beach getaway: the bahamas

Only two months ago, I vowed to take more trips in 2014, so it was very fortuitous that I was able to make a pretty last minute visit to the Bahamas for a "Spring Break" of sorts. New York has had the worst winter (from Snowstorm Hercules to Titan - that's 13 snowstorms!) of my 7 years of living here, so naturally my friends and I were itching to get away. We found a great deal on CheapCarribbean.com for a 4-night, 5 day stay at the Melia Nassau resort and booked it immediately. What resulted was one of the laziest and most relaxing vacations I've ever had :) Here are some photos taken from my iphone (edited on VSCO Cam and Instagram).

 

One of the biggest luxuries was just taking in the sun. Growing up my family never went on beach vacations -my parents were more into historical, cultural trips (Colonial Williamsburg, for example); in fact, my first ever resort experience was in 2011 in Puerto Rico. I love the easygoing nature of the resort life, but don't think I can do it for more than a couple of days since I get antsy. But it was so, so nice to lay on the beach reading, nap by the pool, chill out in the Jacuzzi, and take lots of piña colada & strawberry daiquiri breaks. 

Some trip highlights include enjoying local cuisine at Andros Fish Fry, Poop Deck, and Bahama Grill. We mostly ate grilled seafood and lots of conch -- which I had never had before. I think I ate my own weight in conch salad, conch soup, conch fritters, etc. Oh, and grouper fish too. We also went out with some of the other guests at night to check out the local bars and clubs, including Aura at the Atlantis, Via Restaurant & Bar, and Señor Frog's (touristy, but so fun). 

I think my all-time top three Bahamas moments were taking a long walk down East Cable Beach (approximately a mile) during sunset; getting an evening tour of the magnificent aquarium in the Atlantis from new friends from our resort; and of course meeting some of the guests at the Melia and hearing their stories: a telecomm entrepreneur from Ohio, a musician who is the nephew of Sydney Poitier, a group of guys from Fort Worth, Texas on a bachelor party trip, etc. And of course, hanging out with everyone in our group: Liz, Abby, Sarah, Irina, and Kris. Lucky to have shared this experience with you guys! xoxo