascook.com
Cheap Family holidays & last minute deals.
Paradise Island, a purpose-built resort with miles of beaches, is linked to Nassau by two long bridges. It includes Shipwreck Beach, which is great for diving and fishing. Swimming with dolphins is an opportunity not to be missed while in the Bahamas. If you can tear yourself away from the velvet-soft white sand, explore Nassau's old town that spreads uphill behind the waterfront. You'll find well-preserved 18th- and 19th-century buildings, as well as Fort Fincastle and the former lighthouse, with look-outs offering panoramic views of the harbour.
Kuoni Travel
- www.kuoni.co.uk
Luxury tailormade holidays and travel to the Bahamas.
The geography of the Bahamas surprises first time visitors - 700 islands and 2,400 smaller cays scattered across a 1000-mile swathe of the Atlantic Ocean from the Florida coast to eastern Cuba. This former haven of pirates, smugglers and rumrunners now displays an absolute dedication to holiday pleasure. Spend a week or two there and adjust to the islands' three paces of life...slow, stop and reverse.
British Airways Holidays
- www.britishairways.com
Book affordable hotels and car rental with BA Holidays.
The Bahamas covers 150,000 square miles of sea - and it's a place that caters to all tastes. A cosmopolitan city that knows how to have a good time, Nassau offers a variety of shops, bars and clubs.
You'll also find excellent beaches to explore here, with warm turquoise waters that are the clearest in the world. And they boast visibility of over 200 feet (61 metres).
From this base, you can arrange trips to nearby islands. Each day, 40-foot powerboats surge out to the Exuma Cays, where you can swim with stingrays and dolphins.
Netflights
- www.netflights.com
Cheap flight and package holiday offers to the Bahamas and the Caribbean
Opodo
- www.opodo.co.uk
Cheapest offers and deals on flights, hotels, car rental, city breaks and package holidays.
Possibly the most beautiful of the islands is the shoestring-shaped Eleuthra. Lush rolling hills, quaint fishing villages and large silky expanses of empty beaches, make it the ideal retreat. Further north is the dame of the islands, Grand Bahama, home to a staggering array of must-dos. Topping the list is exploring the 'blue holes' in Lucayan National Park, frolicking with dolphins in Sanctuary Bay or taking a boat trip to the spectacular reefs of Peterson's Cay.
Below are further offers from secure travel agents with offers on holidays to the Bahamas.
Public Holidays in the Bahamas
New Year's Day - January 1
Good Friday - Friday before Easter
Easter Monday - March/April
Whit Monday - 7th Monday after Easter
Labor Day - 1st Friday in June
Independence Day - July 10
Emancipation Day - 1st Monday in August
Discovery Day - October 12
Christmas Day - December 25
Boxing Day - December 26
Visa Requirements for the Bahamas
To enter The Bahamas, citizens from countries other than the U.S. and Canada require a Passport that must be valid for six (6) months beyond the dates of travel and / or a valid Bahamas Visa. You must also possess a return or onward journey ticket and proof of funds to support the visit.
Getting Around in the Bahamas
By plane
Bahamasair offers a comprehensive network radiating out from Nassau and covering most population centers. However, fares are expensive, frequencies are low, planes are small and the airline is notorious for extensive delays, and many travellers in a hurry opt to charter planes instead.
By bus
Nassau/New Providence have a system of buses called jitneys, discussed in the Nassau article. Bus travel on the other islands (with the exception of Grand Bahama) is very limited.
By car
The best way to go around the larger islands (Grand Bahama, Grand Exuma, Andros, etc) is to hire a car. There are many opportunities to rent a vehicle on Grand Bahama Island (Freeport) and can be well worth it if you want to get away from your resort. The Lucaya resort area has a nice town center with a wide variety of shopping in walking distance.
Driving is on the left, but due to the many American tourists there are many pavement markings to remind you. Although driving is on the left, many cars' driver's seats still are on the left side of the car. A particular challenge is always the turning circle. Gasoline is expensive, but distances are low.